Electron and atomic structure of polymers: Implication for nuclear tracks formation

A review of experimental and theoretical activities in a study of an electron and atomic structure of polymers is presented. Polymers having conjugated π-electron systems were studied experimentally in different aggregate states within the temperature interval 4.2- 300 K using spectrophotometric and spectroluminescence methods. Special attention has been paid to oxidization processes in polymers caused by ionizing radiation. The theoretical approach developed in Ukraine for electron and atomic structure calculations is based on the theory of multiple scattering of elementary excitations (electrons and phonons). This approach provides a possibility to estimate energy spectra of elementary excitations, parameters of interatomic correlations, electron density distributions, absorption and emission (photoluminescence) spectra. Study of the fluorescence spectra provides a possibility to estimate the electron structure as well as the local characteristics of latent tracks induced by nuclear particles. Dependencies of the shape of photoluminescence bands can be investigated experimentally for different kinds of nuclear particles within a wide energy range. Application of combined experimental and theoretical approach of investigation of solid-state nuclear track detector (SSNTD) physical properties, and determination of nuclear particle characteristics (charge, atomic number, etc.) are discussed.