Bulk etch rate measurements and calibrations of plastic nuclear track detectors

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms Vol. 254; no. 2; pp. 254 - 258
• Main Authors: Balestra, S., Cozzi, M., Giacomelli, G., Giacomelli, R., Giorgini, M., Kumar, A., Mandrioli, G., Manzoor, S., Margiotta, A.R., Medinaceli, E., Patrizii, L., Popa, V., Qureshi, I.E., Rana, M.A., Sirri, G., Spurio, M., Togo, V., Valieri, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.01.2007
• Subjects: Bulk etch rate; Nuclear fragmentation; Nuclear track detector; Relativistic ions; 34.90.+q; Bulk etch rate; Nuclear track detector; Relativistic ions; 29.40.Wk; Nuclear fragmentation
• ISSN: 0168-583X; 1872-9584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2006.11.056

New calibrations of CR39 and Makrofol nuclear track detectors have been obtained using 158AGeV Pb82+ and In49+ions; a new method for the bulk etch rate determination, using both cone height and base diameter measurements, was developed. The CR39 charge resolution based on the etch-pit base area measurements is adequate to identify nuclear fragments in the interval 7⩽Z/β⩽49. For CR39 the detection threshold is at REL ∼50MeVcm2g−1, corresponding to a nuclear fragment with Z/β∼7. Base cone area distributions for Makrofol foils exposed to Pb82+ ions have shown for the first time all peaks due to nuclear fragments with Z>50; the distribution of the etched cone heights shows well separated individual peaks for Z/β∼78 to 83 (charge pick-up). The Makrofol detection threshold is at REL ∼2700MeVcm2g−1, corresponding to a nuclear fragment with Z/β=50.