Four decades of nuclear tracks research in India

The science of solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs)—“Trackology”—developed by R.L. Fleischer, P.B. Price and R.M. Walker in the early 1960s of the last century is an interesting and potentially useful concept with something to offer to almost all branches of science and technology. In fact nuclear tracks find applications wherever solid state damage occurs. Apart from the direct applications of far reaching consequences in nuclear physics, other areas as diverse as bio-medical sciences, cosmic rays and space physics, environmental research, geological sciences, material science, microanalysis, mine safety, nuclear technology, uranium prospecting, etc. have been greatly influenced by SSNTDs.

In this presentation, we attempt to provide an overview of the growth of nuclear tracks research in India over the last four decades and the contributions of various groups from Universities, Institutes, Nuclear Track Society of India and the Department of Atomic Energy in nurturing nuclear track research in the country. Finally, a summary of the significant contributions made by Indian scientists is also presented in this paper along with the overall impact it has made at the national and international level in many areas of basic and applied sciences such as cosmic rays and space physics, fusion–fission and particle evaporation, heavy ion ranges and energy-loss measurements, country-wide indoor radon–thoron survey, geochronology, environmental sciences, track-etch membranes and ion tracks technology, material science, physics and chemistry of fission, etc.