General expression of the calibration curve for the CR-39 radon track detectors

The CR-39 detectors are widely used as passive radon dosimeters, as well as in physics laboratories or for industrial applications. For what concerns radon monitoring, the calibration curve which is usually adopted corresponds to a linear relation between the actual etched track density and the track density counted by an automatic acquisition system. This linear calibration provides very accurate radon exposure assessments in a restricted range of etched track density, however it neglects the effect of the tracks overlapping that becomes as relevant as the track density increases. In the present work the mathematical expression of the area covered by a set of uniformly distributed tracks is deduced. This result allows then to infer the probability that the system acquires the right track density, providing a general calibration curve for a solid state radon track detector. The process of track production and reading routine is also simulated adopting a Monte Carlo approach, showing that the obtained results are in agreement with the function proposed as calibration curve. Moreover, a linear dependence between the track average area and the rate parameter of the calibration curve has been observed. Finally a semi-empirical correlation based on the previous results is proposed.     

Submicroscopic analysis of tracks in mica

Tracks of 49 MeV ³⁵Cl ions in muscovite mica were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy up to 10 Å resolution applying the track replica method. The enlargement of the track diameter is measured as a function of etching time. The track shape evolution shows circular tracks for very short etching times. By increasing the etching time the tracks gradually become ovals. For longer etching times, tracks show the characteristic rhombic shape of the bulk region. A non monotonous decrease of the track velocity vs. radius is reported. Formation of a low velocity shell in the intermediate region between the central amorphous zone and the non-perturbed crystalline lattice is suggested.     

Application of the ray tracing method in studying tracks in SSNTDs

The ray tracing method was applied to study etched tracks from α-particles in CR-39 solid-state nuclear track detectors. The transmission mode of a microscope operation was simulated. A track was considered as a set of small triangular elements, and the brightness of all elements was calculated systematically through the entire track to create the final image. Preliminary results are given for α-particle tracks in the CR-39 detector for initial energies of 4 and 4.5 MeV, and incident angles of 40 and 90°, respectively. Total reflection, as well as the slope of a surface element in the track wall, were identified as the main factors that affect the brightness of that element. At this stage, comparisons with experimental results can be made in terms of the average grey levels for the entire tracks.     

A new method for detection of alpha particles in 1 mm thick polycarbonate detectors using 50 Hz – HV ECE method

Recent studies in our laboratory have proved that electrochemical etching (ECE) of polycarbonate track detectors (PCTD) under 50 Hz – high voltage (HV) field conditions has potentials for time-integrated heavy charged particle detection and dosimetry applications. The rationale in the study is the ECE process of alpha particle tracks in 1 mm thick PCTDs by a 50 Hz – HV generator at optimized ECE conditions. Tracks of 3.2 MeV alpha particles from a collimated beam of an ²⁴¹Am source degraded in air and background tracks were registered. The effects of HV and ECE duration on alpha track registration efficiency and track diameters were studied for 3 sets of 50 Hz – 4, 5 and 6 kV field conditions in a PEW solution (potassium hydroxide, ethanol and water) at 26 °C. The optimized ECE conditions obtained at this stage of development for 1 mm thick PCTDs are 50 Hz – 4 kV in PEW solution at 26 °C for 10 h. Alpha track registration efficiency at 3.2 MeV is about 30% with 37 ± 6 μm mean track diameter. The mean background track density at the above stated optimized conditions is about 571 ± 16 tracks.cm⁻² with a mean diameter of 65 ± 5 μm. All tracks are observable by the unaided eyes. The mean background track diameter is near two times larger than that of alpha particle tracks at the optimum conditions applied; they are easily distinguished against each other. This high background track density while at this stage of development seems a drawback for low dose and low fluence particle applications, it has minimal effects on high fluence ion detection applications. The simple 50 Hz – HV generator used proved to be convenient for efficient alpha track amplifications. Studies are underway for improvement of the method in particular for reducing background track density.     

Tracks to therapy

Studies of the structure of particle tracks have led to models of track effects based on radial dose and radiobiological target theory that have been very successful in describing and predicting track effects in physical, chemical, and biological systems. For describing mammalian cellular inactivation two inactivation modes are required, called gamma-kill and ion-kill, the first due to synergistic effects of delta rays from adjacent ion paths thus resembling the effects from gamma rays, and the second to the effects of single ion transits through a cell nucleus. The ion-kill effect is more severe, where the fraction of cells experiencing ion kill is responsible for a decrease in the oxygen enhancement ratio, and an increase in relative biological effectiveness, but these are accompanied by loss of repair, hence to a reduction in the efficiency of fractionation in high LET therapy, as shown by our calculations for radiobiological effects in the “spread out Bragg Peak”.     

普速列车与动车组交会过程的车窗安全性研究

随着既有线路上普通快速列车和动车组运行速度的提高,会车时两车之间的气动压力会明显增大。因此,会车压力波给交会的普通快速列车和动车组造成的舒适性和安全性等影响明显加剧。采用基于雷诺时均法(RANS)的RNG k-e二方程的湍流模型仿真计算普通快速列车时速140km与动车组时速200km时,明线和隧道两种工况下会车过程的压力波动情况,并用计算得到的车窗处压力从车窗玻璃的静强度、车窗玻璃的动态冲击强度和车窗安装强度三个方面分析了交会过程的车窗安全性。结果表明: 明线会车过程两车交会侧车窗受正压和负压的影响,隧道会车过程两车交会侧车窗主要受较大的负压的影响。受压缩波和膨胀波的叠加影响,交会压力波的头波波峰和尾波波谷的波动较小,而头波波谷和尾波波峰的波动较大。在隧道会车时,动车组车窗中心处的负压极值最大值约为明线会车的3.87倍,压力波幅值最大值和最大压力平均变化率较接近;普通快速列车车窗中心处的负压极值最大值约为明线会车的4.25倍,压力波幅值最大值和最大压力平均变化率相差较大。车窗的长宽比越大,安装结构强度越大,安装结构越宽,安装强度越大。     

The heavy ion tracks in polymers investigation by means of high-effective liquid chromatography and atomic-force microscopy

The method of heavy high-energy ions latent tracks structure in polymers investigations have been proposed. This method includes the irradiated polymer preliminary treatment with water, then with week alkali solution for different track area visualization and investigation. The products of polyethylene terephthalate radiolysis from the track areas were investigated by means of inverse-phase chromatography. Atomic-force microscopy was used for surface change of initial and developed polymer investigation. It was shown that the latent track has complicated structure and consists of different areas. For Xe-irradiated PET-sample 3 areas (with diameters 7, 17 and 50–150 nm) were found. Such track structure allows to explain the discrepancy between the data, previously obtained by using different methods.     

Amorphous tracks induced by energetic ions in strongly anisotropic solids with layered structures

Common features of ion-induced tracks in layered structures are analysed in Y?Ba?Cu?O, Bi?Sr?Ca?Cu?O and in semiconducting GeS and MoS ₂. In all crystals, the conduction is poor along the normal layer. The anisotropic electron properties lead to the formation of an ion-induced broad and a narrow thermal spike in these solids. The contribution of the two spikes to the formation of tracks can be separated in GeS. When the gap energy is low or zero (Y?Ba?Cu?O, Bi?Sr?Ca?Cu?O, MoS ₂), only the narrow spike controls the track formation, and the localization of the energy deposition is the same as in insulators. However, the fraction of the deposited energy transferred to the narrow spike is only about one-third of that in insulators. The anisotropic features of tracks show the effect of the energy bands. Good quantitative agreement is found between the experimental data and the predictions of the author’s thermal spike model.     

Study of number of black prongs in two generations of nuclear interactions in photoemulsion irradiated by 72 GeV Ne

This work is a study of new aspects in relativistic nucleus–nucleus interactions using the nuclear emulsion technique and it is aimed at development of a method of search of these interactions. Layers of nuclear photographic emulsion type-BR2 with sizes were irradiated with 72 GeV ²²Ne beam parallel to emulsion surface. The scanning length was 110 mm. The new idea is the counting of black prongs in nuclear–nuclear interactions due to primary projectile ²²Ne ions and due to their α- and Z3 projectile fragments, i.e. their (Z2)-secondary fragments. The ratio of their black prong multiplicity distributions is measured. Black prongs are low-energy Z=1 particles in case of protons with energies below 30 MeV emitted from the residual nuclei of these high-energy interactions. Two divisions of events were used. The first one was over more peripheral events, more central and exceedingly central collisions. The second division was over collisions creating fragments Z2 and without their creation. The ratios between numbers of events in such different subsets, as well the ratios between of different mean values of N_b multiplicities averaged inside these subsets were studied. These results are discussed, also in the context of other thick target experiment, studied with radiochemistry or neutron counting techniques. In addition, different versions of the mean free nuclear ranges of Ne-ions and their heavy secondary fragments have been measured and calculated. We have scheduled the further strategy of search of new phenomena in similar multiplicity distributions at greater statistics of future experiments.