Comparison of responses of CR-39, PM-355, and CN track detectors to energetic hydrogen-, helium-, nitrogen-, and oxygen-ions

Samples made of the CR-39 and PM-355 plastic nuclear track detectors (NTDs) as well as of the CN films were irradiated with quasi-monoenergetic beams of protons, alphas, N⁺-, and O⁺-ions produced by various accelerators. For different samples an energy value of the particle beams was changed from several hundreds keV to 3 or 4.5 MeV. After irradiation the detector samples were etched chemically under controlled conditions during periods lasting from 2 hrs to 20 hrs. Every 2 hrs track diameters were measured by means of an optical microscope. Differences in the crater diameters in the detectors etched in steps, and those etched continously, have been found to be smaller than 10 percent. The paper results detailed calibration diagrams showing a dependence of track diameters on the ion energy value for different etching times.