An update of radial dose distribution theory for the detection threshold of Kapton as a nuclear track detector irradiated with 345 MeV/u U and other heavy ions

Abstract

We aim to determine the detection threshold of Kapton as an Etched Track Detector irradiated with 345 MeV/u U ion, as well as other several heavy ions of Al, Si, Ar, Kr and Xe. The heavier ions are found to have higher detection threshold in the stopping power. At the same stopping power, the track registration sensitivity decreases with increasing the nuclear charge of ions. U ion has the lowest sensitivity as S = 0.04 at the detection threshold of 3400 keV/μm. We have updated the conventional radial dose distribution theory using a relatively new experimentally supported formula for the effective charge up to U ion. The local doses at a track radius of 0.8 nm, which is half of the length of a repeat unit of Kapton, is useful to understand the relation between the sensitivity of heavy ions and the stopping power at each detection threshold.