Apfel’s superheated drop detector

Abstract

The introduction of new approaches for radiation dosimetry is rare. A similar breakthrough occurred in 1979, when Robert Apfel invented the superheated drop detector, a miniature relative of the bubble chamber. A fundamental in high-energy particle physics, the bubble chamber utilizes a liquid briefly brought to a transient, radiation-sensitive superheated state by reducing its pressure. Mass boiling of the liquid is prevented by cyclic pressurization, drastically limiting the detection efficiency. In Apfel’s detector, the liquid is kept in a steady superheated state by fractionating it into droplets and dispersing them in an immiscible host fluid, a perfectly smooth and clean container. The approach extends the lifetime of the metastable droplets to the point that practical application in radiation dosimetry is possible. Bubble formation is measured from the volume of vapor or by detecting individual vaporizations acoustically. Various halocarbons are employed and this permits a wide range of applications. Moderately superheated halocarbons are used for neutron measurements, since they are only nucleated by energetic neutron recoil particles. Highly superheated halocarbons nucleate with much smaller energy deposition and are used to detect photons and electrons. This paper reviews the radiation physics of superheated emulsions and their manifold applications.