Fragmentation cross section measurements of iron projectiles using CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors

Abstract

For long term space missions in which larger radiation doses are accumulated it is necessary to improve the precision of models predicting the space radiation environment. Different models are available to determine the flux of cosmic ray heavy ions behind shielding material. The accuracy of these predictions depends on the knowledge of the fragmentation cross sections, especially at energies of several hundred MeV/nucleon, where the particle flux is at a maximum and especially for those particles with high LET, i.e. iron nuclei. We have measured fragmentation cross sections of 56Fe projectiles at beam energies of 700 and 1700 A MeV using experimental set-ups with plastic nuclear track detectors. In this paper we describe the experimental technique to study the fragmentation reactions of 56Fe projectiles using CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors. Results for different targets are presented.