Ion-track simulation in plastics

Abstract

The study of adverse environment (temperature, rare gasses, vacuum, etc.) on track formation requires the analysis of individual latent tracks in the range of a nano-scale dimension. This paper presents an alternative method consisting in simulating the ion tracks in CR39 by γ and electron irradiation. By irradiating CR39 with light and heavy ions the amount of energy per unit mass deposited by an individual ion, named as the dose D, is calculated both along the ion trajectory and as a function of the radial distance from the central ion trajectory. The same amount of dose is given to the CR39 detector by γ and electron irradiation to obtain the V= V( D) functions for both low LET radiation. An etching process correlates the etching rate V along an individual ion track with the restricted energy loss (REL), i.e. V=V( REL) ω=300 eV . Then a function of REL=REL( D) is obtained, in this way the damage of an ion track in a particular point along its trajectory, is simulated by the dose deposited by either electron or gamma radiation. In this way the whole bulk detector is damaged by radiation and provides a macrostudy possibility of track formation in the plastic detector.