LET spectrometry with track etch detectors—Use in high-energy radiation fields

Abstract

For assessing the risk from ionizing radiation it is necessary to know not only the absorbed dose but also the quality of the radiation; radiation quality is connected with the physical quantity linear energy transfer (LET). One of the methods of determination of LET is based on chemically etched track detectors. This contribution concerns with a spectrometer of LET based on the track detectors and discusses some results obtained at: • high-energy radiation reference field created at the SPS accelerator at CERN; and • onboard of International Space Station where track-etch based LET spectrometer has been exposed 273 days during “Matrjoshka – R” experiment. Results obtained are compared with the results of studies at some lower-energy neutron sources; some conclusions on the registrability of neutrons and the ability of this spectrometer to determine dose equivalent in high-energy radiation fields are formulated.