Scanning Aged CR-39 SSNTDs with Etched Alpha Tracks by Using Transmitted Laser Light

Abstract

The optical track scanning method is based on the measurement of laser light transmission through CR-39 solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs). Etched tracks in CR-39 SSNTDs are used to examine the degree of linear correlation between the tracks observed using an optical microscope and those measured by using the laser light transmission (LLT) method. The intensity of the light transmitted through the etched tracks was measured using a photodiode. The present investigation clearly indicates that the results from the LLT method depend on track density and alpha energy, as well as the etching and storage conditions of the detector material. In addition, the transmittance of laser light through the etched CR-39 detectors aged at room temperature is found to be relatively small compared with that of those kept in a freezer. This technique was tested on the overlap of tracks in SSNTD radon dosimetry by using a standard exposure. The results show that the radon dose can be rapidly estimated.