Upgrading of LET track-etch spectrometer calibration: Calibration and uncertainty analysis

Abstract

The spectrometer of linear energy transfer (LET) was developed several years ago. It is based on the chemically etched polyallyldiglycolcarbonate (PADC) track-etch detector. LET spectra are determined through track parameters determination and analysis by an automatic optical image analyser LUCIA G. For the past few years, we have used three materials, Page, 0.5 mm thick and Tastrak, 1 and 0.5 mm thick. To upgrade and determine their calibration curves, we have performed irradiation in high-energy heavier charged particle beams at Dubna, Russia and at Chiba, Japan. We were able to irradiate detectors by means of particles from 12 C to 56 Fe with LET in water from 7.9 to 200 keV / μ m . Upgraded calibration curves were obtained through a regression analysis, including systematic uncertainty estimation. The results obtained were combined with statistical uncertainty treatment and were used to analyse recently and previously obtained data. Examples of the results are presented and analysed.