Databank of proton tracks in polyallyldiglycol carbonate (PADC) solid-state nuclear track detector for neutron energy spectrometry

Abstract

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. A computer program for studying etched proton tracks in the polyallyldiglycol carbonate (PADC) solid-state nuclear track detector was prepared. The program provided visualization of track appearance as seen under the optical microscope in the transmission mode. Measurable track parameters were also determined and displayed and written in a data file. Three-dimensional representation of tracks was also enabled. Application of this software in neutron dosimetry for energy up to 11 MeV was demonstrated through the creation of a databank with a large number of tracks, which would be used to compare real-life tracks obtained in the PADC detector upon neutron irradiation. One problem was identified, viz., very similar tracks were obtained from protons with very different energies and incident angles, and strategies to solve this were proposed.