No abstract

Stratospheric balloons are a useful tool for the investigation of cosmic radiation at high altitudes and the tests of new detectors of cosmic radiation. Due to necessary data processing, the balloon gondola needs to carry, together with radiation detectors, additional supplementary sensors measuring humidity, temperature, location and orientation, altitude, atmospheric pressure, acceleration, etc. A newly developed universal system TF-ATMON, based on using already existing tools of the PX4 open-source project, enables apart from data recording and monitoring, also the possibility to trace the balloon gondola after the flight. The application was demonstrated on stratospheric balloon flight FIK-6. This flight was unique because three different types of radiation detectors were used at one flight. It enabled us to compare the altitude of the Regener–Pfotzer maximum measured with different types of sensors sensitive to a different type of secondary cosmic radiation generated in the atmosphere.

Neutron detection using nuclear emulsions can offer an alternative in personal dosimetry. The production of emulsions and their quality have to be well controlled with respect to their application in dosimetry. Nuclear emulsions consist mainly of gelatin and silver halide. Gelatin contains a significant amount of hydrogen, which can be used for fast neutron detection. The addition of B-10 in the emulsion is convenient for thermal neutron detection. In this paper, standard nuclear emulsions BR-2 and nuclear emulsions BR-2 enriched with boron produced at the Slavich Company, Russia, were applied for evaluation of fast and thermal neutron fluences. The results were obtained by calculation from the presumed emulsion composition without prior calibration. Evidence that nuclear emulsions used in the experiment are suitable for neutron dosimetry is provided.