The Effect of the Registration Temperature on the Response of CR-39 to Alpha Particles and Fission Fragments

Abstract

The paper reports an investigation into the effect of track registration temperature on the track etching characteristics of CR-39 polymeric detectors exposed to a particles and fission fragments from a thin 252Cf source. The plastic detector was maintained at temperatures ranging from 77 K to 373 K during irradiation. It was observed that the overall track etching rate VT for a particles in CR-39 is influenced by registration temperature in a complex way. The value of the bulk etch rate VB, as measured from fission-fragment diameters, however, remained constant over the entire irradiation temperature range.