Range and maximum etchable track length for 93Nb ion in CR-39 detector

Abstract

Abstract In recent years, solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD) have been used increasingly in variety of field ranging from archeology and geophysics to fission physics and space research. In nuclear physics their advantages lie in their small and flexible geometry, in their ability to withstand high temperature and in their being able to discriminate against high background of less ionizing radiation. When ionizing radiation falls on a SSNTDs detector it produces minute trails of damage (perhaps 10-100 A° in diameter) in a material whether by the thermal spike effect of more by ion explosion effect. We in this work irradiate CR-39 SSNTD detector sample by ion beam of 93Nb with varied energy in the range 20 MeV to 1600 MeV. The damage trials produced were enlarged thousand times by subjecting the material to a suitable etching process (6N NaOH at 60°C Temperature). Then using continuous process of etching the maximum etchable track length was measured. Using well established SSNTD techniques the range and energy loss of the ion in polymer was calculated. The experimental result was then compared with theoretical data of SRIM and DEDXT programme. The theoretical data are in close agreement with our data.