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On-board aircrew dosimetry using a semiconductor spectrometer
1Nuclear Physics Institute of the AS CR, Praha 8, Czech Republic. spurny@ujf.cas.cz
Radiation Protection Dosimetry
|October 18, 2002
Summary
An Si diode spectrometer effectively monitored aircraft radiation fields. It detected a 70% increase in events and a twofold dose increase during a solar particle event.
Area of Science:
- Space physics
- Radiation detection
Background:
- Aircraft radiation fields contain high-energy particles up to hundreds of MeV.
- Characterizing these fields is crucial for radiation safety and monitoring.
- Various instruments have been employed for this purpose.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of an Si diode spectrometer for characterizing radiation fields on aircraft.
- To monitor and characterize the on-board radiation environment using the spectrometer.
- To analyze the spectrometer's response to a significant solar particle event.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an Si diode spectrometer deployed on over 130 return flights since spring 2000.
- Recorded deposition events and dose in silicon.
- Interpreted data using on-earth reference field calibrations (photons, CERN particles).
Main Results:
- The spectrometer successfully monitored aircraft radiation fields over an extended period.
- During a solar particle event (GLE 60 on April 15, 2001), deposition events increased by approximately 70%.
- The dose in silicon increased by a factor of 2.0 compared to background galactic cosmic rays.
Conclusions:
- The Si diode spectrometer is a viable tool for characterizing aircraft radiation environments.
- The approach of calibrating with on-earth reference fields shows promising results.
- Further investigation and follow-up studies are recommended for this characterization method.