Effects of etching time on alpha tracks in solid state nuclear track detectors.

Area of Science:

• Nuclear physics
• Radiation detection
• Environmental monitoring

Background:

• Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTDs), particularly CR39, are crucial for monitoring alpha particle radiation, including radon gas.
• Radon inhalation is a significant cause of lung cancer, necessitating accurate monitoring methods.
• Current methods typically involve etching SSNTDs for approximately 4 hours for alpha track analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of varying etching times on alpha track characteristics in SSNTDs.
• To evaluate the feasibility of using shorter etching times for radon monitoring.
• To explore the potential for enhanced accuracy in track counting and radon concentration assessment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized CR39 based SSNTDs for alpha particle detection from radon decay.
• Employed laser confocal microscopy to capture 2D and 3D images of etched tracks.
• Compared track appearance and dimensions for etching times of 2, 3, and 4 hours.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in alpha track area were observed with varying etching times.
• Median equivalent track diameters were 20.2μm (2h), 30.2μm (3h), and 38.9μm (4h).
• Modern microscopy can detect smaller tracks produced by shorter etching times, though track size and imaging difficulty present a trade-off.

Conclusions:

• Shorter etching times (e.g., 2-3 hours) for SSNTDs show potential for improving the accuracy of radon concentration measurements.
• Further research into etching periods less than 4 hours is warranted.
• Optimizing etching time balances track detectability with reduced track coalescence for more precise radon monitoring.