A new method of imaging particle tracks in solid state nuclear track detectors |
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| Authors: | D. WERTHEIM,G. GILLMORE&dagger ,L. BROWN&Dagger ,& N. PETFORD§ |
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| Affiliation: | Faculty of Computing, Information Systems &Maths, Kingston University, Surrey, KT1 2EE, U.K.;Faculty of Science, Kingston University, Surrey, KT1 2EE, U.K.;Advanced Engineered Materials Group, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex, U.K.;Bournemouth University, Dorset, U.K. |
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| Abstract: | Solid state nuclear track detectors are used to determine the concentration of α particles in the environment. The standard method for assessing exposed detectors involves 2D image analysis. However 3D imaging has the potential to provide additional information relating to angle as well as to differentiate clustered hit sequences and possibly energy of α particles but this could be time consuming. Here we describe a new method for rapid high-resolution 3D imaging of solid state nuclear track detectors. A 'LEXT' OLS3100 confocal laser scanning microscope (Olympus Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) was used in confocal mode to successfully obtain 3D image data on four CR-39 plastic detectors. Three-dimensional visualization and image analysis enabled characterization of track features. This method may provide a means of rapid and detailed 3D analysis of solid state nuclear track detectors. |
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| Keywords: | image analysis microscopy radon track detector |
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