Eur. Phys. J. Appl. Phys. 51, 20901 (2010)
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjap/2010087

Comparison of Pd/D co-deposition and DT neutron generated triple tracks observed in CR-39 detectors

¹ SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific, Code 71730, San Diego, CA, 92152, USA
² JWK International Corp., Annandale, VA, 22003, USA
³ National Security Technologies, LLC, Special Technologies Laboratory, Santa Barbara, CA, 93111, USA
⁴ SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific, Retired, San Diego, CA, 92122, USA

Corresponding author: pam.boss@navy.mil

Received: 28 February 2010
Revised: 5 May 2010
Accepted: 20 May 2010
Published online: 7 July 2010

Abstract

Solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs), such as CR-39, have been used to detect energetic charged particles and neutrons. Of the neutron and charged particle interactions that can occur in CR-39, the one that is the most easily identifiable is the carbon breakup reaction. The observation of a triple track, which appears as three alpha particle tracks breaking away from a center point, is diagnostic of the ¹²C(n, n’)3α carbon breakup reaction. Such triple tracks have been observed in CR-39 detectors that have been used in Pd/D co-deposition experiments. In this communication, triple tracks in CR-39 detectors observed in Pd/D co-deposition experiments are compared with those generated upon exposure to a DT neutron source. It was found that both sets of tracks were indistinguishable. Both symmetric and asymmetric tracks were observed. Using linear energy transfer (LET) curves and track modeling, the energy of the neutron that created the triple track can be estimated.