On The Temperature Dependence of Sensitivity of Cr-39 Plastic Track Detector

CR-39 plastic track detector has been irradiated with different ions from the cyclotron at JINR, Dubna (USSR) in order to investigate the sensitivity of this detector. Etching in 6N NaOH Solution is carried out at temperatures of 40°, 50°, 60° and 70°C. The measurements are taken with an 'Olympus' microscope. The bulk etch rate, Vb and track etch rate, Vt are measured for different temperatures and hence the activation energies are determined. We also present Vt versus range, R and Vt as a function of energy-loss, dE/dx of the ions. It is observed that both Vt and V = Vt/Vb depend on dE/dx as well as on etch bath temperature. The results indicate the absence of a well-deined threshold in the detector. The sensitivity (V vs Z) of the detector can be adjusted by altering the etch bath temperature.