Estimation of alpha exposure on CR-39 detector using a UV-VIS spectrophotometer

H Alameri; Y Abou-Ali; M H Obeid; R Shweikani

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2024.111331

Estimation of alpha exposure on CR-39 detector using a UV-VIS spectrophotometer

Appl Radiat Isot. 2024 Jul:209:111331. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2024.111331. Epub 2024 Apr 23.

Authors

H Alameri¹, Y Abou-Ali², M H Obeid³, R Shweikani³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Damascus, P.O. Box 30621, Damascus, Syria. Electronic address: hossam92.alameri@damascusuniversity.edu.sy.
² Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Damascus, P.O. Box 30621, Damascus, Syria.
³ Production and Safety Department, Atomic Energy Commission, P.O. Box 6091, Damascus, Syria.

PMID: 38669737
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2024.111331

Abstract

This work is dedicated to study the possibility of using UV-VIS spectrophotometer, a non-invasive technique with a versatile applications that is being used to determine the optical properties of matter, to estimate the CR-39 exposure to alpha particles. CR-39 detectors were exposed to alpha particles from two different alpha sources: ²⁴¹Am and radon gas. Tracks densities on CR-39 were determined using the traditional counting method by an optical microscope. The transmittances of CR-39 detectors were measured using UV-VIS spectroscopy in the range of 400-1000 nm, and results were correlated with measured tracks densities. The comparison showed that this method is effective in estimating exposure of CR-39 to alpha particles, and that its efficiency has increased by increasing the etching time of the detectors.

Keywords: Alpha tracks; CR-39 detectors; Transmittance; UV-VIS spectrophotometer.