Application of the optical spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction methods for determining the effect of irradiation of the LR-115 type 2 track detector

Abstract The aim of this work is to evaluate the application of optical spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction methods as alternative methods for determining the dose dependence of the irradiation of solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD) based on polymer films of nitrocellulose when irradiated with He particles. The choice of this type of film detectors as an object of research was due to its wide application for the detection of ionizing radiation during radionuclide decay. According to the data obtained, using optical analysis methods, it was found that an increase in exposure time leads to an increase in the transmission value and a shift in the fundamental absorption edge, which indicates the occurrence of changes in optical density in the material during accumulation of defects arising from the formation of latent tracks. The obtained data of structural changes using X-ray diffraction, showed that at small periods of exposure to ionizing radiation, the change of structural parameters is more severe than the change of optical characteristics. This is due to the fact that in the case of formation of single isolated tracks, the change in electron density along the trajectory of the ions is isolated and has a local character, while the change in structural characteristics, including the deformation is more pronounced. Such difference is also related to different mechanisms of energy losses of incident particles contributing to the change of structural and optical properties. Changing of optical properties is connected with electron losses of incident particles because the electron density changes as a result of particle passing along its trajectory, and this effect in case of single tracks is isolated and has a local character in a very small region. At the same time, the change of structural characteristics, in particular, deformations and displacements occur as a result of both elastic and non-elastic interactions of interacting particles with materials.