HEAVY-ION PARTICLE SPECTROMETRY BY TRACK PATTERN IN MUSCOVITE DETECTORS

Muscovite mica detectors were irradiated with the ions: F-19 of 47.5 M eV, Mg-24 of 57 MeV, Si-28 of 28 and 74 MeV, S-32 of 32 and 74 MeV, Cu -63 Of 78.75 MeV and with neutron induced uranium fission fragments. U sing optical microscopy, after an appropriate chemical etching, two ch aracteristic etched track structure patterns were observed: a rhombic pyramid terrace structure for the Mg, Si and S ions, and a rhombic pri sm structure for the Cu ions and fission fragments. The use of these e tched track patterns to discriminate two groups of ions between them, for the energy range covered in this work, is proposed.