DETECTION OF SINGLE SWIFT HEAVY-IONS WITH A SYSTEM BASED ON CHARGE-COUPLED-DEVICES

Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs), an arrangement of a few 100 000 photo-e lectric cells on a plane able to store the charge carriers liberated b y the penetration of a particle, were applied for radiobiological inve stigations with single swift heavy ions performed at accelerators. For the extension of these experiments to unknown radiation fields, durin g space flights for instance, the projectile parameters energy and ato mic number have to be estimated. For this purpose the angular distribu tion of delta-electrons is analyzed, which are ejected from a foil arr anged over the microchip by heavy projectiles and which are detected i n the CCD. The feasibility of this method regarding energy resolution and projectile identification is discussed.