AN AUTOMATED-SYSTEM FOR TRACK MEASUREMENT FOR THE EMPLOYMENT OF CR-39AS ALPHA-SPECTROMETER IN RADON AND ITS DAUGHTERS MONITORING

In this work we studied an automated analysis of alpha particle tracks in CR-39, by employing a MITAKA photo-microdensitometer with a C1522 HAMAMATSU Image Analysis System. This system can be used to measure tr ack diameters (with a nominal precision of 0.8 mum), superficial track density, and track darkness. This information can be used to determin e the alpha particle energies and also their incidence angles (azimuth al and zenithal). The performance of such an automated system, to anal yze CR-39 samples which were exposed to alpha particles of known energ ies, was studied, comparing its response with measurements performed m anually by experienced microscopists. The experimental results indicat e that the MITAKA/HAMAMATSU system is very reliable for alpha track an alysis in CR-39, making possible its use to perform time-consuming mea surements in microscopy, as in the case of radon and its daughters sur veys.