Solid state nuclear track detection

This book is a basic work on solid state nuclear track detection, a technique that has greatly expanded in range, scope, and depth since the early 1960s until there is hardly a field now in which it has not found an actual or potential use. Aimed at non-specialist professionals who wish to apply the technique to their particular field and want to acquire a basic knowledge of the background and salient features of the method; as well as research workers who wish to specialise in the solid state nuclear track detection (SSNTD) field with a view to extending its theoretical and practical frontiers, and want an introductory text. Contents: Introduction to nuclear track detectors. Interactions of charged particles with matter. The nature of charged-particle tracks and some possible track-formation mechanisms in insulating solids. Track etching: methodology and geometry. Thermal fading of latent damage trails. The use of dielectric track recorders in particle identification. Radiation dosimetry and SSNTD instrumentation. Fission track dating. Further applications of track detectors and some directions for the future. Index.