Application of CR-39 detectors for study of corpuscular emission from Prague capillary pinch

• Published in: Radiation measurements Vol. 36; no. 1; pp. 321 - 325
• Main Authors: Skladnik-Sadowska, E., Baranowski, J., Kolacek, K., Kishinets, A., Rupasov, A.A., Ripa, M., Ctibor, P., Sadowski, M.J., Sartowska, B., Szydlowski, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2003
• Subjects: Capillary pinch; Corpuscular flux; Ion tracks in CR-39 detector; Solid-state nuclear track detector; Corpuscular flux; Ion tracks in CR-39 detector; Solid-state nuclear track detector; Capillary pinch
• ISSN: 1350-4487; 1879-0925
• DOI: 10.1016/S1350-4487(03)00144-6

The paper describes experimental studies of the corpuscular emission from fast Z-pinch discharges, which were performed within the CAPEX capillary pinch facility in Prague, Czech Republic. Time-integrated measurements were carried out with an ion pinhole camera equipped with CR-39 nuclear track detectors. Irradiated detectors were etched at the standard conditions, and developed tracks were analysed with an optical microscope coupled with a CCD camera. It was found that the fast capillary discharges emit strong corpuscular streams. On the basis of the optical analysis of the etched detectors it was estimated that the time-integrated particle flux, at the distance of
20
cm
from the collimator outlet, was about
3.5×10
7
particles/cm
2/
pulse
. Particular attention was paid to analysis of ion-track photos, which were obtained by means of an electron microscope. Details of the ion micro-craters have been observed in the photos of fractures of the CR-39 detectors after their
7
h
etching.