ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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Year : 2022 | Volume
: 45
| Issue : 3 | Page : 138-152 |
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Theoretical evaluation of calibration factor for LR-115 cellulose nitrate solid state nuclear track detectors: A model for determining alpha radioactivity level in natural water
Biswajit Das1, Argha Deb2
1 Department of Physics, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore; School of Studies in Environmental Radiation and Archaeological Sciences, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India 2 School of Studies in Environmental Radiation and Archaeological Sciences, Jadavpur University; Department of Physics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Correspondence Address:
Biswajit Das Department of Physics, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore - 721 102, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/rpe.rpe_26_22
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Alpha-sensitive solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) are used successively for decades for determining the alpha-radiation level in various environmental materials. A model for measurement of total alpha-radioactivity in natural water by using alpha-sensitive LR-115 type II cellulose nitrate (CN) film SSNTDs has been developed in the present work. The LR-115 CN films in bare mode are assumed to be immersed into a water sample for alpha-exposure. During the exposure time period, the alpha-particles that are emitted from the alpha-emitters present in the water sample will interact with the CN film and create their latent trails in the film. These latent trails will be manifested as pits of alpha-tracks after chemical etching of the exposed film. For alpha-radioactivity measurement, calibration factor (CF) for LR-115 type II SSNTDs has been evaluated theoretically by using the range of alpha-particles of residual energies situated between 1.6 MeV and 4.7 MeV in natural water and the actual geometry of experimental setup for alpha-exposure. The evaluated CF is found to be 204.93 Bq.l − 1.(tracks. cm − 2.h − 1)−1. The evaluated CF and experimental procedure can reliably be utilized in monitoring the alpha-radioactivity of natural water and in other radioactivity field measurements.
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