AUTHOR=Wang Putong , Deng Xiangai , Ma Zhiguo , Fu Changbo , Fan Lulin , Wang Qingsong , Xu Jiancai , Xu Tongjun , Ji Liangliang , Shen Baifei , Liu Yancheng , Cao Xiguang , Zhang Guoqiang , Ma Yugang 

TITLE=Detection of limited-energy α particles using CR-39 in laser-induced p −11B reaction

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physics

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physics/articles/10.3389/fphy.2023.1166347

DOI=10.3389/fphy.2023.1166347

ISSN=2296-424X

ABSTRACT=Due to the harsh radiation environment produced by strong laser plasma, most of the detectors
based on semiconductor can not perform in good condition. It is then important to develop new
detecting techniques with higher detection threshold and high charged particles resolution for
investigating nuclear fusion reactions in laser-plasma environments. CR-39 (Columbia Resin No.
39) detector is sensitive mainly to ions while insensitive to the backgrounds such as electrons
and photons. The detector has been widely used to detecting charged particles in laser-plasma
environments. In this work, we use a Potassium-Ethanol-Water (PEW) etching solution to reduce
the proton sensitive of CR-39 by raising the detection threshold for the research of laser-induced
11 B(p, α)2α reaction. We calibrated the 3-5 MeV α particles in etching condition of 60 o C PEW-25
solution[17%KOH + 25%C2 H5 OH + 58%H2O ] and compared them with the manufacturer’s
recommended etching conditions of 6.25N NaOH aqueous solution at 98 degree in our laser-induced
nuclear reactions experiment. The results indicate, with the PEW-25 solution, CR-39 is more
suitable to discriminate α tracks from the proton background in our experiment. We also present
a method to estimate the minimum detection range of α energy on specific etching condition in
our experiment.