In search of an ecological dosimeter for high dose measurements

The purpose of this work was to study physico-chemical changes in irradiating aqueous sucrose solutions from the point of view of their usefulness for technological dosimetry. Non-irradiated sucrose solutions are optically 'empty' in the visible and near UV range. After gamma irradiation an absorption band with a maximum at 263 nm appears. It was confirmed that this band can be used as dosimetric signal for the dose range: 1-10 kGy. The species responsible for the 263 nm band is a neutral product of sucrose oxidation by an OH radical. High energy electron irradiation creates another UV absorbing species with the absorption band peaked at 270 nm. Further investigations are necessary to establish to what extent it can be used for electron beam dosimetry.