Fission fragment track registration and development efficiencies of some commonly used crystalline track detectors

Experiments have been carried out to determine fission fragment track registration and development efficiencies of natural quartz, mica, and feldspar crystals in 2 π geometry. Particular attention has been paid to the effect of different etchants and the etching conditions on various crystallographic planes. The results indicate that different planes in natural quartz and feldspar crystals show varying degree of anisotropy in the angular distribution of etched tracks. In general, a) the registration efficiencies at first improve with the increasing etching time and then become almost constant, and b) boiling solution of NaOH produces more isotopic distributions than HF. Attempts have been made to explain the above mentioned anisotropy on the basis of differences in Vsub(g) and Vsub(t) along different crystallographic planes. (orig.)