The temperature dependence of the registration properties of alpha-irradiated CR-39 detectors

The registration properties of CR-39 plastics used as detectors for alpha particles have been studied in a temperature range between -200 and 200 deg C. It was found that the registration efficiency remains fairly stable up to a temperature of about 60 deg C. The response of the detectors varies in the region between 60 and 100 deg C. The maximum change occurs at around 100 deg C where the efficiency decreases by about 50%. Some evidence obtained from X-ray scattering suggested a possible link of these changes to the change of polymeric structure in the plastics. (author)