Conditions of use (please read before downloading):

The user will use the program entirely at his/her own risk. The authors are not liable for any loss or consequential damage suffered by the user as a result of any use he/she makes of this program.

This program is a freeware, but publications arising from using this program should cite the following two papers:

Nikezic, D., Yu, K.N., 2003. Three-dimensional analytical determination of the track parameters. Over-etched tracks. Radiation Measurements, 37, 39-45. 

Nikezic, D., Yu, K.N., 2006. Computer program TRACK_TEST for calculating parameters and plotting profiles for etch pits in nuclear track materials. Computer Physics Communications, 174, 160-165.

Moreover, if you have made use of the V functions provided in the program, you should also cite the corresponding references:

For the CR-39 detector:

Function (1): S.A. Durrani, R.K. Bull, Solid State Nuclear Track Detection. Principles, Methods and Applications.  Pergamon Press,  (1987).

Function (2): C. Brun, M. Fromm, M. Jouffroy, P.Meyer, J.E. Groetz, F. Abel, A. Chambaudet, B. Dorschel, D. Hermsdorf, R. Bretschneider, K., Kadner, H. Kuhne, Intercomparative study of the detection characteristics of the CR-39 SSNTD for light ions: Present status of the Besancon - Dresden approaches. Radiat. Meas. 31 (1999) 89-98.

Function (3): K.N. Yu, F.M.F. Ng, D. Nikezic, Measuring depths of sub-micron tracks in a CR-39 detector from replicas using atomic force microscopy. Radiat. Meas. 40 (2005) 380-383.

For the LR 115 detector:

Function (1): S.A. Durrani, P.F. Green, The effect of etching conditions on the response of LR 115.  Nucl. Tracks 8 (1984) 21-24.

Function (2): C.W.Y. Yip, D. Nikezic, J.P.Y Ho, K.N. Yu, Chemical Etching Characteristics for Cellulose Nitrate. Materials Chemistry and Physics (2006) 95, 307-312.

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(1) Program download

Download the program only if you agree to the above conditions of use: Download

There should be an execution file called "track_test.exe" and 3 data files, namely, input.dat, rang_cr_srim.dat, rang_lr_srim.dat. Only input.dat should be modified. Unzip all these files into the same folder, and run "test" from this folder.

(2) Input file

The first 5 lines in the INPUT file will be used:

line 1: C for CR-39; L for LR 115 detector;
line 2: energy of alpha particle (in MeV);
line 3: time of etching (in hours);
line 4: the bulk etch rate V_b (in mm/h)
line 5: incident angle (in degrees) (normal incidence = 90^o)

For example, the following input file is for calculations of for track parameters for normally incident 4-MeV alpha particles in an LR 115 detector which has been etched for 0.98 h at a rate of 6.65  mm/h (i.e., for a removed layer of ~6.5 mm)

L
4.
0.98D0
6.65
90.

When you run "track_test", the following screen will appear. 

Type "I" and hit return to use the "input.dat" file.

(3) Function for track etch rate

The following screen will then appear. 

Three forms of the V function for the CR-39 detector are provided and the user can choose one. The first provided function was published by Durrani and Bull (1987) and the second by Brun et al. (1999). The functions are characterized by the fitting coefficients. The user can adopt the default coefficients, i.e., those published in the original references, or input some values chosen by the user. In this way, different functions can be tested by the user. Whenever a user chooses some other coefficients, the program will calculate the new V function with these coefficients and plot it on the screen. If the function is smaller than 1 at some points or if it has no maximum, the program will stop and respond ?i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">this function cannot work? Some other possible problematic functions are also disabled. In this way, the user can test different shapes of the function and can fit experimental data to determine the V function which corresponds to the etching conditions. The third V function was recently determined by our group (Yu et al. 2005) and only the default constants can be used for this function. For the LR 115 detector, two functions are provided; the first one was published Durrani and Green (1984). Again, the user can adopt the original coefficients or input some chosen values. The second V function was recently determined by our group (Yip et al. 2005) and only default constants can be used for this function. 

As an example, choose the second function by pressing "2". 

References

C. Brun, M. Fromm, M. Jouffroy, P.Meyer, J.E. Groetz, F. Abel, A. Chambaudet, B. Dorschel, D. Hermsdorf, R. Bretschneider, K., Kadner, H. Kuhne, Intercomparative study of the detection characteristics of the CR-39 SSNTD for light ions: Present status of the Besancon - Dresden approaches. Radiat. Meas. 31 (1999) 89-98.

S.A. Durrani, R.K. Bull, Solid State Nuclear Track Detection. Principles, Methods and Applications.  Pergamon Press,  (1987).

S.A. Durrani, P.F. Green, The effect of etching conditions on the response of LR 115.  Nucl. Tracks 8 (1984) 21-24.

C.W.Y. Yip, D. Nikezic, J.P.Y Ho, K.N. Yu, Chemical Etching Characteristics for Cellulose Nitrate. Materials Chemistry and Physics (2006) 95, 307-312.

K.N. Yu, F.M.F. Ng, D. Nikezic, Measuring depths of sub-micron tracks in a CR-39 detector from replicas using atomic force microscopy. Radiat. Meas. 40 (2005) 380-383.

(4) Fineness of graphs

The following screen will then appear. 

In one of the third output files (called Output_3D.dat), the coordinates of points on the track wall in three dimensions will be given. The coordinates of these points (in three dimensions) are obtained by rotating some points on the track profile around the particle trajectory, and the number of points on the track profile used for this purpose is specified by the user here. Let's try "10" here.

The alpha particle range (in mm) in the detector will be given. Then you will be asked to choose the fineness of the graphs to be plotted on the screen. Finer graphs will take longer time to generate. Let's try "2" here.

(5) Final outputs

The outputs of the program are the lengths of the major and minor axes of the track opening, as well as the track depth. The program also plots on the computer screen the following: the initial detector surface, the detector surface after etching, the profile of the track, the contour of the track opening and the trajectory of the particle. If the calculations are performed for the LR 115 detector, the lower boundary of the sensitive layer is also plotted in red color (assuming an initial thickness of 12 mm for the active layer). For this detector, the track is plotted in both cases, i.e., (1) when the sensitive layer is perforated by etching, as well as (2) when the sensitive layer is not perforated by etching. The portion of the track below the bottom of the sensitive layer, if any, is also plotted, which will be useful for studying a sensitive layer thicker than the nominal value of 12 mm.

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(5) Output files

After running the program, three output files will also be written to the same directory where the program has been installed. The first file (Track_coordinates.dat) gives the coordinates for the vertical profile of the track. The second one (Contour.dat) gives the coordinates for the track-opening contour. The third one (Output_3D.dat) gives the coordinates of points on the track wall in three dimensions.

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If you have comments or need help, please contact D.  Nikezic (nikezic@knez.uis.kg.ac.yu) or K.N. Yu (peter.yu@cityu.edu.hk). 

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Nuclear Radiation Unit Department of Physics City University of Hong Kong Tat Chee Ave, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Email: apnru@cityu.edu.hk

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