Application of CR-39 Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors to Laser-Driven Ion Acceleration Experiments

The solid state nuclear track detector CR-39 is the most reliable ion detector used in laser-driven ion acceleration experiments. This is because CR-39 detectors can measure from one ion without X-ray and electron noise generated by the interaction between the intense laser pulse and the target matter. In addition, the incident energy and the spatial distributions of the laser-accelerated ions are also revealed by the careful analysis of the etch pits in CR-39 detectors. The present paper comments on CR-39 detectors based on previous studies with a focus on an analysis technique of the etch pits to obtain the incident energy of the laser-accelerated ions.