Study on the tracks in a nuclear track detector (CR39) for detection of laser-induced charged particles

Experiments on laser-induced charged particle generation are now well under way by using an ultrashot, intense Ti:sapphire laser developed at KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Researc Institute)For the measurements of protons and light ions generated, TASTRAK (CR39) plastic of 0.75 mm in thickness, manufactured by T rack Analysis Systems Ltd. at Bristol University, was used as a nuclear track detector. We investigated the dependence of track development on the energy of the laser-induced charged particles and the etching conditions. We use the measured bulk etching rate to present the optimal etching conditions for the experiments on laser-accelerated proton generation by using a 10-TW laser system.