Criterion for Registration in Dielectric Track Detectors

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Abstract
Dielectric track detectors have a sharp threshold for track registration that depends on the atomic number and the energy of the bombarding particles. New data on track registration in muscovite mica, Lexan polycarbonate, and cellulose nitrate contradict the previously proposed empirical criterion that tracks are formed if the total rate of energy loss exceeds a critical value that is characteristic of the solid. In contrast, the ion explosion spike mechanism for track formation predicts that a solid will record tracks if the rate of primary ionization exceeds a critical rate for that solid. All the known experimental measurements are consistent with this criterion.