Some track registration properties of artificial Gd-Ga-garnets

Abstract

Synthetic crystals of gadolinium gallium garnets of the composition Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂, Gd_3-xCa_xGa_5-xZr_xO₁₂, and Gd₃Ga_5-2xMg_xZr_xO₁₂ were irradiated with ²⁵²Cf-fission products, ⁸⁴Kr-, ¹³²Xe- and ²³⁸U-ions in the energy range of 1.4–7.4 MeV/amu in order to study their track registration properties. Pure gadolinium gallium garnet was found to have a very high track registration threshold of ≧0.8 MeV/amu for ²³⁸U-ions. Track registration efficiency of Ca-, Zr-, and Mg-substituted garnets tends to increase with decreasing mean electron density of the crystals. No substantial anisotropy of track registration with respect to track length, track diameter and track density was observed.