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Title: Response of LiF thermoluminescence dosimeters to natural environmental radiation

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5336517· OSTI ID:5336517

The calibration of the response of LiF thermoluminescence dosimeters to cosmic-ray charged particles and to photons from naturally-occurring radionuclides in the environment is obtained by modifying the measured response to a corrected response that is proportional to mean absorbed dose in the detector medium. The constant of proportionality is determined from irradiaton by /sup 137/Cs photons. An experiment in an 8 GeV muon beam at the BNL Alternating Gradient Synchrotron indicates that the same constant of proportionality applies to irradiation by high-energy charged particles and that cavity theory is applicable to the interpretation of the response in terms of absorbed dose in free air or particle fluence. Comparisons of TLD and pressurized argon ionization chamber measurements of absorbed dose in free air at environmental locations and a well shielded one within HASL show agreement to within the estimated uncertainties of several percent in the various calibration factors. The discrimination between photon and charged particle responses permits a calibration of these responses in terms of human organ doses to an accuracy of +-10 percent.

Research Organization:
Energy Research and Development Administration, New York (USA). Health and Safety Lab.
OSTI ID:
5336517
Report Number(s):
HASL-313; TRN: 78-002856
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English