HIP researchers have developed a new method to improve the identification of latent tracks in nuclear track detectors:
“The MoEDAL experiment employs solid-state nuclear track detector foils around Interaction Point 8 to search for traces of highly ionizing particles. The selected material, CR-39, has been used in several experiments and is capable of detecting ionization tracks down to the level of oxygen ions. However, due to the high-radiation environment of the Large Hadron Collider, the material becomes opaque after chemical etching and exhibits strong scattering properties. This complicates the identification of low-ionization tracks. By deploying liquid thin films on both sides of the irradiated foils and using machine-vision techniques, etch pits in the foils can be detected and classified.”
More information: https://www.epj.org/epjst-news/3004-epjst-highlight-improved-technique-could-reveal-beyond-standard-model-particles-in-cern-detector