Dose equivalent neutron dosimeter

A neutron dosimeter comprising:

• a detecting sheet of material which includes polymer chains that are easily broken by energetic particles, to detect charged particles, primarily protons but including alpha particles and recoiling nuclei, from the interaction of energetic neutrons with the material;
• and
• a radiator layer which includes a quantity of neutron-to-alpha particle conversion material which generates energetic alpha particles when struck by neutrons, said layer lying adjacent to said detecting sheet so that the resulting alpha particles produce tracks in said detecting sheet;
• the density of said conversion material in said radiator layer being in an amount that produces a number of tracks in said sheet for moderate energy neutrons striking the layer, so that the number of tracks produced in the detecting sheet is roughly proportional to the biological effect of the neutrons causing the tracks, both for moderate energy neutrons that strike said radiator layer and cause the generation of energetic alpha particles that produce tracks in said detecting sheet, and for high energy neutrons that strike said detecting sheet to produce tracks, whereby the track density in said detecting sheet provides a dose equivalent indication for a wide range of neutron energies;
• said radiator layer having a mass density of less than about 2 milligrams per square centimeter, and said conversion material being selected from the group consisting of .sup.6 Li and .sup.10 B and present in said layer in a density of between about 0.2 and about 60 micrograms per square centimeter.

A neutron dosimeter comprising:

• a detecting sheet of carbonate plastic;
• a radiator layer lying adjacent to said detecting sheet;
• and
• a casing which stops most very low energy neutrons of less than about 0.02 eV but passes a much higher percentage of moderate energy neutrons of over one eV;
• said radiator layer having an average thickness of at least about 0.01 millimeter, and including a neutron-to-alpha particle conversion material selected from the group consisting of .sup.6 Li and .sup.10 B, said conversion material present in a density of between about 0.3% and about 3% by weight of said radiator layer.