Direct observation of latent nuclear tracks in organic material by atomic force microscopy

In our study we investigated CR-39 samples irradiated by O-16 and Kr-84 ions with energy 126 MeV and 209 MeV, respectively. We observed almost all of the possible processes on the surface. We found track cores (10-20 nm) surrounded by a much larger molehill-like halo with a diameter of 100-500 nm, corresponding to the electron collision cascade. We observed tubes roughly 1000 nm long with a diameter of 50-100 nm.