A time projection chamber with optical readout for charged particle track structure imaging

We report about a nuclear track imaging system which is designed to study in detail the ionization topology of charged particle tracks in a low-pressure gas. The detection method is based on a time projection chamber (TPC) filled with low-pressure triethylamine (TEA). Ionization electrons produced by energetic charged particles are three-dimensionally imaged by recording light from electron avalanches with an intensified CCD system. The detector permits to investigate the spatial ionization distributions of particle tracks in gas, of equivalent length and resolution in tissue of 4 mu m and 40 nm (RMS), respectively. We explain the relevance of this technique for dosimetry, describe the experimental method and the basic operation parameters. First results of the chamber response to protons and alpha particles are presented. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.