Towards automated 3D analysis of fission tracks in external mica detectors
Tracks lost during the etching process of an external mica detector can be quantified if the minimum retained dip angle, ?c, is known. Using confocal microscopy a series of planar images were obtained from different depths to a resolution of 0.2 ?m. A method of identifying ?c from the modal dip angle is described. An image analysis system allows reconstruction of the tracks in three dimensions and track lengths measured for annealing studies. A robust algorithm is shown to identify tracks present within noisy images and identifies the modal dip angle in agreement with earlier results. This is the first time a fully automated system has been achieved. The results are encouraging but suggest that it might be necessary to decorate the tracks before imaging to obtain a better result.
image analysis confocal laser microscopy dating