Environmental radiation dosimetry at high southern latitudes with Liulin type instruments

• Published in: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity
• Main Authors: Zanini, Alba, Vernetto, Silvia, Ciancio, Vicente, Di Giovan, Gustavo, Morfino, Paolo, Liberatore, Alessandro, Giannini, Gianrossano, Hubert, Guillaume
• Other Authors: Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino (INFN, Sezione di Torino), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino (OATo), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Universidad Nacional de la Plata Argentine (UNLP), Dipartimento di Fisica Torino, Università degli studi di Torino = University of Turin (UNITO), Università degli studi di Trieste = University of Trieste, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste (INFN, Sezione di Trieste), DPHY, ONERA, Université de Toulouse Toulouse, ONERA-PRES Université de Toulouse
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2019
• Subjects: Antartic; Cosmic rays; Dosimetry; High latitudes; Liulin; [SPI]Engineering Sciences [physics]; [PHYS]Physics [physics]; Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctica; antartic*
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-02885852; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.105993

International audience Because of the geomagnetic field shape, the polar regions are the most exposed to secondary particles and radiation produced by primary cosmic rays in the atmosphere. At present, only few experimental measurements of environmental dose are reported in literature at high southern latitudes. A three year campaign has been carried out in two different locations, Ushuaia (Argentina, 54.80∘ S, 68.30∘ W) and Marambio (Antarctica, 64.24∘ S, 56.63∘ W), using a Liulin type detector, allowing to measure the total environmental radiation flux and dose. The Liulin type instrument, measuring the energy deposition in a silicon detector, is especially suitable to evaluate the dose, separating the low and high LET (Linear Energy Transfer) components. The instrument was installed at the GAW Station in Ushuaia and inside the LAMBI Laboratory at the Marambio Antarctic base. In December 2017 preliminary measurements have been carried out at the French-Italian base Dome C, at 3233 m a.s.l., with a Liulin-AR, a new version of Liulin spectrometer, specifically built for this application by the Space Research and Technology Institute of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. In this paper the environmental dose values obtained in the different southern high latitude locations are compared and discussed.