RESPONSE OF PLASTIC SCINTILLATOR DETECTORS TO HEAVY-IONS, ZLESS-THAN-OR-EQUAL-TO35, ELESS-THAN-OR-EQUAL-TO170 MEV

The fluorescent response, L, of plastic scintillators such as NE102 has been measured for a variety of heavy ions, Z equals 1 to 35, at near-normal incidence with energies ranging from a few MeV to over a hundred MeV. The response in general is nonlinear with L varies directly as f(Z,A)E**1**. **6 in the region E/A less than 15 MeV/amu. The light output is best described however, as a function of the on range in the scintillator, R, with L proportional to Z**1**. **2**2(R to 0. 04 Z), where R is in mg/cm**2. Such an expression also appears to describe the response of other scintillators, such as NaI(Tl), for heavy ions. Scintillation efficiency, dL/dE, and specific fluorescence, dL/dx, have been deduced from the plastic scintillator data. These quantities do not appear to be simple functions of the ion energy loss, dE/dx. The results can be described using simple models which include the effects of secondary electrons, however.