We present here the experimental results on cleaning of radioactive dielectric particulates, loosely
deposited on stainless steel, by coherent light of 1064 nm wavelength and its three harmonics occurring
at 532 nm, 355 nm and 266 nm, derived from an Nd-YAG laser. For the initial few exposures, the
decontamination factor has been found to be highest when exposed to 1064 nm radiation. With
increasing number of exposures, however, the radiation with reducing wavelength assumes a more
important role as a cleaning agent. The observation of almost no cleaning with 1064 nm and much
reduced cleaning with its harmonics when the contamination is deposited on a transparent substrate
confirms the dominant role played by metal substrate towards expelling the loose particulates from its
surface.
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