In the present study, a comparative analysis and evaluation of the induced defects in polyallyl diglycol carbonate (PADC) polymeric detector exposed to Ar+ and gamma radiation were made. To get insight into the structure defects due to irradiation, X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was employed. The PADC surface structure changed after irradiation due to the reduction in the surface crystalline structure and the formation of disordered systems. Also, surface morphology changes were traced using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and showed minor surface irregularities after gamma irradiation and large changes upon Ar+ irradiation. Additionally, micro-hardness and friction coefficient of the irradiated samples were investigated and found to increase after irradiation. UV-vis spectroscopy was used to estimate the optical band gap energy which considered as the basis for calculating the number of conjugated carbon atoms responsible for the blackening effect and color changes took place over the PADC surface. It was found that as the applied dose increased, the band gap decreased and the number of carbon clusters get larger. The refractive index and the dispersion parameters for the studied polymer were calculated and discussed. Also, the induced defects on the polymer surface which serve as a non-radiative centers resulting in reduced photoluminescence (PL) intensity. For nearly all the measured parameters, gamma irradiated samples showed a significant changes compared to that induced by ions. But, low energy Ar+ prove efficiency in controlling surface properties of PADC polymer without affecting its sensitive bulk properties, besides that the obtained results are reasonable and comparable to that induced by gamma radiation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.