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Techniques for Nuclear and Particle Physics Experiments pp 127–156Cite as

Ionization Detectors

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Abstract

Ionization detectors were the first electrical devices developed for radiation detection. These instruments are based on the direct collection of the ionization electrons and ions produced in a gas by passing radiation. During the first half of the century, three basic types of detector were developed: the ionization chamber, the proportional counter and the Geiger-Müller counter. Except for specific applications, these particular devices are not in widespread use in modern nuclear and particle physics experiments today. They are, however, still very much employed in the laboratory as radiation monitors. They are cheap, simple to operate and easy to maintain. Their basic design and structure, in fact, have changed little since the late 1940’s when the then newly-developed scintillation counter began taking the place of these instruments in nuclear research.

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  1. Route de St. Maurice 34, CH-1814, La Tour de Peilz, Switzerland

    Dr. William R. Leo

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Leo, W.R. (1994). Ionization Detectors. In: Techniques for Nuclear and Particle Physics Experiments. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-57920-2_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-57920-2_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-57280-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-57920-2

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