Geiger counter
A Geiger counter, also called a Geiger-Müller counter, measures ionizing radiation.
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Description
Geiger counters are used to detect alpha and beta radiation. The sensor is a Geiger-Müller tube, an inert gas-filled tube that briefly conducts electricity when a particle or photon of radiation temporarily makes the gas conductive. The instrument amplifies this conduction and reports activity via a current measurement (often a needle or lamp) and/or audible clicks. Modern instruments can report radioactivity over several orders of magnitude. Under some conditions, Geiger counters can be used to detect gamma radiation, though not reliably due to the fact that the density of the gas in the device is low, allowing most gamma photons to pass through undetected. A much better device for detecting gamma rays is a sodium iodide scintillation counter. Conversely, the window on a scintillation counter is too thick to allow beta particles to enter the detector.
Types and applications
The Geiger-Müller tube is one form of a class of radiation detectors called gaseous detectors or simply gas detectors. Although useful, cheap and robust, a counter using a GM tube can only detect the presence and intensity of radiation. Gas detectors with the ability to both detect radiation and determine particle energy levels (due to their construction, test gas, and associated electronics) are called proportional counters. Some proportional counters can detect the position and or angle of the incident radiation as well. Other devices detecting radiation include:ionization chamber,dosimeters, photomultiplier, semiconductor detectors and variants including CCDs,microchannel plates,scintillation counters, solid-state track detectors, cloud chambers, bubble chambers, spark chambers, neutron detectors and microcalorimeters.
The Geiger-Müller counter has applications in the fields of nuclear physics, geophysics (mining) and medical therapy with isotopes and x-rays. Some of the proportional counter have many internal wires and electrodes and are called multi-wire proportional counters or simply MWPCs. Radiation detectors have also been used extensively in nuclear physics, medicine, particle physics, astronomy and in industry.
History
Hans Geiger developed a device (what would later be called the "Geiger counter") in 1908 together with Ernest Rutherford. This counter was only capable of detecting alpha particles. In 1928, Geiger and Walther Müller (a PhD student of Geiger) improved the counter so that it could detect all kinds of ionizing radiation.
The current version of the "Geiger counter" is called the halogen counter. It was invented in 1947 by Sidney H. Liebson (Phys. Rev. 72, 602–608 (1947)). It has superseded the earlier Geiger counter because of its much longer life. The devices also possessed a lower operating voltage.
Popular Culture
- In the song "The Piano Has Been Drinking", singer Tom Waits humorously refers to the device in the line: "You can't find your waitress with a Geiger Counter".
- In the Alex Rider book Skeleton Key, two CIA agents hid a Geiger counter inside a Gameboy Advance
- In the programming of Goldeneye 007, it can be revealed there is a gadget called 'Watch Geiger Counter'.
- In the movie Dr. No, James Bond's use of a Geiger counter plays an important part in the plot.
See also
External links
- Patents
Electric lamps and discharge devices of the Geiger-Müller type (Class 313/93)
- U.S. Patent 625823, K. Zickler, "Telegraphy by means of electric light"
- U.S. Patent 685958, N. Telsa, "Method of ultilizing radiant energy"
- U.S. Patent 1589833, H. Benhken, "Measuring device for the examination of electromagetic waves"
- U.S. Patent 1855669, O. Glasser, "Method and apparatus for the measurement of radiation intensity"
- U.S. Patent 1995018, H. J. Spanner, "Gas Filled Tube"
- U.S. Patent 2081041, H. Kott, "Apparatus for measuring radiation"
- U.S. Patent 2141655, H. Kott, "Radiation sensitive device"
- U.S. Patent 2145866, G. Failla, "Electrotechnique"
- U.S. Patent 2168464, S. Yeda, "Roentgenometer"
- U.S. Patent 2197453, G. L. Hassler, "Method of underground exploration"
- U.S. Patent 2221374, P. T. Farnsworth, "X-Ray projection device"
- U.S. Patent 2257827, G. J. Weissenberg, "Electron Discharge Tube"
- U.S. Patent 2397071, D. G. C. Hare, "Radiation detector"
- U.S. Patent 2397072, D. G. C. Hare, "Radiation detector"
- U.S. Patent 2397073, D. G. C. Hare, "Radiation detector"
- U.S. Patent 2397074, D. G. C. Hare, "Radiation detector"
- U.S. Patent 2397075, D. G. C. Hare, "Radiation detector"
- U.S. Patent 2398934, D. G. C. Hare, "Radiation detector"
- U.S. Patent 2440511, D. G. C. Hare, "Radiation detector"
- U.S. Patent 2449697, A. Graves, "Ionization chambers, Geiger Muller tubes, and the like"
- U.S. Patent 2397661, D. G. C. Hare, "Radiation detector"
- U.S. Patent 2521315, J. A. Victoreen, "Geiger tube"
- U.S. Patent 2542440, J. A. Victoreen, "Geiger tube"
Categories
Particle detectors