A radiation detector is an instrument used to detect and measure ionizing radiation. The most common type of radiation detector is a Geiger-Müller (GM) tube, also known as a Geiger counter. It is widely used in applications such as radiation dosimetry, radiation protection, experimental physics and the nuclear industry. A Geiger counter is an electronic instrument that uses a central cable between a high-voltage gas-filled tube to collect ionization caused by incident radiation.
It can detect alpha, beta and gamma radiation. Personal radiation detectors (PRDs) are portable devices used to detect gamma rays or neutron emissions. These types of devices include dosimeters that can be in the form of radiation plates, dosimeter plates, or other forms of electronic dosimeters. They are used by law enforcement personnel or customs inspectors to detect illegal transportation of radioactive materials, medical personnel, scientific researchers, nuclear power plant personnel, and hazardous materials equipment.
Dosimeter types include single-use film badges and direct-read electronic pagers. A subset of PRDs are spectroscopic personal radiation detectors (SPRDs) and can measure the energy spectrum of emitted radiation to identify its specific radionuclide. When talking about radiation detection instruments, there are three types of detectors that are most often used, depending on the specific needs of the device. These are gas ionization based detectors, scintillation detectors and semiconductor detectors. Gas-filled radiation detectors work based on the ionization effect that occurs when radiation passes through air or a specific gas.
A photomultiplier tube generates an output pulse that is proportional to the amount of light energy entering the tube, which in turn is directly proportional to the amount of radiation energy that entered the scintillation radiation detector. Experimental results using alpha particle radiation indicate that the soft error is linearly related to the irradiation time, as well as to the intensity of the radiation source. In addition, a recent market study covering these devices is available from the Department of Homeland Security.In conclusion, a Geiger counter is an essential tool for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation. It is widely used in various applications such as radiation dosimetry, radiation protection, experimental physics and the nuclear industry. Personal radiation detectors (PRDs) are portable devices used to detect gamma rays or neutron emissions and are used by law enforcement personnel or customs inspectors to detect illegal transportation of radioactive materials.
There are three different main types of radiation detectors: gas ionization based detectors, scintillation detectors and semiconductor detectors.
