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How does a gamma counter work?

Updated: 8/11/2023
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13y ago

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A scintillation counter measures ionizing radiation. The sensor, called a scintillator, consists of a transparent crystal, usually phosphor, plastic (usually containing anthracene), or organic liquid (see liquid scintillation counting) that fluoresces when struck by ionizing radiation. A sensitive photomultiplier tube (PMT) measures the light from the crystal. The PMT is attached to an electronic amplifier and other electronic equipment to count and possibly quantify the amplitude of the signals produced by the photomultiplier.

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11y ago

A scintillation counter is an instrument for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation.

It consists of a scintillator which generates photons of light in response to incident radiation, a sensitive photomultiplier tube which converts the light to an electrical signal, and the necessary electronics to process the photomultiplier tube output.

Scintillation counters are widely used because they can be made inexpensively yet with good quantum efficiency and can measure both the intensity and the energy of incident radiation.

TAMBE MAHENDRA

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13y ago

In very basic terms, a gamma counter (called a G-M tube or Geiger-Mueller counter) detects gamma radiation by means of measuring the electrical potential created inside the G-M tube due to gammas indirectly interacting with an electrode in its center. The G-M tube is filled with a gas and when a gamma interacts with the gas, the gas particle becomes ionized, releasing an orbital electron (e-). The e- is attracted to the positively charged electrode in the G-M tube and when it reaches the electrode, a voltage is induced. The change in voltage is picked up by the detector and is manifested as a "count" which is read out on the device's meter, usually in counts per minute (cpm).

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