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Ionization DetectorsThese detectors rely on the ability of some
gaseous and solid materials to produce ion pairs in response to the ionization radiation.
Then, positive and negative ions can be separated in an electrostatic field and measured.
Ionization happens because charged particles upon passing at a high velocity through an atom can produce sufficient electromagnetic forces, resulting in the separation of electrons, thus creating ions.
Ionization is a Process in which an atom or molecule acquires a positive charge (by losing electrons) or negative charge(by gaining electrons)
A volume of gas is enclosed between the electrodes, which produce an electric field.
An electric current meter is attached in series with the voltage source E and the electrodes.
There is no electrical conduction and no current under the no ionization
conditions.Incoming radiation produces,
in the gas, positive and negative ions that are pulled by the electric field toward the corresponding electrodes forming an electric current.
Ionization Chamber
•Ionization chambers have wider range of physical shape (parallel plates)
•Air-filled ion chambers are used in portable survey meters
2)Proportional Chambers
The proportional chamber is a type of a gas-filled detector that almost always operates in a pulse mode and relies on the phenomenon of a gas multiplication. This is why these chambers are called the proportional counters.
Proportional counters
Must contain a gas with specific properties such as: Helium (He), Neon (Ne), Argon (Ar), Krypton (Kr)
Operates at higher voltage than ionization chamber
3)Geiger–Meuller CountersThe Geiger–Meuller (GM) counter is usually
fabricated in the form of a tube with an anode wire in the center .
The tube is filled with a noble gas such as helium or argon.
GM countersGM counters also must contain
gases with specific propertiesGas amplification produces
billions of ion pairs after an interaction – signal from detector requires little amplification
Often used for inexpensive survey meters
GM counter
Long-handled InstrumentsEnable high radiation fields near unshielded sources to
be assessed from a safe distance
4)Semiconductor DetectorsThe operating principle of these radiation
detectors is the same as that of the semiconductor light detectors. It is based on the transition of electrons from one energy level to another when they gain or lose energy.
Valence Band
Energy Gap
Conduction Band
Electron - hole pair
Gamma Ray (photon)
A good solid-state radiation detector should possess thefollowing properties:
Excellent charge transportLinearity between the energy of the incident
radiation and number of electron–hole pairs Absence of free charges (low-leakage
current) Production of a maximum number of
electron–hole pairs per unit of radiation High detection efficiency Fast response speedLarge collection areaLow cost
Cloud and Bubble Chambers
The cloud chamber, also known as the Wilson chamber, is a particle detector used for detecting ionizing radiation.
cloud chamberIn its most basic form, a cloud chamber is a
sealed environment containing a supersaturated vapor of water or alcohol.
When a charged particle (for example, an alpha or beta particle) interacts with the mixture, it ionizes it. The resulting ions act as condensation nuclei, around which a mist will form (because the mixture is on the point of condensation).
The high energies of alpha and beta particles mean that a trail is left, due to many ions being produced along the path of the charged particle.
cloud chamberThese tracks have distinctive shapes (for
example, an alpha particle's track is broad and shows more evidence of deflection by collisions, while an electron's is thinner and straight).
When any uniform magnetic field is applied across the cloud chamber, positively and negatively charged particles will curve in opposite directions, according to the Lorentz force law with two particles of opposite charge.
cloud chamber
cloud chamberA cloud chamber is composed of a jar of gaseous
alcohol that is cooled at the bottom with dry ice. When a highly energetic charged particle or
photon (a 'particle' of light) moves through this gas it removes electrons from the atoms it passes leaving them positively charged.
Small amounts of the neutral atoms in the gas then condense around them and along the path of the charged particle.
The energy and charge of the particle can then be determined from the shape of the track which could be photographed
Bubble ChambersA bubble chamber is similar to the cloud
chamber except that a liquid is used instead of vapor
Bubble Chambers
Bubble Chambers
Bubble Chambers Interestingly, a glass of champagne or beer is a kind of a bubble
chamber where tiny bubble formations are triggered by the ionizing radiation coming from the environment and outer Space.
For the physical experiments, a bubble chamber is filled with a more prosaic and much colder liquid, such as liquid hydrogen.
It is used for detecting electrically charged particles moving through it.
The bubble chamber is normally made by filling a large cylinder with liquid hydrogen heated to just below its boiling point.
As particles enter the chamber, a piston suddenly decreases its pressure, and the liquid enters into a superheated metastable phase.
Charged particles create an ionization track, around which the liquid vaporizes, forming microscopic bubbles. Bubble density around a track is proportional to a particle’s energy loss.
1)Golay CellsThe operating principle of the cell is based
on the detection of a thermal expansion of gas trapped inside an enclosure.
these detectors sometimes are called thermopneumatic detectors.
Golay Cells
an enclosed chamber having two membranes :
upper and lower. The upper membrane is
coated with a radiative heat absorber (e.g., goldblack).
The lower membrane has a mirror surface (e.g., coated with aluminum).
The mirror is illuminated by a light source. The incident light beam is reflected from the mirror and impinges on a position-sensitive detector (PSD).
The upper membrane is exposed to infrared radiation that is absorbed by the coating and elevates temperature of the membrane.
This, in turn, warms up gas that is trapped inside the sensor’s chamber.
Gas expands and its pressure goes up. The increase in the internal pressure
deflects the lower membrane that bulges out.
A change in the mirror curvature deflects the reflected light beam
2)Thermopile Sensors
Thermopiles belong to a class of PIR detectors. Their operating principle is the same as that of a thermocouple.
A single thermocouple is a low-sensitivity device responding
with tens of microvolts per 1oC change.A thermopile is a chain of serially connected
thermocouples, typically 50–100 junctions.application : thermal detection of light in the mid- and far-
infrared spectral ranges.
A thermopile is an electronic device that converts thermal energy into electrical energy. It is composed of several thermocouples connected usually in series.
3)Pyroelectric Sensors
3)Pyroelectric SensorsA pyroelectric sensor belongs to a class of
PIR detectors.The pyroelectric element consists of three
essential components: The pyroelectric ceramic plate and two
electrodes deposited on the opposite sides of the plate.
CharacteristicsHigh Sensitivity Low cost Stable against atmospheric changes
ApplicationsIntrusion sensor Light control Temperature measurement Automatic door switch Visitor detector Home security
4)Bolometersbolometer is a device for measuring the
power of incident electromagnetic radiation via the heating of a material with a temperature-dependent electrical resistance.
Bolometers are miniature RTDs or thermistors or other temperature sensitive resistors that are mainly used for measuring rms values of electromagnetic radiation over a very broad spectral range from mid infrared to microwaves.
Applicationsinfrared temperature detection and
imaging,measurements of local fields of high power, the testing of microwave devices, RF antenna beam profiling, testing of high power microwave weapons, monitoring of medical microwave heating.
conversion steps in a bolometer are1)An ohmic resistor is exposed to
electromagnetic radiation. The radiation is absorbed by the resistor and converted into heat.
2)The heat elevates resistor’s temperature above the ambient.
3)The temperature increase reduces the bolometer’s ohmic resistance
voltage-biased-bolometerIt consists of a bolometer (a temperature-
sensitive resistor) having resistance R,
a stable reference resistor R0 a bias voltage source E. • The voltage V across R0 is
the output signal of the circuit.
It has the highest value when both
resistors are equal.
Sensitivity of the bolometer to the incoming electromagnetic
(EM) radiation can be defined as
5)Active Far-Infrared Sensorsa PIR sensing element, whose temperature
depends on both the ambient and object’s temperatures, the AFIR sensor’s surface is actively controlled by a special circuit to have a defined temperature Ts that in most applications is maintained constant during an entire measurement process.
To control the sensor’s surface temperature, electric power P is provided by a control (or excitation) circuit .
To regulate Ts, the circuit measures element’s surface temperature and compares it with an internal reference.