A gaseous proportional counter built from a conventional aluminium beverage can

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Winkler, Alexander, Karadzhinova, Aneliya, Hildén, Timo, Garcia, Francisco, Fedi, Giacomo, Devoto, Francesco, Brücken, Erik J.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2015
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_version_ 1866914663711637504
author Winkler, Alexander
Karadzhinova, Aneliya
Hildén, Timo
Garcia, Francisco
Fedi, Giacomo
Devoto, Francesco
Brücken, Erik J.
author_facet Winkler, Alexander
Karadzhinova, Aneliya
Hildén, Timo
Garcia, Francisco
Fedi, Giacomo
Devoto, Francesco
Brücken, Erik J.
contents The gaseous proportional counter is a device that can be used to detect ionizing radiation. These devices can be as simple as a cylindrical cathode and a very thin anode wire centered along its axis. By applying a high voltage, a strong electric field is generated close to the anode wire. Ion-pairs, generated by passing ionizing radiation, create avalanches once they drift into the strong electric field region near the anode. The electrical charges created by the avalanche generate an observable signal which is proportional to the energy loss of the incoming radiation. We discuss the construction of such a device. Our detector was built from an ordinary aluminium beverage can and uses a common electric wire strand as the anode. The construction of this detector offers students at universities or technically oriented high schools a detailed understanding of the design and operation of gaseous radiation detectors. The equipment required to complete the project should be available at most institutions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_1509_02379
institution arXiv
publishDate 2015
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A gaseous proportional counter built from a conventional aluminium beverage can
Winkler, Alexander
Karadzhinova, Aneliya
Hildén, Timo
Garcia, Francisco
Fedi, Giacomo
Devoto, Francesco
Brücken, Erik J.
Physics Education
Instrumentation and Detectors
The gaseous proportional counter is a device that can be used to detect ionizing radiation. These devices can be as simple as a cylindrical cathode and a very thin anode wire centered along its axis. By applying a high voltage, a strong electric field is generated close to the anode wire. Ion-pairs, generated by passing ionizing radiation, create avalanches once they drift into the strong electric field region near the anode. The electrical charges created by the avalanche generate an observable signal which is proportional to the energy loss of the incoming radiation. We discuss the construction of such a device. Our detector was built from an ordinary aluminium beverage can and uses a common electric wire strand as the anode. The construction of this detector offers students at universities or technically oriented high schools a detailed understanding of the design and operation of gaseous radiation detectors. The equipment required to complete the project should be available at most institutions.
title A gaseous proportional counter built from a conventional aluminium beverage can
topic Physics Education
Instrumentation and Detectors
url https://arxiv.org/abs/1509.02379