The Geiger–Müller tube (or G-M tube) is the sensing element of the Geiger counter instrument used for the detection of ionizing radiation. It was named after Hans Geiger who invented the principle in 1908, and Walther Müller who collaborated with Geiger in developing the technique further in 1928 to produce a practical tube that could detect a number of different radiation types.
It is a gaseous ionization detector and uses the phenomena of the Townsend avalanche to produce an electronic impulse from as little as a single radiation particle. It is used for the detection of gamma radiation, X-Rays, and alpha and beta particles. It can also be adapted to detect neutrons.
The tube operates in the "Geiger" region of ion pair generation, as shown on the accompanying plot of ion pair current against voltage applied using a model based upon a co-axial tube ionisation detector.
Read more about Geiger–Müller Tube: Principle of Operation, Neutron Detectors, Gas Mixtures, Geiger Plateau, Quenching and Dead Time, Detection Efficiency, Energy Compensation
Famous quotes containing the word tube:
“The last best hope of earth, two trillion dollars in debt, is spinning out of control, and all we can do is stare at a flickering cathode-ray tube as Ollie “answers” questions on TV while the press, resolutely irrelevant as ever, asks politicians if they have committed adultery. From V-J Day 1945 to this has been, my fellow countrymen, a perfect nightmare.”
—Gore Vidal (b. 1925)