SCINTILLATION
COUNTER
SUBMITTED BY:
RUCHIKA KARAMCHANDANI
INTRODUCTION
scintillation counter (scintillometer) is an instrument which measures
ionization radiation and is extensively used in airborne and ground radiometric
surveys. Scintillation counters may be used to detect the various types
of radioactivity (alpha, beta, and gamma rays), cosmic rays, and
various elementary particles.
The scintillation counter is one of the most versatile particle detectors, and is
widely used in industry,scientific research, medical diagnosis, and radiation
monitoring, as well as in exploration for petroleum and radioactive minerals
that emit gamma rays
Scintillation counters are made of transparent crystalline materials, liquids,
plastics, or glasses. In order to be an efficient detector, the medium must be
transparent to its own luminescent radiation, and since some detectors are
quite extensive, covering meters in length, the transparency must be of a high
order
FACT FILE
It utilizes the flash of light emitted when the atoms of a suitable
‘phosphor’ (e.g. a large sodium iodide crystal ‘doped’ with thallium)
are energized by gamma rays.
The scintillation counter not only can detect the presence of a
particle, gamma ray, or x-ray, but can measure the energy, or the
energy loss, of the particle or radiation in the scintillating medium.
The sensitive medium may be solid, liquid, or gas but is usually one
of the first two.
DIAGRAM
UNDERSTANDING THE
WORKING
One face of the scintillator is placed in optical contact with the
photosensitive surface of the photomultiplier or PIN diode. In order
to direct as much as possible of the light flash to the photosensitive
surface, reflecting material is placed between the scintillator and the
inside surface of the container.
In many cases it is necessary to collect the light from a large area
and transmit it to the small surface of a photomultiplier. In this case,
a “light pipe” leads the light signal from the scintillator surface to the
photomultiplier with only small loss. The best light guides and light
fibers are made of glass, plastic, or quartz. It is also possible to
use lenses and mirrors in conjunction with scintillators and
photomultipliers.
WORKING
A charged particle, moving through the scintillator, loses energy and
leaves a trail of ions and excited atoms and molecules. Rapid interatomic
or intermolecular transfer of electronic excitation energy follows, leading
eventually to a burst of luminescence characteristic of the scintillator
material.
When a particle stops in the scintillator, the integral of the resulting light
output, called the scintillation response, provides a measure of the particle
energy, and can be calibrated by reference to particle sources of known
energy. Photomultipliers or PIN diodes may be operated so as to generate
an output pulse of amplitude proportional to the scintillation response.
When a particle passes completely through a scintillator, the energy loss
of the particle is measured. When a gamma ray converts to charged
particles in a scintillator, its energy may also be determined. When the
scintillator is made of dense material and of very large dimensions, the
entire energy of a very energetic particle or gamma ray may be contained
within the scintillator, and again the original energy may be measured.
WORKING
Such is the case for energetic electrons, positrons, or gamma rays
which produce electromagnetic showers in the scintillator. Energy
spectra can be determined in these various cases by using
electronic equipment to convert amplitudes of the output pulses
from the photomultiplier or PIN diode to digital form, for further
processing by computers or pulse-height analyzers.
BLOCK DIAGRAM
APPLICATIONS
Scintillation counters can be used in a variety of applications.
Medical imaging
National and homeland security
Border security
Nuclear safety used for measurement of radiation
Several products have been introduced in the market utilizing
scintillation counters for detection of potentially dangerous gamma-
emitting materials during transport. These include scintillation
counters designed for freight terminals, border security, ports, weigh
bridge applications, scrap metal yards and contamination monitoring
of nuclear waste. There are variants of scintillation counters
mounted on pick-up trucks and helicopters for rapid response in
case of a security situation due to dirty bombs or radioactive
waste Hand-held units are also commonly used
REFERENCES
[Link]
Wikipedia
http://
[Link]/topic/scintillation_
[Link]
