Il Radiation Detectors

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to radiation detectors, their operation, and associated concepts.

Radiation Detectors

Devices used to detect and measure ionizing radiation.

Interaction Processes

Processes by which radiation interacts with matter, resulting in changes detectable by the material.

Gas Detectors

Devices that detect radiation by measuring ionization in a gas.

Scintillators

Materials that emit light when ionizing radiation interacts with them.

Pulse mode of operation

A method of operation where the detector generates pulses for each interaction event.

Energy Resolution

The ability of a detector to distinguish between different energies of radiation.

Dead Time

The minimum time required between the detection of two events.

Gamma Spectroscopy

The study of gamma rays emitted by radioactive materials to analyze their energy spectrum.

Intrinsic Efficiency

The efficiency of a detector that is independent of the geometry or arrangement of the source.

Pulse Height Analysis

A technique used to measure and analyze the heights of the pulses generated by radiation interactions.

Compton Scattering

An interaction where an incident photon transfers part of its energy to an electron.

Photoelectric Effect

An effect where a photon is completely absorbed, causing the ejection of an electron.

Pair Production

A process where a photon converts into a particle-antiparticle pair, usually an electron and a positron.

Thermoluminescent Detectors (TLDs)

Devices that measure ionizing radiation exposure by trapping electrons in a crystalline material.

Photomultiplier Tubes

Devices that convert light pulses from scintillators into electronic signals.

Solid State Detectors

Detectors that utilize semiconductor materials to detect charged particles and photons.

FWHM

Full Width at Half Maximum; a measurement of the energy resolution of a detector.

Layered Detectors

Detectors that combine multiple detection technologies to improve measurements in high-energy physics.

Calibration Curve

A graph used to determine the relationship between optical transmission and dose in dosimeters.

Bremsstrahlung Radiation

Radiation produced when charged particles are decelerated in the electric fields of other charged particles.

Auger Electrons

Electrons emitted from an atom as a result of electron capture or internal conversion.