Particle detector
In experimental and applied particle physics, nuclear physics, and nuclear engineering, a particle detector, also known as a radiation detector, is a device used to detect, track, and/or identify high-energy particles, such as those produced by nuclear decay, cosmic radiation, or reactions in a particle accelerator. Modern detectors are also used as calorimeters to measure the energy of the detected radiation. They may also be used to measure other attributes such as momentum, spin, charge etc. of the particles.
Contents |
[edit] Description
Detectors designed for modern accelerators are huge, both in size and in cost. The term counter is often used instead of detector, when the detector counts the particles but does not resolve its energy or ionization. Particle detectors can also usually track ionizing radiation (high energy photons or even visible light). If their main purpose is radiation measurement, they are called radiation detectors, but as photons are also (massless) particles, the term particle detector is still correct [1] .
[edit] Examples and types
Many of the detectors invented and used so far are ionization detectors (of which gaseous ionization detectors and semiconductor detectors are most typical) and scintillation detectors; but other, completely different principles have also been applied, like Čerenkov light and transition radiation.
Historical Examples
Detectors for Radiation Protection
- Dosimeter
- Electroscope (miniature electroscopes are used as portable dosimeters)
Commonly used detectors for Particle and Nuclear Physics
- Solid-state detectors
- semiconductor detectors and variants including CCDs
- solid-state track detectors
- Cherenkov detector
- Scintillation counter and associated Photomultiplier or Photodiode / Avalanche photodiode
- Semiconductor detector
- Silicon Vertex Detector
- Transition radiation detector
[edit] Modern detectors
Modern detectors in particle physics combine several of the above elements in layers much like an onion.
[edit] Installations of particle detectors
[edit] At colliders
[edit] Under construction
[edit] Without colliders
[edit] References
- ^ D. Passeri et al. (May 2010). "Characterization of CMOS Active Pixel Sensors for particle detection: Beam test of the four-sensors RAPS03 stacked system". Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physical Research A 617 (1-3): 573-375. Bibcode 2010NIMPA.617..573P. doi:10.1016/j.nima.2009.10.067. http://meroli.web.cern.ch/meroli/CharacterizationofCMOSActivePixelSensors.html.
[edit] See also
[edit] External articles and references
- Filmstrips
- "Radiation detectors". H. M. Stone Productions, Schloat. Tarrytown, N.Y., Prentice-Hall Media, 1972.
- General Information
- Active Pixel Sensors (APS) for the detection of ionizing particles
- The Particle Detector BriefBook
- How to Build a Cloud Chamber
- Grupen, C. (June 28-July 10 1999). "Physics of Particle Detection". AIP Conference Proceedings, Instrumentation in Elementary Particle Physics, VIII. 536. Istanbul: Dordrecht, D. Reidel Publishing Co.. pp. 3–34. doi:10.1063/1.1361756.
