What is the main operating principle of a proportional counter?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking about the fundamental operating principle behind a proportional counter, which is a type of radiation detector. The possible answers provided suggest it is focused on the physical processes involved in the detection of ionizing radiation within the counter.
Answer
Gas amplification, producing a pulsed output proportional to ion pairs generated.
The main operating principle of a proportional counter involves gas amplification, where the fill gas in the chamber is ionized by incoming radiation, resulting in a pulsed output proportional to the number of ion pairs generated.
Answer for screen readers
The main operating principle of a proportional counter involves gas amplification, where the fill gas in the chamber is ionized by incoming radiation, resulting in a pulsed output proportional to the number of ion pairs generated.
More Information
Proportional counters are useful for measuring energy of detected radiation due to their ability to produce an output signal proportional to the energy of the incident radiation.
Tips
Mistaking proportional counters for Geiger-Müller counters, which also detect ionizing radiation but do not provide information proportional to radiation energy.
Sources
- Proportional counter - Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org
- Basic Principle of Proportional Counters - Description - Nuclear Power - nuclear-power.com
- Proportional Counter | ScienceDirect - sciencedirect.com
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