ELECTROSCOPE IONIZATION CHAMBER
Radiation Detectors
ELECTROSCOPE IONIZATION CHAMBER
The gold-leaf electroscope has been widely used in the past to study ionizing
radiation.
EO 2.5
DESCRIBE the operation of an electroscope ionization
chamber.
The gold-leaf electroscope has been widely used in the past to study ionizing radiation. The first
measurement of the properties of ionizing radiation was accomplished with this instrument. A
microscope containing a graduated scale in the eyepiece is used to observe the gold leaf.
The newest electroscope utilizes a quartz fiber and has many advantages over the gold-leaf type.
It is portable, less dependent on position, much smaller in size, and more sensitive. The capacity
of the quartz fiber electroscope is about 0.2 pico-farads, and its voltage sensitivity is about one
volt per division on the scale. The sensitive element is a fine gold plated quartz fiber mounted
on a parallel metal support. Figure 22 illustrates a quartz fiber electroscope.
Figure 22 Quartz Fiber Electroscope
IC-06
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