A Geiger counter detects ionizing radiation, alpha and beta particles, gamma rays, and neutrons, by amplifying the tiny electrical pulse a single particle produces when it ionizes gas inside a sealed tube, converting an event too faint to sense directly into an audible click or a needle deflection. Hans Geiger developed the detection principle with Ernest Rutherford in 1908 while working in Rutherford's Manchester laboratory, and Geiger and his student Walther Muller built the sealed, mass producible Geiger-Muller tube in 1928 that made the instrument practical outside a research lab. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Invented YearSourced to the subject's own account MeasuresSourced to the subject's own accountIonizing radiation: alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays. 1 Operating PrincipleSourced to the subject's own accountHigh-energy radiation ionizes a low-pressure inert gas inside a tube held at high voltage, briefly making the gas conductive; the resulting pulse is amplified by the Townsend discharge effect into an easily measured signal. 1 ResolutionSourced to the subject's own accountDead time limits accurate counting above roughly 10,000 to 100,000 counts per second. 1 Operating RangeSourced to the subject's own accountThe Geiger-Muller tube operates at a high voltage of roughly 400 to 900 volts. 1 Classification
Instrument ClassSourced to the subject's own account Connections
Anticipated By
Early radioactivity researchers used simple gas-filled ionization chambers to detect and measure radiation; the Geiger-Muller tube (1908, refined 1928) added avalanche gas amplification to the same basic gas-ionization principle, producing an audible, countable pulse per particle.
Invented By
Supervised Hans Geiger's development of the original 1908 particle-counting apparatus at the University of Manchester.
Source Geiger Counter (Wikipedia)
Hans Geiger, Scientists Developed the original 1908 particle-counting apparatus under Ernest Rutherford's supervision, then built the sealed Geiger-Muller tube with his doctoral student Walther Muller in 1928.
Source Geiger Counter (Wikipedia)
Named After
Source Geiger Counter (Wikipedia)
Used In
Source Geiger Counter (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Geiger Counter (Wikipedia)
WikipediaOpening section
It detects ionizing radiation such as alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays
Principle of Operation section
typically 400-900 volts
Limitations section
the dead time will reduce indicated count rates above about 10^4 to 10^5 counts per second
lead
A Geiger counter... also known as a Geiger-Muller counter or G-M counter
Lede, instrument class
A Geiger counter detects ionizing radiation, alpha and beta particles, gamma rays, and neutrons, by amplifying the tiny electrical pulse a single particle produces when it ionizes gas inside a sealed tube, converting an event too faint to sense directly into an audible click or a needle deflection.
- Used In: Physics
- Invented By: Hans Geiger
- Invented By: Ernest Rutherford
- Named After: Hans Geiger
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
How Does a Geiger Counter Detect Radiation?
It turns the tiny ionizing pulse of a single particle into a click or a needle deflection you can actually sense.
High-energy radiation ionizes a low-pressure inert gas sealed inside the counter's tube, which is held at a high voltage of roughly 400 to 900 volts. That ionization briefly makes the gas conductive, and the resulting electrical pulse is amplified by the Townsend discharge effect into a signal strong enough to register as an audible click or a needle deflection. The instrument responds to alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays. Hans Geiger developed the detection principle with Ernest Rutherford in 1908 in Rutherford's Manchester laboratory, and Geiger and his student Walther Muller built the sealed, mass producible Geiger-Muller tube in 1928 that made the instrument practical outside a research lab.
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