Understanding Ionizing Chambers: Alpha, Beta & Gamma Radiation

[RADboy]

im going to state what i already know about an ionizing chamber. any information i leave out or greater detail to what i already said will be appreciated. thankyou

1. an ionizing chamber is a gas-filled electricmagnetic wave detector used to measure the number of ions within a "medium" (whats a medium? what's the gas for?)
2. it uses two electrodes (one cathode, one anode used to make contact with a non metalic part of a circuit)


other questions.
3. what's the difference alpha beta and gamma radiation and eletricmagnetic radiation? i thought all radiations ionize particles they come into contact with.
4. a proper model of a ionizing chamber would be nice to see

again thankyou

 

[Astronuc]

See the discussion of ionziation (ion) chamber and other detectros here:
http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/radiationdetection.html

Alpha particles are the nuclei of helium atoms. They normally/naturally come from decay of certain radionuclides of heavy metal elements like radon, radium, polonium, actinium, uranium, plutonium, etc.

Gamma rays are electromagnetic radiation of high energy and arise from nuclear reactions or decay. X-rays are usually lower energy arising from atomic electrons in the energy levels closest to the nucleus. Beta rays are just high energy electrons from the nucleus.

This is a reasonable summary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionization_chamber
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/I/ionization_chamber.html
http://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/ionchamber/introionizationchamberr.htm

Ionization chambers are relatively simple devices consisting of an anode and cathode, which collect electrons and ions formed when radiation interacts with the gas atoms in the chamber. The electrodes could be parallel plate or coaxial electrodes. Proportional and Geiger counters use higher voltages.

See some examples here
http://www.elimpex.com/companies/victoreen/Catalog/RS2.pdf


Atoms are ionized when a charged particle or photon interacts with the electrons in the atom, either pulling or knocking them out of the atoms.

 

[raining Pete]

Hi there!

I'm not an expert on ionizing chambers, but I can offer some additional information and hopefully answer some of your questions.

1. A medium in this context refers to the substance or material that the ionizing chamber is measuring. This could be air, water, or any other gas or liquid. The gas inside the chamber is used to create an electric field, which helps to detect the ions.

2. You are correct, the two electrodes are used to make contact with a non-metallic part of a circuit. The cathode is the negative electrode and the anode is the positive electrode. When the gas inside the chamber is ionized, it creates a current between the electrodes which can be measured.

3. Alpha, beta, and gamma radiation are all forms of ionizing radiation, but they have different properties. Alpha radiation consists of helium nuclei, which are positively charged and can be stopped by a sheet of paper. Beta radiation is made up of electrons, which are negatively charged and can be stopped by a thin sheet of metal. Gamma radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation, similar to X-rays and light, but with much higher energy. It can only be stopped by thick layers of lead or concrete. So while all types of radiation can ionize particles, they have different levels of energy and can be stopped by different materials.

4. I'm not sure what you mean by a "proper model" of an ionizing chamber, but you can find diagrams and images of ionizing chambers online that can give you a better idea of how they work and what they look like.

I hope this helps and feel free to ask any other questions you may have!