Physics and Engineering of Radiation Detection

Syed Naeem Ahmed

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9780128016442
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Nuclear Physics

Physics and Engineering of Radiation Detection presents an overview of the physics of radiation detection and its applications. It covers the origins and properties of different kinds of ionizing radiation, their detection and measurement, and the procedures used to protect people and the environment from their potentially harmful effects.

The second edition is fully revised and provides the latest developments in detector technology and analyses software. Also, more material related to measurements in particle physics and a complete solutions manual have been added.

• Discusses the experimental techniques and instrumentation used in different detection systems in a very practical way without sacrificing the physics content
• Provides useful formulae and explains methodologies to solve problems related to radiation measurements
• Contains many worked-out examples and end-of-chapter problems
• Detailed discussions on different detection media, such as gases, liquids, liquefied gases, semiconductors, and scintillators
• Chapters on statistics, data analysis techniques, software for data analysis, and data acquisition systems

1

Properties and sources of radiation

This chapter gives an overview of the properties and sources of radiation. All the particles that are important with respect to radiation detection and measurements have been described and their properties have been discussed. The emission of particles from radioactive sources and their passage through different materials have been qualitatively and quantitatively elaborated.

Keywords

Radioactivity; Particles and Waves; Sources of Radiation; Particle Interactions; Alpha Particles; Beta Particles; Elementary Particles; Radiation Sources

Mass and energy are the two entities that make up our universe. At the most basic level, these two entities represent a single reality that sometimes shows itself as mass and sometimes as energy. They are intricately related to each other through Einstein’s famous mass–energy relation, E=mc². Just like matter, energy is also capable of moving from one point in space to another through particles or waves. These carriers of energy always originate from some source and continue their travel in space until they get absorbed by or annihilated in some material. The term “radiation” is used to describe this transportation of mass and energy through space.

Since the realization of its potential, radiation has played a central role in technological developments in a variety of fields. For example, we all enjoy the benefits of radiation in medical diagnostics and treatment. On the other hand, the world has also witnessed the hazards of radiation in the form of atomic explosions and radiation exposure.

Whether we think of radiation as a hazard or a blessing, its study is of paramount importance for our survival and development. If we look carefully at the benefits and harms brought about by the use or misuse of radiation, we would reach the conclusion that its advantages clearly outweigh its disadvantages. Radiation has unlimited potential, and its proper use can be highly beneficial for mankind.

This chapter will introduce the reader to different types of radiation, their properties, and their sources. The mechanisms through which the particles interact with matter will be discussed in detail in the next chapter.

1.1 Types of radiation

Radiation can be categorized in different ways, such as ionizing and non-ionizing, particles and waves, hazardous and non-hazardous, etc. However, none of these categorizations draw solid boundaries between properties of the individual particles comprising the radiation; rather, they show the bulk behavior of particle beams. For example, it would not be correct to assert that an...