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PubMed · 1644569

Long-range alpha detector.

D W MacArthur·K S Allander·J A Bounds·K B Butterfield·J L McAtee
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Abstract

Historically, alpha-particle detectors have been limited by the very short range of alpha particles in air. This results in a number of problems inherent to alpha contamination detectors, such as relatively poor sensitivity, geometry limitations, and inefficient monitoring techniques. In this paper, we document tests of a new long-range alpha detector. The charges generated by the interaction of alpha particles with air can be transported over significant distances (several meters) in a moving current of air generated by a small fan. An ion chamber located in front of the fan measures the current carried by the moving ions and, hence, detects the alpha decays.

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Alpha ParticlesEnvironmental MonitoringRadiation MonitoringRadiometryJournal Article

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D W MacArthur, K S Allander, J A Bounds, K B Butterfield, J L McAtee. 1992. Long-range alpha detector.. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-199209000-00008

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