Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Volume 60, Issue 8
November 2022
- Previous Article
- Next Article
PAPERS| November 01 2022
Ezzat G. Bakhoum;
Ezzat G. Bakhoum
1
University of West Florida, Electrical and Computer Engineering
, Pensacola, FL; ebakhoum@uwf.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
This Site
Marvin H. M. Cheng
Marvin H. M. Cheng
2
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
, Daytona Beach, FL
Search for other works by this author on:
This Site
Phys. Teach. 60, 681–683 (2022)
-
- Views Icon Views
- Article contents
- Figures & tables
- Video
- Audio
- Supplementary Data
- Peer Review
- Tools Icon Tools
Cite Icon Cite
- Search Site
Citation
Ezzat G. Bakhoum, Marvin H. M. Cheng; Direct Detection of Alpha Particles with Solid-State Electronics. Phys. Teach. 1 November 2022; 60 (8): 681–683. https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0037639
Download citation file:
- Ris (Zotero)
- Reference Manager
- EasyBib
- Bookends
- Mendeley
- Papers
- EndNote
- RefWorks
- BibTex
Alpha-particle sources are widely used in industrial and medical applications. Such applications include smoke detectors, static charge eliminators, and radiation therapy. This paper is concerned with the detection of alpha particles. A number of techniques are known for the detection of alpha particles. Those techniques include the Geiger–Müller tube, the ZnS scintillator, the air-filled ionization chamber, and the spark chamber. All the techniques that are currently known are based on the interaction of the ionizing radiation with matter. Charged particles, such as alpha particles, upon entering a medium (such as air), encounter many collisions with bound electrons and lose kinetic energy in the process. The atoms of the medium also become ionized, and a large number of free electrons are released inside the medium. The theory describing the interaction of ionizing radiation with matter is well known and includes formulas such as the Bethe-Bloch formula for the stopping power of matter and formulas for calculating the range of the ionizing radiation in matter. Essentially, all the known techniques for the detection of alpha particles are based on detecting the presence of free electrons inside the medium. This paper presents a new technique for the detection of alpha particles that does not depend on the theory of the interaction of alpha particles with matter. Instead, the technique is based on the direct detection of the positive charge that is carried by the alpha particles. Furthermore, it is the objective of this paper to demonstrate that the direct detection of the charge carried by alpha particles can be done with a tiny and inexpensive component: a metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET).
Topics
Field effect transistors, Alpha particles, Laboratory procedures, Geiger-Muller tube, Scintillators, Ionization chamber, Radiation detectors, Students
References
1.
D. Clarke
C. La
Rue
, andR.
Hanco*ck
,Science and Invention Encyclopedia
(
H. S. Stuttman, Inc
.,
Westport, CT
,
1989
).
2.
S. Huclier-Markai C. Alliot N. Varmenot C. S. Cutler J. Barbet
Alpha-emitters for immuno-therapy: a review of recent developments from chemistry to clinics
,”
Curr. Top. Med. Chem.
12
:
2642
–
2654
(
2012
).
3.
D. Aliaga Kelly
Instrumentation Reference Book
, 4th ed., edited by Walt Boyes
Elsevier
,
Burlington, MA
,
2010
).
4.
Leontyna Brizova Jan Slegr Kamila Vanova
Simple alpha particle detector with an air ionization chamber
,”
Phys. Teach.
58
,
42
–
45
(
2020
).
5.
W. S. C. Williams
Nuclear and Particle Physics
(
Oxford University Press
,
New York
,
1991
).
6.
Readers can read Appendices A–D at TPT Online at https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0037639, under the Supplemental tab.
7.
8.
“
Alpha sources for research-AFR
9.
10.
11.
National Fire Protection Association
, “
NFPA 270 - standard test method for measurement of smoke obscuration using a conical radiant source in a single closed chamber
,” NFPA, www.nfpa.org (
2002
).
12.
W. Boyes
Instrumentation Reference Book
(
Butterworh-Heinemann/Elsevier
,
Burlington, MA
,
2010
).
13.
14.
P. H. Sydenham
Handbook of Measuring System Design
(
Wiley
,
New York
,
2005
).
© 2022 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by American Association of Physics Teachers.
2022
Author(s)
Supplementary Material
Supplementary Material- zip file
AAPT members receive access to The Physics Teacher and the American Journal of Physics as a member benefit. To learn more about this member benefit and becoming an AAPT member, visit the Joining AAPT page.
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Reset password
Register
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your Institution
Pay-Per-View Access
$40.00
Buy This Article
509 Views
1 Crossref
View Metrics
Citing articles via
Google Scholar
Crossref (1)
- Most Read
- Most Cited
Designing for Proudness
Angela J. Little, Gregory Curry, et al.
Motion of a Rocking Rainbow
Joel David Krehbiel
A “Perpetual Motion Machine” Powered by Electromagnetism
Hollis Williams