understanding THE TERM GEIGER COUNTER
What is a Geiger COunter?
Most often, hand held or portable radiation detection devices are commonly referred to as “Geiger Counters”. Geiger Counter’s have become a universal term that is applied to nearly all radiation detection devices in a similar manner as Xerox is to copy machines today. The naming originated around 1908 when Hans Geiger invented the first electronic radiation counter. Similarly, his joint development effort with Walther Müller resulted in the Geiger-Müller detector commonly referred to as GM detectors. The early radiation meters were based upon these two inventions connected to one-another and formed the basis of the Geiger Counters of today.
Progress Byond The geiger counter
Radiation detector development and their associated electronics continued to progress resulting in many other types of detectors including ionization chambers, inorganic and organic scintillators, solid state diodes, and more. These different forms of detector also included unique and varied electronics to support their intrinsic detection capabilities and advantages. While in principle, they still have their roots tied to the Geiger Counter, these offspring are no longer referred to in the professional community as Geiger Counters. Instead they carry names like microR meters, sample counters, dosimeters, neutron meters, isotope identifiers and more.
this website’s focus
GeigerCounterPro.com is primarily focused on the true forms of Geiger Counters that employ GM detectors and electronics in its various various forms and types. I have identified these as “Categories” as seen in the subsection below. There is so much to explore that it is pretty easy to dedicate an entire website just to these type of instruments. They are also the most commonly used instrument worldwide.
Never-the-less, I feel I would be remiss, if I did not also include some other non-Geiger Counter type of instruments that offer greater sensitivity to better suit some important applications. While I only cover very few, anytime these devices are referenced, they will be called by their more correct names.