Alpha, beta, and gamma monitor for measuring concentrations of ionizing radiation emitters in ambient air or other media

Abstract

A low cost and simple technique for measurement of radioactive contaminants in the air, soil, or in buildings is provided. The alpha, beta gamma radiation monitor comprises a thin window and two more removable radiation windows on top of a pancake-shaped conductive plastic chamber, with a microscope and a carbon fiber electrometer within the chamber protruding through the chamber's side wall, and the microscope and electrometer opposing each other. Within the chamber the microscope is optically focused on the electrometer fiber. Three radiation windows are provided: one admits alpha particles, beta particles and gamma radiation to the chamber, another admits beta particles and gamma radiation, and a third one admits only gamma radiation. Thus one can measure or observe alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, beta and gamma radiation, or only gamma radiation. The present invention's configuration allows the concentration of each type of radiation to be independently determined. The radiation that penetrates one of the radiation windows generates an ionization charge within the chamber that causes a carbon fiber image to move along a scale within the microscope as a function of time to produce the desired reading. In the case of airborne alpha emitting contaminants either the concentration of alpha particles or the total alpha energy of the emission can be measured.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.