Nuclear Engineering

Detection and Measurement of Radiation

Ionizing radiation is rarely detected directly. Instead, detectors usually measure the secondary products arising from the interactions of the radiation with the detector material. The collection of the ionization created by radiation in a detector volume can be used simply to detect the passage of a radiation particle. An important aspect of radiation detection is an assessment of the uncertainties associated with ionization measurements. Both the release of radiation by radioactive decay and the interactions of radiation with matter are stochastic in nature.