Nuclear detectors - Physical principles of operation

Nuclear detection is an essential measure in many sectors. These include, but are not limited to, physics research, the nuclear industry as a whole (reactors, reprocessing plants, etc.), medicine (radiotherapy, diagnostic methods, etc.), industry (radiography, analysis), security (customs control, waste disposal, illicit trafficking, etc.), etc. The particles of interest are α, β, X and γ radiation and neutrons.

This document is divided into three independent parts. The first part is devoted to the basic physical properties of radiation detection [BN 3 480]. The second part presents the general characteristics of the various classes of existing detectors. and the third part gives an overview, for each type of particle, of the interaction with matter and shows the detectors used in practice. .