Introduction

Abstract

The history of nuclear radiation detectors parallels the growth in our knowledge of atomic and subatomic physics. An example is Roentgen’s discovery of x rays in 1895 using photographic emulsions. Since that time emulsions have been widely used as radiation detectors. In the following year Becquerel discovered radioactivity with the help of photographic plates. Rutherford used a fluorescent screen and a telescope to view the flashes of light produced by alpha particles on the screen in his famous alpha-scattering experiments. His discovery of the nucleus was based on the results of these experiments. Similar detectors, known as “spinthariscopes,” developed by Sir William Crookes in 1903 were the forerunners of the modern scintillation detectors.