Spark counter

A spark counter is in the 1920s by Greinacher Heinrich developed particle detector , the ionizing radiation by means of a flashover proof between two charged plates. Stacked stacked spark counters can make the particle track visible as a light trail - such an arrangement is known as a spark chamber .

Working principle

A spark meter is basically a plate capacitor that is filled with an ethanol - argon gas mixture. The distance between the capacitor plates is very close. At a sufficiently high voltage of at least 10 kV , ions generated in the gas are multiplied by impact ionization in such a way that arcing occurs when charged particles pass through. The electrical impulse can be registered by a counter.

If the plates are replaced by crossed parallel wire planes, the location of the spark breakout can also be determined electrically. This principle is used in the so-called wire chamber .