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Single particle detection and measurement
BOOK REVIEW SINGLE PARTICLE
DETECTION AND MEASUREMENT R. GILMORE (lst Edition)
It is a pleasure to be able to recommend this book to a wide community of research scientists and students concerned with detection and measurement of particles or photons. Originating in the lively days of nuclear physics, it is true to say, as the author does, that these methods are now widely used in applications far removed from nuclear and particle physics experiments. He goes as far as to make the philosophical point that, in a sense, all physical measuring instruments are particle detectors. It follows, too, that those most puzzling aspects of the interaction of human consciousness with quantum mechanical systems involve the use of single particle detection, which therefore lies deep at the heart of our understanding of who we are. But this is, above all, a practical book that sets out with commendable clarity the design and operating mechanisms of all forms of detector and counter, comprising scintillation counters, gas-filled detectors, photographic emulsions, track detectors, semiconductor detectors, bubble chambers, drift chambers, Cherenkov detectors and several others. Calorimetric methods are also included as a means of measuring energy. Indeed, it is the broad sweep of this concise book that strikes me as impressive. It includes, rightly, a good chapter on the interaction of particles with a medium and many a student will find here a useful summary of this important topic. It includes an account of the derivation of information from detectors (timing, position, energy, particle identification, etc.), which is a most important aspect of this field: I would have preferred to see even more emphasis given to this chapter, and the problems of noise in detectors, and calibration procedures. There is, however, a good and simple account of the Fano factor, which has been a stumbling block for many people. Sadly, however, the author omits, in his reference to van Roosbroeck's contribution, that delightful analogue called "crazy carpentry", by which everything suddenly becomes clear in terms of the cost of timber! The chapter devoted to Detector Applications is disappointing, even, as described, as a selection of their uses. The composition determination of the Moon's surface on the Surveyor Spacecraft in 1965 is an interesting minor success, but now much outdated. Mention should have been made of the widespread use of detectors in materials analysis on earth, using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, nuclear reaction analysis, elastic recoil and various gamma-ray techniques. I liked the inclusion of some worked examples of problems in the design and operation of particle detectors, and the brief summary of statistical methods. Students and others will find these helpful. This useful little monograph should enjoy a long and successful life, and could well be expanded upon in later editions. G. Dearnaley AEA Technology Harwell Laboratory Oxon, OX11 0RA U.K. September 1992 165
DETECTION AND MEASUREMENT R. GILMORE (lst Edition)
It is a pleasure to be able to recommend this book to a wide community of research scientists and students concerned with detection and measurement of particles or photons. Originating in the lively days of nuclear physics, it is true to say, as the author does, that these methods are now widely used in applications far removed from nuclear and particle physics experiments. He goes as far as to make the philosophical point that, in a sense, all physical measuring instruments are particle detectors. It follows, too, that those most puzzling aspects of the interaction of human consciousness with quantum mechanical systems involve the use of single particle detection, which therefore lies deep at the heart of our understanding of who we are. But this is, above all, a practical book that sets out with commendable clarity the design and operating mechanisms of all forms of detector and counter, comprising scintillation counters, gas-filled detectors, photographic emulsions, track detectors, semiconductor detectors, bubble chambers, drift chambers, Cherenkov detectors and several others. Calorimetric methods are also included as a means of measuring energy. Indeed, it is the broad sweep of this concise book that strikes me as impressive. It includes, rightly, a good chapter on the interaction of particles with a medium and many a student will find here a useful summary of this important topic. It includes an account of the derivation of information from detectors (timing, position, energy, particle identification, etc.), which is a most important aspect of this field: I would have preferred to see even more emphasis given to this chapter, and the problems of noise in detectors, and calibration procedures. There is, however, a good and simple account of the Fano factor, which has been a stumbling block for many people. Sadly, however, the author omits, in his reference to van Roosbroeck's contribution, that delightful analogue called "crazy carpentry", by which everything suddenly becomes clear in terms of the cost of timber! The chapter devoted to Detector Applications is disappointing, even, as described, as a selection of their uses. The composition determination of the Moon's surface on the Surveyor Spacecraft in 1965 is an interesting minor success, but now much outdated. Mention should have been made of the widespread use of detectors in materials analysis on earth, using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, nuclear reaction analysis, elastic recoil and various gamma-ray techniques. I liked the inclusion of some worked examples of problems in the design and operation of particle detectors, and the brief summary of statistical methods. Students and others will find these helpful. This useful little monograph should enjoy a long and successful life, and could well be expanded upon in later editions. G. Dearnaley AEA Technology Harwell Laboratory Oxon, OX11 0RA U.K. September 1992 165