Early Radiation Detectors

The introduction of the first radiation detectors marked an important step in the history of science. Electroscopes and luminescence-based devices were the early tools to detect the passage of energetic radiations. A brief summary is given in this chapter of the techniques widely employed in that period to observe the effect of ionizing radiations, especially originating from cosmic rays. Electroscopes, ionization chambers and proportional counters are introduced, together with visual techniques making use of nuclear emulsions and cloud chambers, to discuss the status of the detection tools before the Geiger counters were introduced, allowing the detection of individual events.