The Proportional Counter in X-Ray Diffraction Work

Abstract

RECENT work, for example, that by Curran et al.¹, has shown how the proportional counter can be made a reliable tool for measuring the energies of soft radiations. Used as a detector for measuring the intensities of diffracted X-rays, it possesses many advantages over the Geiger counter. With the proportional counter, counting losses are entirely negligible for all X-ray intensities likely to be realized with conventional X-ray generators and diffraction techniques. The possibility of discriminating against unwanted radiations of wave-lengths other than that of the characteristic radiation used for diffraction purposes enables diffraction records of greatly improved quality to be obtained, especially when the specimen gives rise to appreciable fluorescent radiation. Particularly valuable is the ability to cut out radiation the wave-length of which is a submultiple of that of the characteristic radiation. The life of the proportional counter is practically infinite, and so it is much more economical than the organic-vapour-quenched Geiger counters commonly employed as X-ray detectors.