The influence of the GM tube insulation parameters on the GM counter characteristics

Abstract

The paper presents the results of testing the Geiger-Muller chamber cathode radii on the GM counters characteristics. The influence of the cathode radius is tested on: 1 - the GM counter characteristic; 2 - the length and plateau slope; and 3 - the GM counter chamber lifetime. The influence of small amounts of electronegative gas in the GM chamber working gas on the observed characteristics was also analyzed. The obtained results differ drastically from the results of similar tests presented in previously published papers on similar topics. This result is explained by the fact that the law of similarity for gas emissions was taken into consideration when making the tested tubes (i.e., the mean free path length of the electron was treated as a geometric parameter). In that way, the relevant results for the application of GM counters in practice were obtained. The result obtained with a small percentage of electronegative gas in the three-component mixture of gases noble gas + quenching gas + electronegative gas confirms the positive synergistic effect of the electronegative gas addition. This result contradicts the general view that GM chamber working gas must not contain electronegative gas.