Proportional counter for the groundstate transition in radium D

Abstract

The value of b obtained experimentally by Curran et al. corresponds to a value of (λ/µ) equal to three quarters, a result which is completely consistent with the model of the multiplication process used in the above calculations. Thus, provided this model remains valid, it seems unlikely that the resolution of the proportional counter, in so far as it is determined by fluctuations in the original avalanche, can be significantly improved beyond its present limits. The generalization of equation (5.9) to the case where more than one ion pair is released in the counter, is given in Currants original paper on the subject It has been widely used to calculate proportional counter resolutions and has been discussed by Sharpe (1955) and by many others.