Scientific Instrumentation for Physics Research

In this review the basics interaction mechanisms of charged and neutral particles are presented. The ionization energy loss of charged particles is fundamental to most particle detectors and is therefore described in more detail. The production of electromagnetic radiation in varios spectral ranges leads to the detection of charged particles in scintillation, Cherenkov, and transition-radiation couters. Photons are measured via the photoelectric effect, Compton scattering, or pair production, and neutrons though their nuclear interactions. A combination of the various detection methods helps to identify elementary particles and nuclei. At high energies, absorption techniques in calorimeters provide additional particle identification and an accurate energy measurement.