Home Alpha Radiation Detector

How to make an alpha radiation detector out of a webcam, a smoke detector, and a box.

Thanks to
Inventgeek's page on this project:
http://www.inventgeek.com/Projects/AlphaRad/Page1.aspx
The insanelymac post:
http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=180402
This flickr photo album:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/frijole/sets/72157600012546571/

Wikipedia article on Cerenkov radiation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherenkov_radiation

As for radioactive risk, here is some safety information:
http://www.hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q3704.html

Alpha particles are a type of radiation that interacts with matter very well so they usually stop moving within a few centimeters of air.

The speed of light in *in any vacuum.* If light has to move through a substance, it travels at a slower speed, depending on the density of the substance. This density is measured by a number called a refractive index.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refractive_index

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• alpha
• cerenkov
• radiation
• detector
• home
• amateur
• science
• experiment
• project
• smoke
• webcam
• hack
• box
• thecast
• thecaster
• technology
• nuclear
• physics
• atom
• gamma
• beta
• cherenkov

[10mintwo]

cool project! But..... you're not seeing Cherenkov radiation here. You're seeing direct excitation of the semiconductor CCD chip or possibly scintillation in the plastic Bayer color mask over it, induced by alpha absorption. Recall that the energy of alphas emitted by Am241 are around 5.5 MeV in energy. This equates to a velocity of "only" ~5% of the speed of light (in vacuo). Now recall that the difference in inex of refraction (and speed of light) of air and vacuum is only 0.03%. you can see

[thecaster]

@10mintwo That's very interesting. Thank you for the correction! What do you mean by Bayer mask?

[Escapist166]

i don't get it

was the alpha radiation hitting a screen and creating light (like a CRO) or was the radiation hitting the surface of the chip.

[thecaster]

The alpha radiation was moving through air molecules and emitting light.

[TheLonelyImmortal]

I thought that the speed of light was the maximum speed possible. How could something move faster than that?

What is that music at the end?

[thecaster]

Butterflies and Hurricanes, by Muse.

[SRSchoner]

Alphas travel at about one fifth the speed of light, very slow compared to betas which can approach the speed of light. Also, if there is anything between the Am-241 source and the detector, that is the video chip then you will not see alphas. What you are most likely seeing is gamma as Am-241 produces only slow alpha and gamma no beta. Remove the glass cover from the chip surface and you will certainly see alpha and gamma. But the radiation will destroy the chip after a period of exposure.

[simpsonfuturama1]

Alpha... That's useless

[supadupagmailcom]

@unclesonnyonutube (or anyone) Laugh @ 0:58 and you're easily amused. It's okay. It's rather predictable based on the long pause and sudden change in scene just before.

[iminyourbasement]

HAHAHA, he gets his information from Wikipedia. faster that the speed of light, bahahalololol. but the cool part is more than half the people who watch this video now believe that. good job sir, now collect 5000 smoke detectors, remove the americium 241 and cover them all in beryllium foil, then shove it past your sphincter deep inside your rectum. give it a good 5 weeks, anal cancer with minor hemorrhoids!

[firewoven]

so cool

[Johnny75416]

Faster than the speed of light? I don't think so.

[Beliserius1]

Alphas don't move faster than the speed of light, not even close.

Betas come close, but still not reaching the speed of light

[ConnorXV]

A Geiger muller counter is it called? Make one of them.

[lvh45]

@thecaster

Not the Alpha particles are acting on the ccd sensor. They are stopped already by sheet of paper. The light flashes are generated by the gamma radiation also emitted by Am241.

[unclesonnyonutube]

@ 58 seconds.... hahahahaaha