geiger-muller tube
Noun: A Geiger-Müller tube is the core sensing element inside a Geiger counter. It is a sealed glass or metal tube filled with an inert gas at low pressure. When ionizing radiation (such as alpha, beta, or gamma rays) enters the tube, it ionizes the gas atoms, creating a brief, measurable electrical pulse that is counted and displayed by the instrument.
The term is used specifically to refer to the radiation-detecting component itself, distinct from the complete Geiger counter device which includes the tube, electronics, and readout.
Examples: * The scientist replaced the damaged Geiger-Müller tube to restore the counter's functionality. * The sensitivity of the measurement depends heavily on the design of the Geiger-Müller tube. * Early radiation experiments relied on the invention of the Geiger-Müller tube.
- The term is often hyphenated (Geiger-Müller tube) but can also be found written as Geiger Muller tube (without the umlaut) or abbreviated as GM tube.
- In technical contexts, it may be called a Geiger tube for short, though this can refer to slightly different historical designs.
- GM tube: A common abbreviation.
- Geiger counter (noun): The complete instrument that houses and uses the Geiger-Müller tube for detection.
- Ionization chamber (noun): A broader category of radiation detection devices; a Geiger-Müller tube is a specific, specialized type of ionization chamber.
- Radiation sensor (general term)
- GM detector
This is a technical, compound noun named after its inventors, Hans Geiger and Walther Müller. It refers to a single, specific component and is not typically used in idiomatic expressions or phrasal verbs.
- an ionization chamber contained in a tube in a Geiger counter