A portable cosmic ray detector and display

We have developed a hand-held, particle tracking detector based on scintillating-glass, fiber-optic plate technology for applications in classroom teaching. The active element is sensitive to ionizing radiation and is a coherent fiber-optic plate consisting of 10/sup 6/ individual clad fiber waveguides that contain Terbium (3+) oxide in a silicate glass host. Scintillation light in the individual fiber elements is transferred via total internal reflection to a multi-stage image intensifier that senses and amplifies the light signal while maintaining the spatial coherence of the input optical image. The output screen of the image intensifier can be viewed directly by eye under low-level room light conditions or via video imaging with a CCD camera. The system is ideal for hands-on laboratory use and for public lecture demonstrations.