Introduction To Radiation Detectors by Christopher Miller
Since we cannot see, smell or taste radiation, we are dependent on instruments to indicate the presence of ionizing radiation. Radiation is energy traveling in the form of particles or waves in bundles of energy called photons. Some everyday examples are microwaves used to cook food, radio waves... When a high voltage is placed between two areas of the gas filled space, the positive ions will be attracted to the negative side of the detector (the cathode) and the free electrons will travel to the positive side (the anode).