Scintillation counter
![Schematic showing incident high energy photon hitting a scintillating crystal, triggering the release of low-energy photons which are then converted into photoelectrons and multiplied in the photomultiplier](/Images/godic/202502/09/PhotoMultiplierTubeAndScintillator4622.jpg")
![Apparatus with a scintillating crystal, photomultiplier, and data acquisition components.](/Images/godic/202502/09/Scintillation_Counter_Schematic4622.jpg")
![animation of radiation scintillation counter](/Images/godic/202502/09/Scintillation_Detector4622.gif")
![Hand-held large area alpha scintillation probe under calibration](/Images/godic/202502/09/US_Navy_070208-N-9132D-002_Electronics_Technician_2nd_Class_Shea_Thompson_tests_an_Alpha_Particle_Dection_Probe4622.jpg")
A scintillation counter is an instrument for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation by using the excitation effect of incident radiation on a scintillator material, and detecting the resultant light pulses.
It consists of a scintillator which generates photons in response to incident radiation, a sensitive photomultiplier tube which converts the light to an electrical signal and electronics to process this signal.