Ionization chamber
![Schematic diagram of parallel plate ion chamber, showing drift of ions. Electrons typically drift 1000 times faster than positive ions due to their much smaller mass.[1]](/uploads/202501/20/Ion_chamber_operation4255.gif)

4256.jpg)

The ionization chamber is the simplest of all gas-filled radiation detectors, and is widely used for the detection and measurement of certain types of ionizing radiation; X-rays, gamma rays and beta particles. Conventionally, the term "ionization chamber" is used exclusively to describe those detectors which collect all the charges created by direct ionization within the gas through the application of an electric field. It only uses the discrete charges created by each interaction between the incident radiation and the gas, and does not involve the gas multiplication mechanisms used by other radiation instruments, such as the Geiger-Müller counter or the proportional counter.