Question: How hard is it to make particle detectors

Daniel Scully answered on 15 Nov 2011:

It’s not that hard…

Solar panels are like particle detectors. When a photon (light) hits a solar panel you get a current generated. Many particle detectors are built in the same way, but instead of using it to generate power, you use the current as a signal that a particle hit your detector.

Another main type of particle detector uses a type of plastic called “scintillator”. When a charged particle passes through some scintillator it gives off light. So all you need to do is attach a light sensor to the a block of scintillator, then you can detect when particles went through it.

We have a device built like this at my university. There are lot’s of cosmic-ray particles travelling through us all the time. And all we do is have light sensors attached to some blocks of scintillator in a light-tight box.

Of course, they can become very complicated if you have enough money to build something like the LHC…