BETA SCINTILLATION COUNTING WITH THIN PLASTIC PHOSPHORS

The design and performance characteristics of a simple, efficient low- background beta scintillation counter without anticoincidence are described. The counter with thin plastic phosphors is dense enough to see beta particles and yet thin enough to reduce background to 0.5 cpm. The system can be easily converted into an alpha counter if one simply substitutes a zinc-sulfide phosphor for the plastic one and reduces the gain. (N.W.R.)