Liquid Scintillation Counter

A liquid scintillation counter generally is not portable. Liquid scintillation counting is the most widely used technique for the detection and quantification of radioactivity. This measurement technique is applicable to all types of emissions, though it is most often used for beta particles. Liquid scintillation counting is an analytical technique that measures activity of radionuclides from the rate of light photons emitted by a sample.

Samples to be counted are prepared by adding a scintillation fluid (cocktail) to the beta emitter. As beta particles are released and interact with the fluid, photons of light are produced and measured. The intensity of the light is proportional to the energy of the beta particle; therefore, the spectra for different-energy beta emitters are somewhat unique.