Conductivity Pulses in Liquid Argon

Abstract

The recent interest in the topic of crystal counters has prompted us to attempt a similar experiment with insulating liquids instead of crystals, in order to investigate whether, in such liquids, ionizing radiations excite electrons into conduction levels in which the electrons can move rapidly in an applied field. The purpose of this preliminary communication is to report that we have observed conductivity pulses due to polonium alpha-particles in liquid argon. No such effect was obtained in liquid nitrogen or in n-heptane at room temperature.