Gamma counters are usually scintillation counters. In a typical system, a number of samples are placed in sealed vials or test tubes, and moved along a track. One at a time, they move down inside a shielded detector, set to measure specific energy windows characteristic of the particular isotope. Within this shielded detector there is a scintillation crystal that surrounds the radioactive sample. Gamma rays emitted from the radioactive sample interact with the crystal, are absorbed, and light is emitted. A detector, such as a photomultiplier tube converts the visible light to an electrical signal. Depending on the half-life and concentration of the sample, measurement times may vary from 0.02 minutes to several hours.