An essential characteristic of these devices is the generation of multiple 
An essential characteristic of these devices is the generation of multiple non-discrete Townsend avalanches that propagate along an anode wire. Those avalanches always generate pulses of the same magnitude, meaning that these devices cannot give information about energy. These devices are operated in a voltage range where the gradient of the ion current is flat, known as their "plateau." Variants of the principal component of these devices include pancake and windowless types. That principal component of these devices is a (*) gas-filled tube that was initially co-developed by Walther MÃ¼ller. A disadvantage of these devices is their propensity for giving falsely low readings due to ionization events occurring during their dead time. An end-window tube is necessary to detect alpha particles and weak beta particles using these devices. For 10 points, name these survey instruments commonly used to detect levels of ionizing radiation and named for a German physicist.
An essential characteristic of these devices is the generation of multiple non-discrete Townsend avalanches that propagate along an anode wire.
Geiger counters [accept Geiger-MÃ¼ller tubes in power; prompt on gaseous ionization detectors; prompt on ionization chambers]