Techniques for Nuclear and Particle Physics Experiments: A How-To Approach

Rating:
Summary: Quite deep overview, but statistics...
Review: It's a good book: very good English, it treats quite everything from the point of view of CAUSES! It's full of precise references (good for the thesis!).

Expecially good topics: ionization and scintillation detectors; photomultipliers. Lacks: calorimetres and Cerenkov counters! For these topics I suggest: 'Particle Detectors' (many auth.), Cambridge University Press.

Just one thing about statistics: you have always to substitute this sentence:

''... because of the statistical nature of the process...''

with

''...because of the uncertainties related to the process, we choose to treat it as statistical...'' OK, it's a bit longer; but are you sure that all advanced physicians know that Caos does not exist as a real entity? It's just a choice of the experimenter to supply lacks in understanding and measuring the process or to simplify it. If you don't believe so, I ask you: why do you make research? Let's talk about it.

Rating:
Summary: Concise overview for the nuclear experimentalist
Review: Leo's book is a good, concise and concerning standard methods especially in nuclear spectroscopy up-to-date summary of the field. The basic physics ideas are introduced, although not too deeply discussed (but this is a book for the experimentalist, therefore no objections). It is a helpful companion in simple experimental considerations which come to an experimental nuclear spectroscopist every day: The color codes of resistors and the overview over the connectors in a CAMAC crate are examples for these features.

Elaborate references are given for each section that make it possible for the reader to find additional descriptions rather easily. Additional insight on dosimetry and radiation damage and some remarks on statistics make this book an interesting alternative to G.F. Knoll's "Radiation detection and measurement".

The emphasis of Leo's approach is surely (a) on a concise overview rather than an in-depth discussion and (b) on nuclear spectroscopy (gamma and particle detection at some MeV or so) rather than medium and large-scale high-energy physics experiments. Widely used components of high-energy physics equipment are, however, presented, but additional literature might be needed.

One final remark to my fellow reviewer Fabio: One example for a "statistical process" is e.g. the number of electron-hole pairs created in the detection of a charged particle or gamma ray. This process is truely statistical, i.e. it does not depend on things that the experimentator has at hand. The intrinsic resolution of a high-purity Germanium detector with respect to a, say, 3 MeV gamma ray cannot be changed (at least to a large extent). Have a look into Leo's book if you don't believe me!

Rating:
Summary: Concise overview for the nuclear experimentalist
Review: Leo's book is a good, concise and concerning standard methods especially in nuclear spectroscopy up-to-date summary of the field. The basic physics ideas are introduced, although not too deeply discussed (but this is a book for the experimentalist, therefore no objections). It is a helpful companion in simple experimental considerations which come to an experimental nuclear spectroscopist every day: The color codes of resistors and the overview over the connectors in a CAMAC crate are examples for these features.

Elaborate references are given for each section that make it possible for the reader to find additional descriptions rather easily. Additional insight on dosimetry and radiation damage and some remarks on statistics make this book an interesting alternative to G.F. Knoll's "Radiation detection and measurement".

The emphasis of Leo's approach is surely (a) on a concise overview rather than an in-depth discussion and (b) on nuclear spectroscopy (gamma and particle detection at some MeV or so) rather than medium and large-scale high-energy physics experiments. Widely used components of high-energy physics equipment are, however, presented, but additional literature might be needed.

One final remark to my fellow reviewer Fabio: One example for a "statistical process" is e.g. the number of electron-hole pairs created in the detection of a charged particle or gamma ray. This process is truely statistical, i.e. it does not depend on things that the experimentator has at hand. The intrinsic resolution of a high-purity Germanium detector with respect to a, say, 3 MeV gamma ray cannot be changed (at least to a large extent). Have a look into Leo's book if you don't believe me!