It’s widely known that a smoke detector is a good ionizing radiation source, as they contain a small amount of americium-241, a side product of nuclear reactors. But what about other sources?

The photodiode is actually sensitive enough to detect the small amounts of gamma radiation produced from a smoke alarm americium source, and also registers [Alan]’s other more powerful ...

In terms of technology, smoke detectors provide two choices: ionization chamber and photoelectric. Ionization detectors use an ionization chamber and a source of ionizing radiation to detect smoke.

One example of a use of alpha radiation is in smoke detectors. A source of alpha radiation is used because the range is very low and alpha radiation has a very high ionising power.

One example of a use of alpha radiation is in smoke detectors. A source of alpha radiation is used because the range is very low and alpha radiation has a very high ionising power.