Forest Detectors
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The common mechanism behind most detectors involves the "jiggling" of atomic electrons.
In the case of the He-3 tube the electrons are "jiggled" hard enough such that they are no longer bound to the atom.
In the case of scintillator, the "jiggling" excites the electrons in the scintillator atoms such that the atoms give off light when they de-excite.
In semi-conductor (solid state) detectors, the electrons move into the conduction band of the material when they are "jiggled" by incident radiation.