Hans Geiger Books

Johannes Wilhelm Geiger was a German physicist renowned for developing the first successful detector of individual alpha particles and other ionizing radiation, the Geiger counter. His pioneering work in nuclear physics, particularly with Ernest Rutherford, led to the identification of the alpha particle as the helium atom's nucleus and Rutherford's proposal that the atomic nucleus occupies a minuscule central volume. Geiger also collaborated with Walther Bothe to devise coincidence counting, a technique that clarified details of the Compton effect. Later, he and Walther Müller enhanced the sensitivity and performance of the particle counter, enabling it to detect beta particles and ionizing photons in addition to alpha particles. His continued research explored cosmic rays, artificial radioactivity, and nuclear fission.