Which instruments are used to detect cosmic rays?

To detect cosmic rays, scientists use a variety of specialized instruments designed to capture either the primary particles arriving from space or the secondary particles generated by their interaction with Earth's atmosphere.12

Common instruments used for detection include:

• Scintillation counters: These devices detect radiation by measuring the light flashes (scintillations) produced when ionizing radiation passes through specific solid or liquid substances.3
• Proportional counters: These are used to measure and count incident radiation.14
• Cherenkov detectors: Based on the phenomenon of Cherenkov radiation, these instruments are used extensively in experimental particle and cosmic-ray physics.5
• Cloud chambers: These detectors use supersaturated vapor that condenses into tiny droplets around ions created by the passage of energetic charged particles.6
• Bubble chambers: These use a superheated liquid to record the tracks of subatomic particles as tiny bubbles of vapor.7

Because Earth's atmosphere absorbs many primary cosmic rays, researchers often deploy these instruments on high-altitude balloons, rockets, or satellites to study them directly in outer space.142