Page:Collected Physical Papers.djvu/54

34 is placed at the principal focus (obtained from a preliminary experiment) of one of the semi-cylinders. The cylinder mounted on the platform of a spectrometer is rotated till the rays are totally reflected. From the critical angle the value of μ is deduced.

I shall here describe some modifications introduced in the apparatus, which have been found to be great improvements. One of the principal difficulties previously met with was due to the disturbance caused by stray radiation. It is to be remembered that the receiver is extremely sensitive. Comparatively long waves are found to possess very great penetrative power; shielding the receiver then becomes very difficult. Even after the receiver, the galvanometer, and the leading wires had been screened, disturbances were met with which it was difficult to localise. Part of the disturbance may have been due to the magnetic disturbance set up by the generating coil. A double box made of soft iron and thick copper removed this difficulty. But the greatest immunity from disturbance was secured by using short waves. In this case it was not at all necessary to take very special precautions to shield either the galvanometer or the leading wires, the sensitive layer in the receiver being alone affected by the radiation. I exposed the bare leading wires to the strong action of the radiator by putting them in close proximity to the source of radiation, and yet no response was observed in the galvanometer. This freedom from disturbance is not due to the opposite action on the two wires, for a single wire may be exposed to the radiation without any action on the receiver.

With small radiators the intensity of radiation is not very great. This is a positive advantage in many experi-