Page:Radio-active substances.djvu/44

 through are nearly all deflected by the field in such a way that, with the aid of the screen and the magnetic field, almost all the radiation is suppressed in the condenser, the remainder being due to the γ-rays, the proportion of which is small. The α-rays are absorbed by the screen.

An aluminium plate of 1/100 m.m. thickness is sufficient for the suppression of almost all the rays not readily deflected when the substance is far enough from the condenser; for smaller distances (34 m.m. and 51 m.m.) two pieces of this aluminium foil are necessary to give the same result. Similar determinations were made with four substances containing radium (chlorides or carbonates) of very different activity; analogous results were obtained.

It may be remarked that, in all cases, the penetrating rays deflected by the magnet (β-rays) form only a small fraction of the total radiation; they influence but slightly the determinations in which the whole radiation is made use of to produce conductivity of the air.

The radiation emitted by polonium may be studied by the electrical method. When the distance,, of the polonium from the condenser is varied, no current is observed at first while the distance is fairly great; on nearing the polonium, the radiation suddenly becomes manifest with great intensity; the current then increases uniformly whilst approaching the polonium, but the magnetic field produces no appreciable effect under these conditions. The radiation of polonium is apparently limited in space, and does not pass into the air beyond a kind of sheath surrounding the substance to a thickness of several centimetres.

The interpretation of the experiments I have just described must be accompanied by some important general reservations. In speaking of the proportion of the rays deflected by the magnet, I refer only to that portion of the radiation capable of causing a current in the condenser. In employing the fluorescent action of the Becquerel rays, or their action on photographic plates, the proportion would probably be different—a measure of intensity having, as a rule, no meaning except for the method of measurement adopted.

The rays of polonium are α-rays. In the experiments just described, I observed no action of the magnetic field upon them, but the experimental conditions were such that a slight deflection would pass unnoticed.

The experiments made by the radiographic method confirmed the preceding results. Taking radium as the source of radiation, and receiving the impression on a plate