Radioactive elements radiate whether alpha, beta particles or gamma rays. Is there is a device can detect each of them separately?
Dear Muhammad, alpha and beta radiation are particle radiation, gamma is a electro-magnetic radiation, means for them are needed different measuring devices. While alpha-radiation are double positively charged helium nuclei, beta is irradiation caused by electrons or positrons. Gamma radiation are energetic electromagnetic waves of small wavelength. Generally the measurement is feasible with scintillation detectors or counting tubes.In the practice alpha and beta is counted as surface contamination, or alpha as radon gas, mainly through proportional detector or scintillation detector technologies. For radon the common technology is a scintillation detector, based on the principle of a photomultipliers, which counts the lightning flashes. For the gamma is usually used a device for the measurement of the ambient gamma dose rate, which measures the ambient equivalent dose rate, based on a counting tube.
If you like a universal radiation detector, the G-M “pancake” detector can detect alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, and is simple to use.
http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/lines-of.../G-M_pancake_detectors.pdf
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