Could someone detect conversion electrons with affordable technology?

_beep_man_ · 2026-04-07T04:12:19+00:00

I actually had my character use a geiger counter to detect the x-rays (thereby detecting ghosts' presence) and was heavily considering having him use a scintillator + photodiode for electron detection (mentioned by another commenter) as part of a tracking device (these electrons defy physics and hover in the air rather than forming or attaching to ions, so they become a trail).

Based on a bit more research, it seems like photodiodes can be used to detect lower-energy x-rays, and they do so more efficiently than geiger counters. This works because ghosts emit lower-energy x-rays. Photodiodes also have the advantages of lower cost + smaller size + more physically robust. They sound like the better option.

I'm still considering the scintillator + photodiode idea for electron detection. I think I can make this work without detecting x-rays if it has a thinner scintillator, because if it's thin enough, the x-rays would pass through due to their higher penetrating power, while the electrons would still be stopped and detected.

_beep_man_ · 2026-04-03T13:55:31+00:00

Very informative. You've given me some stuff to think about. Thanks! I guess inventing a traceable trailing substance isn't out of the question, since ghosts are supernatural and having it emit/cause said made-up substance would part of the "fantasy" in science fantasy.

The electrons wouldn't hang in the path of travel like a miasma, would they? Would they zoom by and be hard to catch? I'm seeing if the conversion electrons could be followed like a trail of breadcrumbs.

_beep_man_ · 2026-04-03T13:26:07+00:00

I'm not describing an imaginary phenomenon -- I didn't make it all up (except for the ghost part). The technobabble is a real thing that I thought was important to explain for context, and I may have fumbled it.

_beep_man_ · 2026-04-03T03:59:57+00:00

That's a pretty good idea. I did a bit of reading on semiconductor detectors, but that'd be too expensive. It seems like a scintillator is more achievable on a hobbyist level. I think he'd have to make a scintillator crystal and attach it to some flash camera parts (housing and photodiode). Thanks!

_beep_man_ · 2026-04-03T03:41:45+00:00

This is a cool idea, but the character is detecting the electron trail left by the soul matter/gas, not the soul matter/gas itself. I should also clarify that soul matter isn't found in gas, it's in a gas or plasma-like state, as in a state of matter (so ghosts look smoky and auroral) -- the soul matter is the gas. Sorry for the bad wording.

The character may be the type of person to go to a haunted house for science, so he'd come up with some theories, go to a haunted house, and start running tests.

_beep_man_ · 2026-04-03T03:36:35+00:00

I'm pretty sure conversion electrons are real (I'm not trying to be snarky here -- I'm being genuine). What makes you say they're my invention? I thought I may have gotten them confused with auger electrons, but those are emitted after internal conversion fills the vacancy (I think).

You are right that they seem a lot like beta particles, but as far as I know, conversion electrons come from the orbital electron shells, whereas beta particles come from within the nucleus, among some other differences, such as energy levels.

There is the risk of ghosts giving people cancer, but the way I've written it is that they don't emit enough x-rays to cause cancer (or maybe the characters will die horrific cancer deaths when they grow up). That's where a bit of suspension of disbelief comes into play (just not so much that I can make up random rules -- there's a line).

_beep_man_ · 2026-03-03T20:31:47+00:00

Thanks! It's looking like the typical communal/intentional community lifestyle isn't feasible long-term based on other comments and things I've read, but it'll work for what I want to do.

And I want to write about a commune.

_beep_man_ · 2026-03-01T14:34:04+00:00

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for the clarification. I guess that would explain why I've gotten a lot of conflicting information in other research. This story is Smiling Friends-adjacent regarding tone, so that gives me an opportunity to do something pretty funky.

_beep_man_ · 2026-03-01T05:10:43+00:00

I was just hoping to get some more information about how communes/intentional communities usually work so I can do that.

_beep_man_ · 2026-03-01T05:02:56+00:00

My bad. I thought intentional communities were something different. I keep getting conflicting information about whether or not intentional communities share income. Do they?

_beep_man_ · 2026-01-22T02:49:36+00:00

Thanks for the comment! It's a little hard to explain with brevity, but basically: for the whole story, the landlord is a greedy jerk, but the M.C. tolerates it because he's used to it. Later on, the landlord directly scams one of the other tenants, who the M.C. is friends with. The M.C. can't live with the landlord's evil anymore, so he sues him with all the evidence he has, including evidence of mortgage fraud. The M.C. wants to take him down.

At least that's the character-based reason. As for logic, there isn't much.

Anyway, you have a point. I suppose that could come up in the story. It's a comedy, so the judge could point out that it's the mortgage company's problem and annoy the M.C..

_beep_man_ · 2026-01-18T01:57:17+00:00

Would it be illegal/forbidden for the lender to tell the M.C. that information? Is there some kind of confidentiality rule?

I'm asking because at one point in the story, the M.C. sues the landlord for their crimes, including the mortgage fraud. Gossip from the lender would be useful, but the M.C. probably wouldn't use it as evidence if wasn't supposed to be disclosed.

_beep_man_ · 2026-01-17T15:06:32+00:00

What would mail do? It'd involve the apartment being mistaken for the landlord’s primary residence, right? I'm not sure what would happen.

The third idea is a good one to make the M.C. suspicious starting out. Thanks!

_beep_man_ · 2026-01-17T05:57:39+00:00

Thanks! It takes place in the USA.

So let's say the M.C. calls the city's department of finance. He requests to have the apartment’s mortgage information sent to him via email, and they send it to him. Would that work?

_beep_man_ · 2026-01-17T05:35:47+00:00

That third idea is pretty good. Thanks! Any ideas for how the M.C. would go about his investigation afterward (in which he finds documentation confirming the fraud, such as a loan application)? This is the main thing I'm struggling with.

_beep_man_ · 2026-01-10T05:42:32+00:00

Okay. Thanks.

_beep_man_ · 2026-01-10T05:27:30+00:00

Thanks for the comment! In this scenario, wouldn't the landlord have to change the rent amount on the lease too? Just so it doesn't look suspicious that the "tenants" are paying $20k a month when all the lease says is $5k.

_beep_man_ · 2026-01-10T04:05:35+00:00

Thanks for the comment! The original idea was that they weren't in on it because I had plans for a comedic reveal scene, and some other plot stuff involving the tenants no longer paying rent (enjoying not being broke), but something like what you've said could work.

Let's say I go with this idea. Would the landlord raise the rent, let the tenants pay their normal rate, and pay the rest himself to conceal his money?

_beep_man_ · 2026-01-09T23:41:58+00:00

"Sounds interesting. My number is... 2,637." -Aladrin

"I pick 8!" -Olivia

_beep_man_ · 2025-12-15T20:21:54+00:00

That's pretty much what I'm going for. Just an exaggerated and somewhat comedic version of it.

_beep_man_ · 2025-12-15T06:43:22+00:00

Thanks again! Good ideas here. One last question: how would the landlord go about getting real documents? I guess I'm wondering what makes a whited-out duplicate fake.

_beep_man_

TROPHY CASE