Credit: Jefferson Lab
Jefferson Lab's Hall C Compton Polarimeter uses a novel detector system built of thin slivers of diamond, seen here. The lab-grown slices of diamond, measuring roughly three-quarters of an inch square (2 cm) and a mere two hundredths of an inch thick, are outfitted like computer chips, with 96 tiny electrodes stuck to them. The electrodes send a signal when the diamond detector counts an electron.