Veneficiometer

A veneficiometer works by having a source of radioactive carbon-14 held within centimetres of a Geiger counter. Carbon-14 is unstable and decays by beta decay over time to release electrons. The Geiger counter is tuned to this and reads the steady, predictable stream of beta radiation. The device is surrouned by lead to stop any radiation from escaping and to stop any external sources from disrupting the readings.   Stem particles, the source of all magic, can only exist within carbon atoms and their presence makes the random appearance of stem particles in carbon atoms nearby much more likely. Therefore, when magic passes around the area of a veneficiometer, stem particles will temporarily appear within the carbon-14 atoms. The extra energy provided by the prescence of these particles within the nucleus will make the carbon-14 more unstable and so more likely to decay, increasing the rate of decay of the source which is then picked up by the Geiger counter. Registering an abnormally high level of beta radiation, it will send a signal to a central computer indicating a spike of magic, which will then be reported to human operators.   Veneficiometers form a key part of the G.L.O.A.M network, as they are the primary receptors for the network to detect magic, and so are embedded in the network's listening posts and other key areas and sensors. It is more reliable to have multiple veneficiometers working in sync, connected by the network, so that they can check each other's readings to minimise false alarms.

As one of the first unique devices made by ORCA utilising new knowledge of magic, it represented the first step in successfully fighting against magic using technology.