Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.
...strength required for additional avalanches to form, and the Geiger discharge ceases. In the process a huge number of ion pairs have been formed, and pulses as large as one volt are produced by the Geiger-Müller tube. Because the pulse is so large, little demand is placed on the pulse-processing electronics, and Geiger counting systems can be extremely simple.
...absorption of an X-ray photon with consequent ionization of many atoms in the gas initiates a discharge breakdown of the gas and causes a large electric pulse output. This device is known as a Geiger-Müller tube, and it forms the basis for radiation detectors known as Geiger counters (see radiation measurement: Active detectors: Gas-filled detectors: Geiger-Müller counters).
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