Krypton plays an important role in scientific research and medicine. It can be used to fill ionization chambers for measuring high-energy rays (cosmic rays), and also as a shielding material in X-ray operation, in gas lasers, and in plasma streams; liquid krypton can be used in the bubble chambers of particle detectors. Radioactive isotopes of krypton, such as krypton-78, can be used as tracers in medicine.
