The present invention concerns a method of detecting particles which move along a trajectory and which produce or at least influence electromagnetic radiation, an electrical field or a magnetic field, wherein the electromagnetic radiation, the electrical field or the magnetic field is detected, in which a structuring device is used, which either ensures that the particles along the trajectory produce or at least influence electromagnetic radiation, an electrical field or a magnetic field substantially only at non-periodic spatial spacings, or ensures that the electromagnetic radiation, the electrical or the magnetic field is detected substantially only at non-periodic spatial spacings along the trajectory. To provide a method of detecting particles which move along a trajectory and which produce or at least influence electromagnetic radiation, an electrical field or a magnetic field, it is proposed according to the invention that the detected signal S is processed by means of a mismatched filter F1 and if the signal DF1(S) filtered in that way fulfils a predefined threshold criterion a particle is detected and if the signal filtered in that way does not fulfill the predefined threshold criterion no particle is detected.