cloud chamber

cloud chamber

n.

A gas-filled device in which the path of charged subatomic particles can be detected by the formation of chains of droplets on ions generated by their passage. It is also used to infer the presence of neutral particles and to study certain nuclear reactions.

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cloud chamber

Noun

Physics an apparatus for detecting high-energy particles by observing their tracks through a chamber containing a supersaturated vapour

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cloud chamber

A device used to observe the movements of charged atomic and subatomic particles, such as ions, electrons, or muons. Cloud chambers consist of a closed container filled with a gas that is on the verge of condensing. Charged particles passing through the gas ionize the atoms in their path, forming visible lines of condensation. Compare bubble chamber.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

cloud chamber - apparatus that detects the path of high-energy particles passing through a supersaturated vapor; each particle ionizes molecules along its path and small droplets condense on them to produce a visible track Wilson cloud chamber particle detector - a chamber in which particles can be made visible