A bubble chamber

A bubble chamber is a vessel filled with a superheated transparent liquid used to detect electrically charged particles moving through it. The charged particle deposits sufficient energy in the liquid that it begins to boil along its path, forming a string of bubbles. Bubble chambers are similar to cloud chambers in application and basic principle. It was invented in 1952 by Donald A. Glaser, for which he was awarded the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physics. Download high resolution version (1292x1468, 112 KB)Diagram of a bubble chamber. ... Download high resolution version (1292x1468, 112 KB)Diagram of a bubble chamber. ... In physics, superheating (sometimes referred to as boiling retardation, boiling delay, or defervescence) is the phenomenon in which a liquid is heated to a temperature higher than its standard boiling point, without actually boiling. ... In optics, transparency is the property of being transparent, or allowing light to pass. ... A liquid will assume the shape of its container. ... The cloud chamber, also known as the Wilson chamber, is used for detecting particles of ionizing radiation. ... 1952 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Donald Arthur Glaser (b. ... List of Nobel Prize laureates in Physics from 1901 to the present day. ...

A bubble chamber is normally made by filling a large cylinder with a liquid just below its boiling point; at the top of the chamber a camera looks in. The whole chamber is subject to a constant magnetic field. As the particles enter the chamber, a piston suddenly decreases the pressure in the chamber. This brings the liquid to a superheated state, in which a tiny effect, such as the passing of a charged particle near an atom, is sufficient to nucleate a bubble of vaporized liquid. At this moment, the camera records the picture. The magnetic field causes charged particles to travel in helical paths whose radius is determined by the ratio of charge to mass of the particle. In this way charged particles can be observed and their mass measured. However, there is no way to effectively measure their velocity (kinetic energy). This article is about the shape. ... Charge is a word with many different meanings. ... Mass is a property of physical objects that, roughly speaking, measures the amount of matter they contain. ... Velocity (symbol: v) is a vector measurement of the rate and direction of motion. ... Kinetic energy (also called vis viva, or living force) is energy possessed by a body by virtue of its motion. ...

Bubble chambers have largely been replaced by wire chambers, which allow particle energies to be measured at the same time. Another alternative technique is the spark chamber. This article needs cleanup. ... A spark-chamber detector is a particle detector, that is, a device used in particle physics for detecting electrically charged particles. ...

Recent uses of bubble chambers: searches for dark matter (WIMPs): In cosmology, dark matter consists of matter particles that cannot be detected by their emitted radiation but whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter such as stars and galaxies. ... This article is about the hypothetical class of particles. ...

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Bubble chamber track and diagram of the production of a charmed baryon

First tracks observed in Liquid hydrogen bubble chamber.

Bubble chamber tracks of the decay of a charmed baryon, first published in 1975. ... In particle physics, the baryons are a family of subatomic particles including the proton and the neutron (collectively called nucleons), as well as a number of unstable, heavier particles (called hyperons). ... Download high resolution version (640x852, 62 KB)First tracks observed in liquid hydrogen bubble chamber by John Wood, 1954. ... Download high resolution version (640x852, 62 KB)First tracks observed in liquid hydrogen bubble chamber by John Wood, 1954. ...