cloud chamber
an apparatus for determining the movements of charged particles, consisting of a chamber containing a supersaturated mixture of gas and vapor, the vapor condensing around ions created by the particle in its passing, thereby revealing the path of the particle.
Origin of cloud chamber
1- Also called expansion chamber, Wilson cloud chamber.
- Compare bubble chamber.
Words Nearby cloud chamber
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cloud chamber in a sentence
Developed more than a century ago, cloud chambers are filled with a gas — often a vapor of alcohol — on the verge of condensing into liquid.
How particle detectors capture matter’s hidden, beautiful reality | Emily Conover | August 5, 2021 | Science NewsBubble chambers could be made bigger than cloud chambers, and produced sharper tracks, making it possible to observe more particles in more detail.
How particle detectors capture matter’s hidden, beautiful reality | Emily Conover | August 5, 2021 | Science NewsScientists often surround cloud chambers and other detectors with a strong magnetic field, which bends particles’ paths into curves or spirals.
How particle detectors capture matter’s hidden, beautiful reality | Emily Conover | August 5, 2021 | Science NewsOne of the first ways scientists visualized particle tracks was with cloud chambers.
How particle detectors capture matter’s hidden, beautiful reality | Emily Conover | August 5, 2021 | Science News
British Dictionary definitions for cloud chamber
physics an apparatus for detecting high-energy particles by observing their tracks through a chamber containing a supersaturated vapour. Each particle ionizes molecules along its path and small droplets condense on them to produce a visible track: Also called: Wilson cloud chamber
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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