spark chamber

American  

noun

Physics.

1. a device for detecting elementary particles, consisting of a series of charged plates separated by a gas so that the passage of a charged particle causes sparking between adjacent plates.

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spark chamber British  

noun

1. physics a device for detecting ionizing radiation, consisting of two oppositely charged metal plates in a chamber containing inert gas, so that a particle passing through the chamber ionizes the gas and causes a spark to jump between the electrodes

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Etymology

Origin of spark chamber

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spark chamber

Figure 19.8 A spark chamber is used to trace the paths of high-energy particles.

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

In their massive spark chamber with its inch-thick aluminum plates, Brookhaven's atomic physicists hope to trap and study elusive particles that now are little more than factors in abstruse equations.

From Time Magazine Archive

They knew that the spark chamber was protected against false alarms caused by cosmic rays striking down from space, and they knew that a dense beam of neutrinos was passing through it.

From Time Magazine Archive

To pinpoint their location, the scientists will move the spark chamber 35 feet away to another point within the pyramid and repeat the muon-recording process.

From Time Magazine Archive

By May, if the Alvarez technique checks out, they will move the spark chamber to the nearby Second Pyramid or Pyramid of Chephren.

From Time Magazine Archive