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

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

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

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

On the other side of the shield the neutrinos entered a 10-ton spark chamber made of inch-thick plates of aluminum separated by half-inch gaps filled with neon gas.

From Time Magazine Archive

But the new Brookhaven spark chamber, designed by Drs. Leon Lederman, Melvin Schwartz and Jack Steinberger of Columbia University, has already proved to be remarkably sensitive.

From Time Magazine Archive

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