Bubble Chamber

-

Bubble Chamber, device that detects and tracks the paths of high-energy subatomic particles released by radioactive substances. Subatomic particles are invisible to the unaided eye. Bubble chambers provide an indirect way for physicists to “see” a particle and learn about its charge, mass, and energy and how it interacts with other subatomic particles. See also Particle Detectors; Elementary Particles.

A bubble chamber contains liquid, often hydrogen or deuterium, heated beyond its boiling point. This liquid does not boil, however, because it is under pressure and all the impurities have been removed. As a charged particle moves through the liquid, it interacts with atoms and molecules in the liquid, making them ions, which are atoms or molecules with a positive or negative charge. The new ions that form along the path of the charged particles act as impurities, causing the liquid next to them to boil. The tiny bubbles formed by the boiling liquid behind the particle form a line that makes the path of the particle visible. This pathway is usually photographed for later analysis. American physicist Donald A. Glaser built the first bubble chamber in 1952.

The bubble chamber overcomes many of the disadvantages of the cloud chamber, a particle detector used before the bubble chamber’s invention. A cloud chamber uses a gas that condenses along the path of the subatomic particle. Because the atoms and molecules in a liquid are closer together than those in a gas, an incoming particle in a bubble chamber has more interactions than an incoming particle in a cloud chamber in the same amount of time. The greater number of interactions in a bubble chamber makes the paths of subatomic particles easier to photograph and track.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Berzelius, Jöns Jakob, Baron

-
Berzelius, Jöns Jakob, Baron (1779-1848), Swedish chemist, considered one of the founders of modern chemistry . Berzelius was born near Linköping. While studying medicine at the University of Uppsala, he became interested in chemistry. After practicing medicine and lecturing, he became a professor of botany and pharmacy at Stockholm in 1807. From 1815 to 1832 he was professor of chemistry at the Caroline Medico-Chirurgical Institute in Stockholm. He became a member of the Stockholm Academy of Sciences in 1808 and in 1818 became its permanent secretary. For his contributions to science, Berzelius was made a baron in 1835 by Charles XIV John, king of Sweden and Norway. Berzelius's research extended into every branch of chemistry and was extraordinary for its scope and accuracy. He discovered three chemical elements— cerium , selenium , and thorium —and was the first to isolate silicon , zirconium , and titanium . He introduced the term catalyst into chemistry and was the first to ela
Read more

Brahe, Tycho

-
Image
Brahe, Tycho (1546-1601), Danish astronomer, who made precise, comprehensive astronomical measurements of the solar system and more than 700 stars . The data Brahe accumulated was superior to all other astronomical measurements made until the invention of the telescope in the early 17th century. Brahe was born in Knudstrup in southern Sweden (then part of Denmark). He studied law and philosophy at the universities of Copenhagen and Leipzig; at night, however, Brahe busied himself with observing the stars. With no instruments other than a globe and a pair of compasses, he succeeded in detecting grave errors in the standard astronomical tables, and set about correcting them. In 1572 he discovered a supernova in the constellation Cassiopeia . After Brahe had spent some time traveling and lecturing, Frederick II, king of Denmark and Norway, offered to provide Brahe with funds to construct and equip an astronomical observatory on the island of Hven (now Ven). Brahe accepted the proposal,
Read more

Hanaoka Seishu

-
Image
A stamp depicting the image of Hanaoka Seishu. Hanaoka Seishu (1760-1835), Japanese physician and pioneer of anesthetic surgery. Hanaoka studied traditional Sino-Japanese medicine, as well as what was then known about Western surgery in Japan. For over two decades he experimented with various drugs. Ultimately he created mafutsusan, an anesthetic compound made from six traditional plant-based drugs, including the alkaloids aconite (from the monkshood plant) and datura (from jimsonweed ). In 1805, using mafutsusan as an anesthetic, Hanaoka removed a tumor during breast cancer surgery. This was the world's first recorded successful surgical operation with anesthesia. Later, Hanaoka used the drug for other surgical operations, developing techniques for bladder stone removal and for amputation. Hanaoka attracted many students, and his surgical techniques became known as the Hanaoka method.
Read more