cloud chamber

noun

, Physics.

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.

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 calledWilson cloud chamber

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

Discover More

First recorded in 1895–1900

Discover More

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.

Bubble chambers could be made bigger than cloud chambers, and produced sharper tracks, making it possible to observe more particles in more detail.

Scientists often surround cloud chambers and other detectors with a strong magnetic field, which bends particles’ paths into curves or spirals.

One of the first ways scientists visualized particle tracks was with cloud chambers.

Browse