Teaching Videos
Cosmic Ray Spark Chamber
Guest » 8am - May 20, 2011
In the 1960's and '70s, spark chambers were commonly used as...
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Category: Electricity
In the 1960's and '70s, spark chambers were commonly used as detectors in particle physics experiments. They served as visual detectors with moderate spatial resolution (≈ ±0.5 mm) and time resolution (≈ ±0.5 μs). Higher spatial and temporal resolution detectors, such as drift chambers and silicon detectors, have since replaced these. However, the spark chamber is still well suited for lecture demonstration — the detection of cosmic rays (usually muons) can easily be made visible to a large audience. About 80% of the cosmic ray flux at sea level is composed of muons, with electrons and protons making up the remainder.
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