What is the principle of spark chamber?

Spark chambers consist of a stack of metal plates placed in a sealed box filled with a gas such as helium, neon or a mixture of the two. When a charged particle from a cosmic ray travels through the box, it ionises the gas between the plates. Ordinarily this ionisation would remain invisible.

What is the significance of spark chamber in relation to electric potential?

The main purpose of spark chamber is to observe the motion trajectory of high-energy charged cosmic ray.It enables people to have a visual and intuitive sense for the microscopic particles that cannot be directly observed by our eyes, and helps people to have a preliminary understanding of particle physics.

Why does spark chamber require clearing electric field?

Clearing fields of tens or hundreds of volts per centimetre are often employed in spark chambers to clear the gaps of residual ionisation, thus reducing spurious sparking and decreasing the dead time which is useful for operation in intense beams.

How a spark counter works?

The spark counter consists of a tightly stretched wire beneath a metal gauze which will detect nuclear radiation. When a radioactive source is brought near the gauze, the air between it and the wire below becomes ionised making it more conductive and therefore sparks find it easier to jump the gap.

What is the purpose of a spark chamber?

Spark chamber. A spark chamber is a particle detector: a device used in particle physics for detecting electrically charged particles. They were most widely used as research tools from the 1930s to the 1960s and have since been superseded by other technologies such as drift chambers and silicon detectors.

How is a cosmic ray detected in a spark chamber?

The spark chamber proper is a stack of 24 plates sandwiched between two plastic scintillation detectors. When a cosmic ray penetrates both scintillators, a fast coincidence signal is produced to indicate that a particle has passed through the apparatus (in a time window of less than a couple of nanoseconds).

What kind of gas is in a spark chamber?

Spark chambers consist of a stack of metal plates placed in a sealed box filled with a gas such as helium, neon or a mixture of the two. When a charged particle from a cosmic ray travels through the box, it ionises the gas between the plates. Ordinarily this ionisation would remain invisible.

How is a streamer chamber different from a spark chamber?

A streamer chamber, in contrast, typically has only two plates, at least one of which is transparent (e.g. wire mesh or a conductive glass). Particles come in roughly parallel to the plane of these plates. A much shorter high-voltage pulse is used than with a spark chamber, so there is insufficient time for sparks to form.