Cambridge Physics - The Cloud Chamber

Clouds form on dust
Clouds in nature
Expanding and cooling
Wilson's experiments
Clouds without dust!
Invisible nuclei
X-rays produce nuclei
Clouds of charged nuclei
Particle track photographs
The Cloud Chamber
Cloud Chamber design
Alpha and Beta tracks
Gamma rays and X-rays

Charles Thomson Rees Wilson wanted to study the weather in his laboratory, but in creating the Cloud Chamber he allowed the paths of charged particles to be seen for the first time.

Enter this section to see how the Cloud Chamber unveiled the secrets of particle physics.