PROPERTIES OF A SPARK CHAMBER

Journal Article · Mon May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1961 · Nuovo Cimento (Italy) Divided into Nuovo Cimento A and Nuovo Cimento B

OSTI ID:4033167

Beall, E F; Cork, B; Murphy, P G; Wenzel, W A

A spark chamber is constructed of seven aluminum plates, each 1/2 in. thick and separated by a 1/4-in. gap. This device permits the trajectory of a charged particle to be observed, by detecting the light produced by a spark discharge between the plates when a high-voltage pulse is applied to alternate plates. The efficiency of this chamber is measured for high-energy charged particles. When the chamber is fllled with 1 atm of neon or argon, the efficiency per gap is greater than 99%, lf a 1/4 mu s pulse of greater than 10 kv for neon or 15 kv for argon is applied to the plates within 1/3 mu s after the charged particle traverses the gap between the plates. Multiple tracks, such as those produced by a nuclear reaction in the plates can easily be photographed. The recovery time of the chamber after a spark discharge between the plates is approximately 10 ms. The sensitive time is of the order of 10 mu s unless a clearing field is applied to one set of the plates. With a clearing field of approximately 160 v/cm, the sensitive time is reduced to less than 1/2 mu s. When the chamber has 4- 10/sup 5/ particles incident on it in 0.1 s, three tracks per trigger are sometimes observed, in agreement with the measured sensitive time. The chamber also functions with a magnetic field of 13 kgauss parallel to the plates. The tracks are displaced by an amount propertional to the magnetic field. In addition, if a high clearing field, E, is applied and if a long time is allowed to elapse before the high-voltage pulse is applied, the sparks in alternate gaps are displaced in opposite directions by an amount proportional to E x B. Both the momentum and the time of traversal, relative to the time of applied voltage, can be determined in this manner. (auth)

• Research Organization: Univ. of California, Berkeley
• NSA Number: NSA-15-023705
• OSTI ID: 4033167
• Report Number(s): UCRL-9313; 0029-6341
• Journal Information: Nuovo Cimento (Italy) Divided into Nuovo Cimento A and Nuovo Cimento B, Journal Name: Nuovo Cimento (Italy) Divided into Nuovo Cimento A and Nuovo Cimento B Vol. Vol: (10), 20; ISSN NUCIA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ARGON
CHARGED PARTICLES
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ENERGY LEVELS
ENGINEERING AND EQUIPMENT
IONIZATION CHAMBERS
LIGHT
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MEASURED VALUES
MOMENTUM
NEON
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
PARTICLE TRACKS
PHOTOGRAPHY
PLATES
PULSES
SENSITIVITY
SPARK CHAMBERS
SPARKS
THICKNESS