Showing posts with label cloud chamber. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cloud chamber. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Trying to visualize beta particles in supercritical CO2 (still no success)
In an earlier video, I tried to visualize alpha particles in supercritical CO2, similar to an isopropanol vapor cloud chamber. Someone commented that the alpha particles will not travel very far (maybe 10 microns) in liquid or supercritical CO2, and recommended that I try beta particles, which should have a path length of almost 10mm. Unfortunately, I still don't see any bubble or droplet trails using strontium-90 and thallium-204 sources. It's possible that the ionizing effect of the radiation particles does not interact with the CO2 phase change as it does by condensing droplets in a cloud chamber. Also, cloud chambers are very finicky, and if this CO2 visualization method is as finicky or worse, it may take some more time to figure out the right combination of environmental variables.
Labels:
beta,
beta particles,
beta radiation,
cloud chamber,
co2,
supercritical,
supercritical co2
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Supercritical CO2 does not help visualize ionizing radiation
I tried to build a cloud chamber with supercritical CO2, thinking that ionizing radiation (alpha particles) would cause localized condensation of the CO2 at the point where the fluid is coming out of the supercritical state. It didn't work, unfortunately. I tested this idea with the americium-241 source from a smoke detector. I will continue experimenting with CO2 ionization chambers, and it might be possible to visualize the particles with superheated liquid CO2.
A helpful commenter pointed out that alpha particles will not travel very far in a fluid as dense as liquid CO2, so I will try again with a beta emitter.
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