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Plutonium in cloud chamber.
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Previously:
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...059#post203180
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...923#post171576
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...314#post208233
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...718#post209758
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...896#post179397
I am not sure what I am looking at here. Is that some liquid with something bubbling up through it? I realize this is a "don't try this at home" kind of thing, but I am curious what is actually happening.
I had to do some more exploring. Apparently you CAN do this at home. Some of the comments in the linked article are interesting reading.
But I am still not sure exactly what it happening...
As I understand it, the cloud chamber is full of super saturated gas and ionizing particles passing though it cause condensation of that gas into the visible traces that you see. Then the trace disappears as the condensed vapor re-evaporates. Kind of like steam coming out of the kettle on the stove.
The different trace patterns are caused by different particles. The short ones are most likely alpha particles and some of the thin fast moving ones are most likely electrons.
That is about all I can remember from chemistry class 40 some odd years ago. I'm sure it is much more complicated than that.
More details on cloud chambers are here...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_chamber