When you see the paths these muons make, think about this: These subatomic particles rocket down to Earth at 98 percent the speed of light. And those droplets then trace the path the cosmic rays made through the chamber. The charge in the air attracts the alcohol vapor, and it condenses into droplets. When the muons zip through the alcohol cloud, they ionize (charge) the air they pass through. Like electrons, muons carry a negative charge. Every square centimeter of Earth at sea level, including the space at the top of your head, gets hit by one muon every minute. Muons are like electrons, but a bit heavier. In this chamber, you can see the cosmic rays, particularly those from a particle called a muon. You soak the felt in the alcohol, and the dry ice (which is super-cold solid carbon dioxide) cools down the alcohol vapor, which is streaming down from the felt. It’s possible to see this in action by building what’s called a cloud chamber out of a glass jar, felt, dry ice, and isopropyl alcohol (i.e. Some of this atomic shrapnel even hits the ground. ![]() ![]() The particles from that explosion then keep bursting apart other bits of matter, in a snowballing chain reaction. When the particles in cosmic rays collide with the atoms in at the top of the atmosphere, they burst, tearing apart atoms in a violent collision.
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