Evolution of the condensation of methanol on the surface of a diffusion cloud chamber Cloudylabs 2026-09-22 | Evolution of the condensation of methanol on the surface of a diffusion cloud chamber
Ejection of 3 protons by a natural neutron. Cloudylabs 2024-01-14 | I made some test in a machine when I noticed a strange interaction on the camera. No magnetic field was present.I put some Thoron for the test. This indicate that the observed tracks are not alpha because they are very long. This is protons, and 2 tracks are easily observable from this event. But... if you pause at the beginning, there is another track, coming from the same origin. Unfortunately the origin is black, there is not enough vapor to reveal the interaction. Why ? because some seconds before, this location was also the origin of 2 big alpha track which consumed a huge amount of vapor. So for this particuliar event, the origin is not known. But we observe surely 3 protons tracks.What it could be : Probably a neutron which ejected 3 protons from a nucleus (Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen..). We don't see the recoiling nucleus, because it's path is only a few milimeter long and in the black area.Other explanation : Deviation of an incoming proton. This event is unlikely due to the direction of delta ray (electrons ejected during the path of the protons). And we don't observe a substantial energy loss after the interaction (the density of tracks are the same). And the direction of the third particle (the ghost one) don't fit with this explanation. More information about the physics here :https://www.cloudylabs.fr/wp/decays-of-particles/
Cordierite and a linear filter Cloudylabs 2023-09-24 | Polychroisme of cordierite with a polarizing filter
Thorite in the V3 Cloud Chamber [720p] Cloudylabs 2023-09-24 | Aspect des particules nucléaire dans la machine à air construite d'après le guide.http://www.cloudylabs.fr/wp/air/Ici, il s'agit de particules alpha provenant de la désintégration du gas thoron Rn 220, émanant de minéraux de thorite placés dans la capsule.Pour éviter les réflexions lumineuses, il faut mettre un filet d'alcool sur la surface avant le démarrage (ce qui n'a pas été fait dans cette vidéo).View of the nuclear particle in the V3 aircooled thermoelectric cloud chamber. It's some alpha particles coming from the decay of the gas Rn220 which come from thorite mineral placed in the white box. Put some alcohol on the interaction surface before turning on the experience to avoid the light reflection (no alcohol was put in this video).
Disintegration of muon into an electron Cloudylabs 2023-09-24 | Disintegration of muon into an electron with a magnetic field
Elastic scattering of proton in a cloud chamber Cloudylabs 2023-09-24 | Elastic scattering of proton-proton in a cloud chamber
Muon decay in a cloud chamber Cloudylabs 2023-09-05 | I guess that this is the desintegration of a muon into an electron (much likely a positon because the decay of negative muon is more complicated ). This video comes from youtube.com/watch?v=VAnoElsgdKQ at 24:44 seconds.At A, the muon is coming up to down and reach the point B where it encounter a nucleus (electrostatic collision) which deflect it a bit to the point C. The path B to C is erratic, this not a straight line like A to B, because during the collision, the muon lose a lot of its kinetic energy. It come at rest at C where it decay into an electron and a neutrino. But due to the large rest mass of the muon (105 MeV/c²), a lot of energy is shared between this last 2 particles. After the decay of the muon, the electron can get from 0 to 70 MeV of kinetic energy, but on average, it's 35 MeV and the rest for the neutrino. What are we observing ? this is indeed the case. The track C-D is an electron with a very big energy as it's a straight line, showing no disturbance (deflection). At 35 MeV, the range in air is about 100 meters. How are we sure it can be the disintegration of muon, and not the backscattering of a particle coming from D to C with a collision at C ? because after this process, it's very unlikely that the line B - A would be straight. It should be erratic, with a lot of deflection due to Coulomb interaction as the particle have literaly no kinetic energy left. So the initial particle, is coming from A.How can we prove that ? with historic pictures. Take a look at :https://www.cloudylabs.fr/wp/interactions-of-muons/#muondecayand see how the electron is emmited like a straight line in the end of the muon track.I'm happy about this.
Natural radiation in a cloud chamber Cloudylabs 2023-09-04 | 1h30 of natural radiation recorded in the 2023 cloud chamber. The dimension of screen is 20 cm (up-down). Altitude of recording : 260 m near Dijon, France. There is no magnetic field. I will add some timeline linking to interesting event. I looked only at the first 17 minutes, not many proton but a probable and rare triplet creation at 10:45.Muon decay at 24:44 and youtube.com/watch?v=Z8R93e-l--M for explanation00:17 Pair creation (middle of screen)00:28 At right, ejection of an electron from an energetic incoming one.00:32 At top left, a proton ejecting an electron00:42 Far right top, a proton (top) ejecting 2 electrons00:45 Bottom left, near middle. An electron is moving upward then encounter a nucleus and undergo a huge deflection (electrostatic collision). The electron lose a great energy by Bremsstrahlung during the collision and goes not too far after that. That we call a "kink".00:53 Ejection of an electron from an energetic incoming one.00:59 Alpha particle (natural radon Rn 222) ejecting an electron at the end of its path.01:09 beautiful kink example01:24 pair creation in middle of screen01:30 nice path of electron, with a kink in the near end01:50 In top, a particle of high energy, maybe a muon which undergo no deflection ? it's difficult to observe muon without a magnetic field to discriminate them from high energy electrons.04:14 at right top, a violent kink, nice example of back scattering.6:10 path of an electron7:27 middle, an electron "fish" doing a double kink9:21 middle right, multiple electron ejection from a pair creation ?9:37 top right, begginning of an electromagnetic shower but not wonderful.10:44 A discrete proton, not great not terrible.10:45 a triplet creation a very rare electromagnetic process (same as pair creation, but this one occurs in the field of an electron). At 3 MeV in air the triplet effect is 100x time less probable than pair creation, but if the gamma is about 10 MeV, it's only 10x less probable. I rarely observed this event, possible it's the first with a good quality.11:35 Tiny electromagnetic shower11:38 large energy pair creation12:36 at right another dramatic kink, but more fleeting14:39 a kink 14:55 If you look closely, there is 2 energetic particle going straight up and down maybe protons coming from a far event outside the cloud chamber, maybe from the wall of the room.16:49 2 pair creation separated 1 seconds appart (middle bottom and right)17:13 top left Electromagnetic shower "not great"If you see something useful you can indicate the timeline.
Operating the 2023 cloud chamber Cloudylabs 2023-09-03 | This is my last cloud chamber for an institute of research near Strasbourg. The video explain how to start the chamber and how to stop it.Some interesting observation are in this video for example :19:35 A lonely energetic proton24:24 A nucleus may have exploded from the impact of a likely neutron. The remnants after collision may be alpha particle, heavy charged nucleus (like the fat tiny track going to right) proton, deuteron.24:29 A proton24:44 Maybe the same event that 24:24 involving only protons (one of high energy going upward)Thanks for watching !www.cloudylabs.fr
Radioactive sources in a cloud chamber Cloudylabs 2022-08-21 | Uraninite, Strontium 90 and curving of electrons with a magnetic field, Radium 226 and some natural radiations.At 00:23, there is a straight proton, right after the source.I put some random music and I have to add the copyright there :It Came Upon a Midnight Clear de Kevin MacLeod fait l'objet d'une licence Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Source : http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100191Artiste : http://incompetech.com――――Oxygen Garden de Chris Zabriskie fait l'objet d'une licence Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Source : http://chriszabriskie.com/dividerArtiste : http://chriszabriskie.com
Cloudylabs cloud chamber 2022 Cloudylabs 2022-08-18 | A video showing the first 15 min of set-up of the new cloud chamber. It can display particles in less than 7 minutes and can work with no assistance during 2 hours. It recquire only methanol and eletricity to observe the particles. I think I have reached the end of my research as the quality of the particles can't be increased (in terms of sharpness and reactivity). It was a very long process (nearly 9 years) to masterize all the parameters to get the perfect equilibrium with a compressor cooled machine. This is by far the most complicated experience I had to stabilize since my beggining in the field early 2010. Thanks for watching and your interest during these years =) , Cloudylabs.fr
Compressor cooled cloud chamber running 7 hours Cloudylabs 2021-06-17 | Running of the Cloudylabs cloud chamber during 7 hours in a cold outside environment (13°C) with few experiments. This video was recorded at the beginning of this year.Set-up : 0 to 7 minAfter 1 hour : 11:52Magnetic field 12:04After 2 hours : 13:53Strontium 90 source 14:37At 16:06, sorry I just hide the positon with the static image...Thoron (Radon 220) : 17:50Proton 20:59X, Gamma-Rays : 21:21Refill of alcohol after 5 hours : 23:51This is a prototype made in April 2020. I traveled this machine all over France to perform stress test. I have to make some improvements, but I guess It's not too far from the final state. The infrared lamp should be used even if the outside temperature is warm because it help to stabilize the equilibrium. Check cloudylabs.fr for more informations about the physic of nuclear particles or to contact me if you want to acquire one of this machine. Thanks for your interest !
Prototype of a automatic gas cooled cloud chamber Cloudylabs 2017-10-29 | Please note that this is a prototype and not a final version.This is a compressor cooled (like a fridge) cloud chamber.Visible area is 32x18 cm. It can works for hours without any assistance. There is a magnetic field under the surface which deflect the light particles. You can see that when an electron makes a spiral.www.cloudylabs.frAfter 8 h run: youtube.com/watch?v=wHyeQYC2z8I
Cloudylabs cloud chamber working approx 50 min [720p] Cloudylabs 2014-01-03 | A sealed glass container contains liquid alcohol at the top. Emanating alcohol vapors fill the whole volume of the container until they reach the bottom of the chamber maintained to a very cold temperature (-40°C). Most of the vapour condenses on the glass surface creating a mist, but a small fraction of it stays in vapour form above the cold condenser. This creates a layer of unstable sursaturated vapour which can condense at any moment. When a charged particle crosses this vapor, it can knock electrons off the molecules forming ions. It causes the unstable alcohol vapor to condense around ions left behind by the travelling ionizing particle : the path of the particle in the matter is then revealed by a track composed of thousands droplets of alcohol.Any charged particle is visible in a cloud chamber. The most common ones are alphas, electrons, positons, protons, nuclear charged fragment, muons (...). Theses particles come from natural cosmic and telluric background radiations or from close radioactive sources. They will all leave tracks of different shapes in the chamber, based on their charge, mass and speed. Electrons are the lightest particles and will be easily deflected by magnetic fields. Alphas and protons are much heavier and slower and will thus ionize more, causing denser track of droplets. Interactions of neutral particles like gamma rays or neutrons can be seen thanks to the charged particles they create in matter. See you at cloudylabs.fr for more experiments !This video shows the Cloudylabs's cloud chamber running for approx. 50 min with an Uranium mineral. After 40 min, there is not enough alcohol to make newer trails. With time, the alcohol condense on the mineral. The small thickness of liquid alcohol on the mineral is enough to absorb a part of the energy of the alpha particles (their ranges in air for 5 MeV is 3-4 cm, but in water, it's 15 micrometer), so with time, the trails are shorter than in beginning. It's preferable to make such experience during 10 minutes to have longer alpha track.Video with other radioactives sources (radium, americium, radon, tritium...) :youtube.com/watch?v=XGNvAEtYZkw
Chambre à Brouillard Thermoélectrique [1080p] Cloudylabs 2014-01-03 | English Version : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGNvAEtYZkwDémonstration de la chambre à brouillard "Cloudylabs". Refroidie à eau et à base de 8 modules thermoélectrique, elle permet de voir les particules nucléaire d'une source ou du rayonnement naturel en 1 minute. Cette vidéo montre comment démarrer la machine et les expériences réalisable. Pendant toute la vidéo, un champ magnétique est présent dans la chambre (l'aimant se situe dans la machine, sous la surface sensible). Le champ permet de dévier les particules légères suivant leurs charges ce qui permet de les identifier (électron ou positon).Je précise qu'il s'agit d'un détecteur : l'expérience ne crée pas la radioactivité, elle ne fait que "dévoiler" ce qui existe déjà !Plus d'informations sur le site http://www.cloudylabs.fr
Comparison between a Cloud Chamber at Sea Level and in Altitude Cloudylabs 2014-01-03 | The video shows the difference in cosmic radiation intensity at ground level at Paris, Palais de La Découverte and in altitude at 2777 m, Pic du Midi in a Phywe PJ45 cloud chamber. Dimension of the surface of the machine is 45x45 cm. There is roughly the same quantity of electronic component (the thin erratic trails made of positons and electrons) because the intensity of gamma ray at 3000 m and in sea level has the same order of magnitude (0.01 cm-2.s-1.sr-1 for E above 30MeV). The electrons and positons are produced by photoelectric effect, Compton effect or pair creation by the interaction gamma ray in matter. The wall of the cloud chamber (total 1 cm of glass) is matter where production of electronic particle can occur.There is a difference about the hadronic component (proton and neutron). There is about 10x time more proton in 3000 m than in sea level (and neutron too) so we can see many more proton interaction in the Pic du Midi 's cloud chamber than the one in Paris. Proton leave thick straight trails and when a proton (or a neutron) hit a nucleus in the matter of the cloud chamber, it can produce other protons (spallation reaction). See the other video about observation of cosmic ray in altitude. The website http://www.cloudylabs.fr will give more explanations about the nuclear events observed.
Compilation of Impressive Cosmic Ray Interactions in a Cloud Chamber (Altitude : 2877 m) [1080p] Cloudylabs 2014-01-03 | The video show a compilation of protons interactions, electromagnetic shower and cosmic ray spallation in a Phywe PJ45 cloud chamber at 2877 m. The sequences come from 8 hours of recording with a HD camera. Dimension of the surface of the machine is 45x45 cm. There is no magnetic field in the chamber;The cloud chamber was temporarily put in the Pic du Midi (French Observatory in the Pyrenees) in 2012 for the 100th anniversary of the discovery of cosmic ray.As this altitude, there is about 10 times more neutron and proton than in sea level. Theses particles can interact with the matter and break some nucleus which release other protons and neutrons, alpha particles or deuteron. The density of ionisation in a trail is proportionnal to z²/v² where z is the charge of the particle and v it's velocity. Thus, a proton with a low kinetic energy will make more ionization so the trail will be bigger than the trail of a high energy proton. A 5 MeV (0.1c) proton have a range of 34 cm in air, a 10 MeV one, 1.1 m.The range of an alpha particle of 10 MeV in air is 10.4 cm. Their is also higly energetic gamma ray (or energetic incoming electrons !), which can make electromagnetic shower (electrons and positon) in the matter (wall of the room, or wall of the machine which is made with 1 cm of glass). Single e+/e- comes from muon or Pi0 decay, or from the 3 interactions process of gamma in matter (photoelectric, compton and pair creation). See the website http://www.cloudylabs.fr for more pictures and annotations about theses nuclear events. Feel free to give your thought about any interactions of the video.
Tritium vial in the cloud chamber [1080p] Cloudylabs 2013-12-30 | Séquence de l'ampoule de Tritium utilisée dans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1vA7yU9yS0
Thoron (Rn220) in the cloud chamber [1080p] Cloudylabs 2013-12-30 | Séquence du gaz thoron utilisée dans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1vA7yU9yS0
Thorium rod in the cloud chamber [1080p] Cloudylabs 2013-12-30 | Séquence de la tige à souder de thorium utilisée dans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1vA7yU9yS0
Thorite in the cloud chamber [1080p] Cloudylabs 2013-12-30 | Séquence du minéral thorite utilisée dans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1vA7yU9yS0
Radium hands in cloud chamber [1080p] Cloudylabs 2013-12-30 | Séquence de l'aiguille de montre en radium utilisée dans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1vA7yU9yS0
Uranium Oxyde (glass bead) in the cloud chamber [1080p] Cloudylabs 2013-12-30 | Séquence de l'oxyde d'uranium utilisée dans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1vA7yU9yS0
Fiestaware (U238) in the Cloud chamber [1080p] Cloudylabs 2013-12-30 | Séquence du morceau de Fiestaware utilisée dans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1vA7yU9yS0
Am241 in the Cloud chamber [1080p] Cloudylabs 2013-12-30 | Séquence Américium 241 utilisée dans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1vA7yU9yS0
11 min of Cosmic Ray in a Cloud Chamber (altitude 2877 m) [1080p] Cloudylabs 2013-12-25 | A Phywe PJ45 cloud chamber was temporarily put in the Pic du Midi (French observatory in the Pyrenees) in 2012 for the 100th anniversary of the discovery of cosmic ray.The video show a complete recording of 11 minutes, taken with my HD camera and a polarizing filter. As expected at this altitude, we see many more protons than in sea level (about 10 times more). They come from spallation of cosmic particles (p,n) in the wall of the chamber, or from the nuclei (oxygen, nitrogen...) inside the chamber. Dimension of the surface of the machine is 45x45 cm.See the website http://www.cloudylabs.fr for more pictures and commentary about theses nuclear events.
Thermoelectric Cloud Chamber [1080p] Cloudylabs 2013-12-24 | Demonstration of the "Cloudylabs" cloud chamber with some low activity radioactive sources. It works with 8 thermoelectric modules with a closed loop liquid cooler, so it can display the first particles within 1 min.A magnet is put inside the machine, under the interaction surface, so during the whole video, a magnetic field is present and deflect the lightly charged particles (electrons).More infos on http://www.cloudylabs.fr/
annihiliation in cloud chamber Cloudylabs 2013-09-26 | Annihilation of a gamma ray in an aircooled cloud chamber
