LARGE VIEWING AREAS
Our diffusion cloud chambers have large viewing areas and are continuously sensitive, and provide an enthralling view of the subatomic world. 

The chamber creates a volume of supersaturated alcohol vapor that condenses on ions left in the wake of charged particles. This is accomplished by establishing a steep vertical temperature gradient with dry ice. Alcohol evaporates from the warm topside and diffuses toward the cold bottom. The gravitationally stable temperature distribution permits a layer of supersaturation near the chamber bottom. Tracks of alcohol droplets indicate trajectories of charged particles, since each ion becomes a nucleation site for droplet condensation. 

The supersaturated environment in our cloud chambers will allow the observation or the recording of a cosmic ray shower. In addition, US NRC license exempt radioactive sources (included with the chamber systems) can be used to produce Compton scattered electrons, low energy beta particles, photoelectrons, alpha particles and a Corona electrode. Fiducial marks are spaced ten centimeters apart, facilitating quantitative measurements. The informative instruction manual features background information about observations, and plots for more quantitative interpretation of what you and your students will see.

The Diffusion Cloud Chamber has a sensitive area of 25 by 25 centimeters. It features a removable glass top and an insulated leveling base and ports for sources and corona electrodes as well as an anti-fog compound. Seven kilograms of dry ice and 250 milliliters of ethanol will operate this display for about eight hours. Alpha (2% alloy of natural thorium), Beta (10 microcurie carbon-14) and Gamma (5 microcurie cesium-137) sources are included with each chamber.

A light source such as a slide projector or a 300-watt halogen light source is required.