Darryl Williams

Abstract:

Cloud chambers are used to visualize charged particles from radioactive decays or cosmic rays and are great for outreach events and classroom demos. Various designs of a “turnkey cloud chamber” have been created by Siena students over the course of the last nine years, inspired by online tutorials. This updated model of the turnkey cloud chamber contains Peltier thermocoolers to create the necessary temperature gradient instead of dry ice, as well as some components that replaced outdated parts that were required. We also designed new 3D-printed parts to hold everything together. At a very cost efficient price of $150 the cloud chamber has been remodeled to be smaller than previous designs and more portable than before, making it much easier to take to local schools or departmental labs. In this poster, we present the current version and discuss the improvements we have made.