Non-electronic detectors

Abstract

This chapter presents the non-electronic detector types cloud chamber, bubble chamber and photoemulsions with which the trajectories of ionizing particles can be made visible. Of these ‘classical’ detectors cloud and bubble chambers have today no or at most only minor relevance in research because of their relatively cumbersome data acquisition. However, photoemulsions–despite their laborious data analysis–are still employed in modern experiments when it comes to achieving position resolutions in the micrometer regime. Therefore deployment and analysis of photoemulsions are described in some more detail. Cloud chambers are today only used for demonstration purposes to make radioactivity and cosmic radiation visible. Bubble chamber pictures are frequently drawn on to display reaction chains and event topologies.