Chapter 30.3, Problem 44SSC

To determine

To Explain: Bottom set of tracks curve less than the top pair of tracks.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

A Bubble chamber is a kind of radiation detector that makes use of a superheated liquid which boils to small vapor bubbles around charged particles which are passed through it.

The formation of electron-positron pair from electromagnetic energy is known as pair production. The radiant energy directly converts to matter. The energy of electromagnetic radiation must be at least twice the equivalent mass of an electron.

Individual gamma rays produce electrons and positrons simultaneously which curl away in opposite directions in the presence of magnetic field in the bubble chamber. In top part, energy of gamma ray is lost to electron which leaves long track and curl away towards left. In this process, the positron quickly vanishes by reconverting into photons by annihilating with another electron. Gamma rays do not leave any tracks as they are neutral by nature.