Free talks,
demonstrations and detectors available to schools
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Funded by Public Understanding of Science Small Awards, PPARC, Swindon, UK.
The aim of this project is to provide cosmic ray detectors free of cost to schools.
Cosmic rays are fast-moving atomic nuclei that
bombard the earth from outer space.
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Cosmic ray research commenced in 1910 with several interesting discoveries. 1910: Wulf carried his home-made electroscope to the top of the Eiffel Tower and observed that the rate of change of discharge was not as slow as expected. (It had been assumed that the radiation was emitted by the Earth and would therefore decrease at height). 1912: Victor Hess and two assistants flew in a balloon to an altitude of 16,000 ft and discovered evidence of a very penetrating radiation (cosmic rays) coming from outside our atmosphere. 1932: Robert Millikan carried out a series of tests on the intensity of cosmic rays at various altitudes in a Condor bomber plane. 1935: Explorer II, rubberized helium balloon ascended to 22,066 ft collecting cosmic ray data. 1940: A Beechcraft AD-17 biplane flown at 21,050 ft took cosmic rays data. |
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1950:
A US Naval Research Lab Viking research rocket was fired to collect
cosmic ray data.
1952-57: The "Rockoon" balloon-launched rocket carried out high latitude and high altitude cosmic ray research. 1959: Explorer VII was launched into an Earth orbit revealing information about cosmic rays near Earth. 1969: Apollo II astronauts deployed a cosmic ray experiment. 1972: Apollo 17 carried a lunar surface cosmic ray experiment. 1975: The Geostationary Orbiting Environmental Satellite was launched. 1975 - Present Day: Nearly every space craft launched carries cosmic ray experiments. The 2002 Nobel Prize was awarded in part for research into cosmic rays. |
If you would like to obtain a cosmic ray detector for your school please contact phys-pp-outreach@bristol.ac.uk.
To invite a speaker to give a talk at your school or college:
Speakers from the Physics Department at the University of Bristol are able to visit schools and colleges and give a variety of talks. Follow the link to see what talks are available, the intended age of the audience and the parts of the physics syllabus they address.
references to past papers on the project: (abstracts into what they achieved)
2006:
Simon De Mello: "This project continued investigation into the suitability of a resistive plate chamber, for use as particle detector in secondary schools. Existing designs and methods were used and modified; in particular electrodes were investigated, which could be made reliably without heating required, and a working prototype was built, which operated using a freon less gas mixture. Research into different gas mixtures gave an efficiency of 47%, achieved with a gas mixture 45% butane and 55% argon. The cost of the materials for the resistive plate chamber and housing were £64.50, and it is thought that a unit could be built and driven for under £100." (link to PDF)
John Collins: "This work is focused on the prototyping of a resistive plate chamber that could be used for this purpose, taking into account the particular constraints of safety and cost imposed by the schools market. We produced a working prototype glass chamber RPC with a 2mm gas gap and resistive electrodes, made from static dissipative spray (with a resistivity of 3×10^6 Ohms/square), that could be run on a safe, Freon less gas mix containing only butane and argon. We found its maximum efficiency to be with a mix of 43% butane and 57% argon at a supply voltage of approximately 8300V. The cost of a usable unit to schools is estimated to be between £100 and £200." ( Link to PDF )
2005:
Matthieu Saubanire: "A position-sensitive detector for cosmic ray muons was constructed from 20 litres of scintillating oil and three 5-inch photomultiplier tubes"
Warren
Taylor:
"The RPC illustrated in this report requires lots of further
development before it
can be considered for use in schools. However, this project lays down
the basic groundwork that will assist further projects in the endeavor to build an
affordable Resistive Plate Chamber for schools. It has been shown that an inexpensive
prototype RPC can be built and tested using this projects designs, equipment and
experimental set-up. The estimated cost for such a RPC is under £100 taking
into account materials, counting gas, power supply and readout electronics." (link to PDF)
Brendan Arnold: "This project continues ongoing work done at Bristol University researching an affordable, safe particle detector to be used as experimental apparatus in `A Level' education. In particular we investigated Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs). Much work was done on the resistive electrode coatings including studies of long-term drying and application to oat glass. We built a working prototype although further refining needs to be done due to low signal to noise ratios of around 9:5dB. We estimate the cost of a very basic RPC detector could be driven as low as $75 per unit." (link to PDF)
2004:Sam Townrow: "The initial aim of the project had been to develop at least one cosmic ray detector which would be suitable for use in education. By the end of the project, two detectors had been made, and each had been shown to be suitable for educational use. The scintillation system gave information about the charge spectrum produced by cosmic rays as they passed through the demijohn, and the cloud chambers displayed strange and interesting phenomena which could be used as a starting point for studying cosmic rays at school. In their present state, neither detector has been developed to the stage where it would be worth mass producing them, although the cloud chamber was close. If this project is continued at a later time, it should be able to examine some of the finer points of these systems, which were not a priority for this investigation." (link to PDF)
Jessica Miles: "Two alternative detectors were developed to meet the requirements for a possible affordable detector for educational institutes. Further work was done in developing a scintillating detector for the detection of cosmic ray muons, using a photomultiplier tube and other available equipment. A new photomultiplier was used as a cheaper alternative to previous tests. The equipment was calibrated and was in agreement with a Monte Carlo computer simulation. A cloud chamber was built as a visual particle detector. Tests were carried out to determine its efficiency in detecting cosmic ray muons and to asses its versatility in detecting other particles from a radioactive source. An estimate of the cost of this detector is £200, compared to the existing model of £390."(link to PDF)
2003:
Ben Motz: "A progressive series of experiments examining the components needed to construct a simple muon detector, suitable for the detection of cosmic ray showers, and affordable and educational institution. A scintillation detector is assembled using photomultiplier tubed tubes and available equipment, calibrated, and the passage of cosmic ray muons is observed. Basic experimental geometries for light collection are compared, as are the properties of several scintillators. Muons are observed, and their approximate interactions and flux are found to be as expected."
Liz Ainsbury: "Today a large fraction of professional astrophysics research deals with high energy and particle physics. In schools astrophysics teaching is often supplemented with the use optical or radio telescopes to demonstrate observational techniques, but many schools find cost and inhibiting factor in demonstrating high-energy particle physics. The purpose of this investigation is to explore the possibility of designing and constructing a cosmic ray detection device, which could be used to assist in teaching pre-degree level students in schools. Our aim in carrying out this project is to work towards producing an affordable, and relatively simple, particle detector that will bring the exiting area of particle physics into the classroom."
For further information please email phys-pp-support@bristol.ac.uk.
