Science Atlas

How We Know What We Know
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Scientist

C. T. R. Wilson

Also Known As Charles Thomson Rees Wilson
Physics

Scottish physicist who built the first working cloud chamber in 1911, showing that a charged particle leaves a visible trail of condensation droplets as it ionizes supersaturated water vapor along its path. He shared the 1927 Nobel Prize in Physics for the invention, which gave physicists their first direct view of subatomic particle tracks and led to the 1932 discovery of the positron.

Facts
Birth Year
1869 1
Field
Physics, cloud chamber and particle detection 1
C. T. R. Wilson
Filter Results1 entry
Connections

Invented

Built the first working cloud chamber in 1911, showing that a charged particle ionizes supersaturated water vapor along its path, and shared the 1927 Nobel Prize in Physics for it.

Source Cloud Chamber (Wikipedia)

Works In

Physics, Disciplines
Source C. T. R. Wilson (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. C. T. R. Wilson (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • Lead section
    Charles Thomson Rees Wilson (14 February 1869-15 November 1959) was a British meteorologist and physicist who shared the 1927 Nobel Prize in Physics with Arthur Compton for his invention of the cloud chamber.
  • Works In: Physics
View the Source
Cloud Chamber (Wikipedia)
WikipediaInvented: Cloud Chamber, Introduction sectionView the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.