Donald Glaser
Donald Glaser (1926–2013) was an American physicist and neurobiologist who invented the bubble chamber and received the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Bubble chamber: A particle detector that records charged particles as tracks of bubbles in a superheated liquid. Glaser invented this detector, which earned him the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Nobel Prize in Physics: An annual international award recognizing major contributions to physics. Glaser received the 1960 prize for inventing the bubble chamber.
University of Michigan: A public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Glaser joined its physics faculty in 1957, after developing the bubble chamber at the University of California, Berkeley.
Particle detector: An instrument that detects, measures, or records properties of subatomic particles. The bubble chamber is a detector whose visible tracks enabled detailed studies of particle interactions.
Nobel Prize: A set of international awards established by Alfred Nobel for achievements in several fields. Glaser’s physics award made the bubble chamber’s impact visible beyond particle physics.
Superheating: A liquid’s state above its boiling point without boiling, maintained until a disturbance triggers vaporization. A charged particle’s passage can trigger bubbles in Glaser’s superheated liquid detector.
CERN: The European Organization for Nuclear Research, an international laboratory for particle physics near Geneva. CERN became a major site for large bubble chambers built on Glaser’s invention.
University of California, Berkeley: A public research university in Berkeley, California. Glaser studied and worked there during the period when he invented the bubble chamber.
Bubble chamber photography: Photographic recording of bubble trails produced by charged particles inside a bubble chamber. Photographs preserved Glaser’s detector events for measurement and analysis.
Experimental physics: The branch of physics that investigates nature through observation, measurement, and controlled experiments. Glaser’s invention changed how experimental physicists captured evidence of particle interactions.