Cloud chamber with thoriated (thorium) welding rods, peltier cooled. Video 2

A short video of a quick and dirty cloud chamber that lets you 'see' radiation emitted from a few thoriated welding rods with 2% thorium content. A sponge soaked in isopropanol (~100%) is suspended in the top of a clear acrylic chamber, which sits on top of a graphics card water cooling block chilled with glycol-water (antifreeze) mix at about -15 degrees Celsius. A 45 watt peltier (thermoelectric cooler) sits on top of the block and takes the temperature down even further: to below -33 degrees C.

The supersaturated and supercooled alcohol vapor forms cloud trails as some of the decay particles act as nucleation sites.

Видео Cloud chamber with thoriated (thorium) welding rods, peltier cooled. Video 2 канала nucleochemist