Work

When onrushing particles collide and form showers of new particles, they offer a key to understanding the smallest components of matter. In 1968 Georges Charpak developed the multiwire proportional chamber, which represented a more effective way of detecting particles. The multiwire chamber contains many parallel metal wires surrounded by a gas. Between the chamber’s walls and the threads, an electrical charge is introduced. When particles enter, electrons in the gas are liberated in cascading fashion. Currents are generated in the wires and are registered and processed using computers.