How does a time projection chamber work?

A time projection chamber is a particle detector that tracks the paths of charged particles.

Inside the chamber, a gas is contained in a high-voltage electric field. When a charged particle passes through the gas, it ionizes the gas atoms, creating a trail of electrons and ions. The electric field causes these charged particles to drift towards the end of the chamber, where they are detected by wire planes.

The wire planes are arranged in a grid pattern, with one plane being perpendicular to the others. As the charged particles pass through the wire planes, they cause a small electrical signal to be generated. By measuring the time it takes for the signal to reach each wire plane, the position of the particle can be determined in three dimensions.

The time projection chamber can also measure the energy of the particle by measuring the amount of ionization it creates as it passes through the gas. This information can be used to identify the type of particle that passed through the chamber.

Overall, the time projection chamber is a powerful tool for studying the properties of charged particles, and has been used in a wide range of experiments in particle physics.