A cloud chamber (CC) is used to detect tiny radiation particles. It was invented by Wilson and won him a Nobel Prize. The operating principle is simple: soak a chamber with alcohol and then seal it, and cool it down. The supercooled air shall enter a metastable state but the alcohol evaporation get ready to condense, which can be ignited by a small perturbation (nucleation centers). When a particle passes through this chamber, liquid drops shall track it and make it detectable.
This is a Video demonstrating how to make a simple cloud chamber:
http://education.jlab.org/frost/cloud_chamber.html
Note: a metastable state is a state that is stable but not robust against any perturbations.
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