A device for detecting ionizing radiation. It consists of a chamber containing a liquid, often hydrogen, kept at slightly above its boiling point at a preliminary pressure that is high enough to prevent boiling. Immediately before the passage of the ionizing particles the pressure is reduced, and the particles then act as centres for the formation of bubbles, which can be photographed to obtain a record of the particles’ tracks. The device was invented in 1952 by the US physicist Donald Arthur Glaser. Compare cloud chamber.