Charles Wilson

Charles Thomson Rees Wilson (February 14, 1869-November 15, 1959) was a British experimental physicist and one of the winners of the 1927 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Wilson was born on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland. He graduated from Cambridge University in 1892 and stayed there to conduct experimental research. In 1896, he invented the Wilson Cloud Chamber. In a closed container, he injected pure ethanol or methanol vapor and lowered the temperature to make the vapor supersaturated state. At this time, if charged particles inject in, ions will be generated on the path. The supersaturated vapor will condense into small droplets with the ions as the core, thus showing the trajectory of the particles. In 1912, Wilson improved the cloud room and added photographic equipment.

The invention of Wilson's cloud chamber greatly promoted the development of particle physics. Various charged particles were discovered in cloud chambers. For this achievement, Wilson was awarded the 1927 Nobel Prize in Physics.

In 1959, Wilson passed away in Scotland.