The Hunt for the Missing Universe
Anderson couldn’t explain what he was seeing. Most of the particles obeyed the laws of physics, flowing as predicted. But, scattered in the results, a handful moved in the wrong direction. Perhaps there was a mistake in his apparatus, or perhaps something strange was happening as they crashed through a sheet of lead placed to slow them down. But if not, if the results were correct, then Anderson might have found something unbelievable.
A few years earlier, an Austrian physicist, Victor Hess, had discovered fast-moving particles raining down on the Earth. These particles seemed to come from deep space, far beyond the realm of the Solar System. The discovery was fascinating, and drew the attention of the Nobel laureate Robert Millikan. For years he investigated the mysterious visitors, naming them cosmic rays, and entered into a fierce public debate about their origins.
As the leading scientist at Caltech, Millikan could draw upon large resources to support his research. He formed a team of researchers to assist him, and in 1930 he had hired Carl Anderson to build him a cloud chamber. This device, essential for tracking tiny high-speed particles, is a large box or sphere filled with air just on the edge of forming a cloud or mist. As a particle zips through the box, it leaves a disturbance in the air. A mist forms around this disturbance, creating a visible…
