February 22, 1999

Back to the Beginning: The Time Projection Chamber
 
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STAR must be able to record a fleeting fusillade of thousands of subatomic particles.  These storms, arising from the expansion and cooling of a miniature big bang, can be recreated many times every second.  The Time Projection Chamber records these events, accumulating a vast haystack of particle data.  Scientists will sift through this haystack, intent upon detecting and discovering the form of matter that filled the universe shortly after its birth.