Wed, 3 Oct 2012 04:20:51 +0000
I found myself alone in a room, in front of a deep square or rectangular pool of impressively clear, still water. There was a pile of material at the bottom of the pool, and a blue glow of Cherenkov radiation in the water around it.
I remember this incident clearly, but I am at a loss to explain how it happened.
My father took me to an Open House at Brookhaven National Labs, sometime in the 60's or 70's. During the visit, we saw a student demonstrating a multiple-Tesla magnet by levitating a single strand of magnet wire. I think my father was engaged in a conversation with the student, and I got bored and wandered into another room. Perhaps I opened a door. I found myself alone in a room, in front of a deep square or rectangular pool of impressively clear, still water, 15 to 30 feet deep. There was a pile of material at the bottom of the pool, and a blue glow of Cherenkov radiation in the water around it. I left the room, and walked back to my father and the student, who seemed to be annoyed that I had gone there.
I am at a loss to explain how, even in the 60's or 70's, an unsupervised kid was able to walk into anyplace where one could see Cherenkov radiation with their own eyes, at such a short distance. I understand that water is a good radiation shield, and don't believe that I received any significant radiation exposure. This experience left me, for my lifetime, more sanguine than the average person regarding radiation hazards.
Can you explain where I was? Write to bruce at perens dot com.
