Institute of Physics: The Invisible Scanners

This Institute of Physics talk looks at a period in the history of particle physics when the output from particle colliders came in the form of thousands of bubble chamber photographs. It explores how these images were examined for patterns that might reveal evidence of new particles or unusual decays.

The talk highlights the role of the women who carried out this work, many of whom were not named in research papers and received little recognition despite being central to discovery. It also draws on material from an oral history project featuring women who worked as scanners at University College London, placing their contribution in a wider historical context.