The blue-green algae, classed as primitive monerans, represent the lowest level of organization known to possess a higher plant type of photosynthesis. The role in photosynthesis of the phycocyanin in these organisms is particularly interesting from the point of view of ultrastructural biochemistry. It has been shown repeatedly that despite the primacy normally assigned to chlorophyll, the light absorbed by phycocyanin is used more efficiently for photosynthesis (equated with photosynthetic oxygen evolution). This property is all the more intriguing since Hill activity is very labile in these organisms; the loss being correlated with the release of phycocyanin. Then too, it has been observed that fluorescence at about 685 mμ, attributed to chlorophyll, is proportionately greater for wavelengths absorbed by phycocyanin. French and Young attributed the differential to inactive absorption by carotenoids in the "Soret" region of chlorophyll, but Duysens concluded that the magnitude of the difference observed by him was too great to be explained by screening. Duysens proposed the existence of two pools of chlorophyll of about equal size; one containing fluorescent, photosynthetically active chlorophyll in proximity to phycocyanin, the other nonfluorescent, photosynthetically inactive and remote from phycocyanin.

The vacuum system for the bubble chamber must evacuate rapidly a volume of approximately 500 cubic feet and eliminate the outgassing of a surface area of approximately 50,000 square inches. The backstreaming of oil from the diffusion pump must be kept to an absolute minimum to prevent oil films forming on the window. The vacuum system must also provide the protection against liquid nitrogen and hydrogen/leaks to prevent pressure buildup.