After five months of repairing and retooling the Booster Neutrino Beamline (BNB), members of the Accelerator Division at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory successfully delivered beam to the BNB on June 22. The previous horn, BNB-2, was found to be inoperable in January when it was determined its cooling was no longer working adequately.
Month: June 2015
Used MRI magnets get a second chance at life in high energy physics experiments
Researchers at the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory recently acquired two decommissioned magnets from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners from hospitals in Minnesota and California that will find a new home as proving grounds for instruments used in high energy and nuclear physics experiments. The two new magnets have a strength of 4 Tesla, not as strong as the newest generation of MRI magnets but ideal for benchmarking experiments that test instruments for the g-2 muon experiment currently being assembled at the DOE’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
Physicist Peter Winter wins DOE Early Career Award
High energy physicist Peter Winter of the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has received a DOE Early Career Award, a prestigious five-year research grant totaling $2.5 million. The grant will help to fund Winter's contributions to the muon g-2 experiment currently being assembled at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia IL.
NASA issues request for information on Stirling power systems
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is seeking information on Stirling power systems and technologies that could be developed into a space-based power system that would provide between 100-500 Watts of electricity for future deep space missions. In partnership with the Department of Energy, a Request for Information (RFI) posted on June 3 seeks options for technologies that could lead to a generator, using radioisotope fuel, that would include one or more Stirling converters in an integrated system capable of providing reliable power for future planetary science spacecraft and, possibly, human exploration missions to Mars.
X-ray ptychography, fluorescence microscopy combo sheds new light on trace elements
Using the Advanced Photon Source, a US Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility at Argonne National Laboratory (CSA Corporate Sustaining Member), a team of researchers demonstrated unparalleled sensitivity for measuring the distribution of trace elements in thicker specimens at cryogenic temperatures, in this case at about -260°F. They used a new approach that combines ptychographic X-ray imaging and fluorescence microscopy to study the important role trace elements play in biological functions on hydrated cells.
Toward a resolution of the proton form factor problem
In the paper "Towards a Resolution of the Proton Form Factor Problem: New Electron and Positron Scattering Data" published in Physical Review Letters, D. Adikaram et al. report findings that may resolve a puzzle that has confounded physicists for the last decade: the baffling discrepancy between measurements of two different methods of determining the proton's electric form factor, which provides information on how quarks are distributed inside the protein. The team says that the differences in the measurements can be accounted for by the two-photon effect.
MIT team creates ultracold molecules
Experimental physicists at MIT have successfully cooled molecules in a gas of sodium potassium (NaK) to a temperature of 500 nanokelvins, inducing the strongest dipoles in ultracold molecules yet. Their findings, published in Physical Review Letters, support the possibility that molecules may start to exhibit exotic states of matter at temperatures of near absolute zero.
Winners of Bernd T. Matthias Prize for Superconducting Materials announced
Three scientists have been named as recipients of the 2015 Bernd T. Matthias Prize for Superconducting Materials, an international prize awarded for innovative contributions to the field. The prize will be formally presented during the 2015 International Conference on Materials and Mechanisms of Superconductivity in Switzerland this August.
Two CryoTel CT-Fs return to Earth on the Dragon X
NASA confirmed on May 21 that the Space X Dragon successfully splashed down at 12:42 EST in the Pacific. The spacecraft was returning from the International Space Station with two POLAR freezers incorporating a CryoTel CT-F cryocooler in each.
Fermilab named a Historic Site by the American Physical Society
The American Physical Society has recognized the US Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory as a Historic Site for its nearly five decades of contributions to high energy physics.
SC study’s reported successes and failures provide valuable data
In their paper "Exploration of new superconductors and functional materials, and fabrication of superconducting tapes and wires of iron pnictides" published in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, researchers report on four years of extensive research on around 1,000 materials, with detailed insights learned from the new superconducting materials discovered and their potential for wires and devices. A unique feature of this review is its incorporation of roughly 700 studied materials that did not show superconductivity.
LHC arrives at the next energy frontier
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is collecting data again for the first time in two years. After powering back on in April and seeing its first record-energy collisions in May, the LHC began colliding particles at a steady rate to provide data for research on June 3. During Run II, scientists will be searching for evidence of their predictions and for the completely unexpected.
GTI’s David Carroll assumes presidency of IGU
On June 5, David Carroll, Gas Technology Institute (GTI) president and CEO, assumed the additional role of president of the International Gas Union (IGU) for a three-year term at the closing ceremony of the World Gas Conference in Paris. With the growth of natural gas in the global energy landscape, the new IGU leadership intends to be at the forefront of addressing international priorities and driving innovations in the way energy is used around the world.
CSA Archive 