Fermilab feature

This month in Fermilab history: August

It was in August 1972 that Fermilab published its first experimental results.

It was in August 1972 that Fermilab published its first experimental results. What else happened in the waning summer days?

The three buildings in the foreground are part of the Antiproton Source.

Aug. 16, 1983: Antiproton Source groundbreaking
In 1981, the lab began work on the design for the Antiproton Source, a key part of the planned proton-antiproton collider aspect of the Tevatron. The lab broke ground on the Antiproton Source on Aug. 16, 1983. It would be completed in 1985, and the first antiprotons would circulate in the Tevatron on Oct. 12, 1985.

This is one of the earliest photos taken with the 30-inch bubble chamber. This image was captured on June 12, 1972.

Aug. 21, 1972: First published experimental results
E-141, the Study of pp Interactions in the 30-inch Hydrogen Bubble Chamber, was the first experiment at the lab to have its results published. The experimenters submitted their paper, titled “Charged Particle Multiplicity Distribution from 200 GeV pp Interactions,” to Physical Review Letters on July 18, 1972, and it appeared in print on August 21.

This event display depicts a CDF top quark event from Tevatron Run I.

Aug. 31, 1992: Tevatron Collider Run 1 begins
Tevatron Collider Run I, which began on Aug. 31, 1992, was the first Tevatron run with two collider detectors. It ended on Feb. 20, 1996.