How are cosmology and particle physics connected? Observing the motions of stars and galaxies can reveal the influence of as-yet-undiscovered particles, while studying fundamental particles in the lab can tell us about the birth and evolution of the cosmos.

The Magnet Detectives investigates the story of the assembly of the US-built magnets for the high-luminosity upgrade to the Large Hadron Collider. By doubling the number of protons inside the LHC and improving the beam dynamics, the upgrade will increase experimental datasets by a factor of 10.

A grant from the U.S. federal government has enabled a collaborative project between Fermilab and California-based RadiaBeam Technologies to design and build a conduction-cooled cryomodule. This cryomodule will make it possible for small businesses to take advantage of compact superconducting radiofrequency accelerators for their industrial needs.

The science world is mourning the loss of British theoretical physicist, Peter Higgs who passed away at the age of 94. He was the namesake of the boson that was discovered in 2012. The Higgs boson was a crucial to the theoretical edifice that physicists built known as the standard model of particles and fields.

CERN’s ProtoDUNE has entered a pivotal stage: the filling of one of its two particle detectors with liquid argon. The liquid argon will provide a clean environment for precise measurements in neutrino interactions and allow scientists to detect and study neutrino interactions.

The BREAD experiment has delivered its first results. The table top axion detection system showed how the concept of BREAD iss inexpensive and did not take up a lot of space. BREAD was developed by Fermilab and University of Chicago scientists and aims to study axions to answer the mystery of dark matter.

In December, the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel released its recommendations for the future of the field. Among the top priorities was research and development toward future accelerator technology, with a specific mention of the concept of building a muon collider in the U.S.

The ATLAS collaboration measured the W-boson width at the LHC for the first time. The W-boson width had previously been measured at CERN’s LEP collider and Fermilab’s Tevatron collider. This is the most precise measurement to date made by a single experiment, and—while a bit larger—it is consistent with the Standard-Model prediction to within 2.5 standard deviations.

As excavation work wraps up in South Dakota, site work at Fermilab’s Batavia campus is setting the stage for the next phase of the international DUNE collaboration.

Neutron stars are like huge natural dark matter detectors and might hold a key to helping us understand elusive dark matter. By observing a cold neutron star, physicists from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics, might have vital information about the interactions between dark and regular matter, shedding light on the nature of this elusive substance. Dr. Sandra Robles of Fermilab is part of the collaboration on this research.