An array of virtual events brought Fermilab physics to more than 12,000 participants in 35 countries. The 2022 Fermilab Family Open House included tours, talks, demos, classroom visits and more.
Lauren Biron
Lauren Biron is a science writer at Berkeley Lab and former senior writer in the Fermilab Office of Communication.
Accelerator experts at three national labs have advanced the next generation of cryomodules, the building blocks of particle accelerators. A prototype built for the high-energy upgrade of SLAC’s LCLS-II X-ray laser has advanced the state of the art, packing more acceleration into a smaller distance, and could dramatically improve future accelerators.
Scientists on the Dark Energy Survey have used observations of the smallest known galaxies to better understand dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up 85% of the matter in the universe. The smallest galaxies can contain hundreds to thousands of times more dark matter than normal visible matter, making them ideal laboratories for studying this mysterious substance. By performing a rigorous census of small galaxies surrounding our Milky Way, scientists on the Dark Energy Survey have been able to constrain the fundamental particle physics that governs dark matter.
On July 22, the Department of Energy’s Under Secretary for Science joined partners and Fermilab leadership for the groundbreaking of the PIP-II cryoplant building and the site dedication for the Integrated Engineering Research Center.
Fans of Fermilab know that our scientists are experts in the weird realm of quantum physics. In recent years, they’ve been harnessing the strange properties of the quantum world to develop game-changing technologies in quantum computing, quantum sensors and quantum communication. Learn more about the burgeoning area of quantum information science and how Fermilab is advancing this exciting field.
A dash of virtual reality helps replicate the serendipitous interactions of an in-person conference when participants are scattered across the globe.
Construction workers have carried out the first underground blasting for the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility, which will provide the space, infrastructure and particle beam for the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. This prep work paves the way for removing more than 800,000 tons of rock to make space for the gigantic DUNE detector a mile underground.
More than a dozen Fermilab volunteers have helped design, test and finalize the Mechanical Ventilator Milano, a low-cost ventilator to help in the midst of device shortages caused by COVID-19.
Browse Fermilab’s many online resources to dive into the wonderful world of particle physics.
Missing March Madness? Let Fermilab fill a small part of the void created in these times of social distancing and shelter-in-place. Participate in Fermilab’s sendup of the NCAA tournament: March Magnets. Learn about eight different types of magnets used in particle physics, each with an example from a project or experiment in which Fermilab is a player. Then head over to the Fermilab Twitter feed on March 30 to participate in our March Magnets playoffs.