In the news

From The Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast, Feb. 14, 2020: What happened at the dawn of the universe, just trillionths of a second after the start of the big bang, remains a mystery. Revisiting these moments in his new book, “At the Edge of Time,” Fermilab scientist Dan Hooper explores many of the unknowns in cosmology. Hooper guides Ian Sample through the birth of our universe to its enigmatic constituents of dark matter and dark energy in this 22-minute podcast episode.

From Tunnels and Tunneling, Feb. 19, 2020: Three of the underground construction components are near completion at the Sanford Underground Research Facility for the far site of Fermilab’s Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility. Work is finishing up on two ore passes that connect the 4850 Level, almost one mile underground, to skips in the Ross Shaft; the Ross Headframe, which must support the skips that bring the rock to the surface; and the tramway tunnel, which will house the conveyor system that will transport excavated rock to its final location.

From Black Hills Pioneer, Feb. 19, 2020: Data from the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment could help physicists explain the origin of matter, witness a never-before-seen particle decay and better understand how black holes form in space. To prepare for this groundbreaking science, a major construction project is under way to ready the Sanford Underground Research Facility for its role as the far site of Fermilab’s Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility.

From Labmate, Feb. 19, 2020: UK Research and Innovation representatives and the U.S. Department of Energy have signed an agreement outlining £65 million in contributions by UK research institutions and scientists to the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment and related projects hosted by Fermilab.

From Gizmodo, Feb. 19, 2020: Sensor limits have driven one dark matter-hunting team to build a dark matter detector from the same guts as a quantum computer. Their device under construction at Fermilab solidifies extreme sensing as one of present-day quantum technology’s best real-world applications.

From Cold Facts, Feb. 13, 2020: The Cryogenic Society of America picks up Fermilab’s story on the new SuperCDMS dilution refrigerator at SNOLAB near Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

From Kane Country Chronicle, Feb. 10, 2020: Fermilab held their annual Family Open House on Feb. 9. View photos from the day.

From Kane County Chronicle, Feb. 13, 2020: Award-winning engineer and physicist Alvin Tollestrup, who played an instrumental role in developing the Tevatron as the world’s leading high-energy physics accelerator at Fermilab and founding member of the CDF collaboration, died on Feb. 9 of cancer. He was 95.

From WBUR’s Here & Now, Feb. 12, 2020: The United States will soon have its first new particle collider in decades. Earlier this year, the Department of Energy announced that Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, will be home to the Electron-Ion Collider, which will investigate what’s inside two subatomic particles: protons and neutrons. DOE Undersecretary for Science Paul Dabbar mentions the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment.

From Naperville Community Television, Feb. 10, 2020: Fermilab opened its doors once again for their 16th annual Family Open House. The free event aims to teach the community about physics while having fun doing it, which is one reason people decided to come out. The crowd of around 2,500 people met Fermilab scientists and engineers to get a closer look into the world of physics. Creating that scientific spark in the younger generation is one of the laboratory’s goals. Watch the two-minute segment.