In the news

From Science News, Feb. 5, 2020: A new experiment raises prospects for building a particle accelerator that collides particles called muons, which could lead to smashups of higher energies than any engineered before. Fermilab scientist Vladimir Shiltsev comments on how scientists with the Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment, or MICE, have cooled a beam of muons, a necessary part of preparing the particles for use in a collider, the team reports online Feb. 5 in Nature.

From Scientific American, Feb. 5, 2020: The best-laid plans of MICE and muons did not go awry: Physicists at the International Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment, or MICE, collaboration have achieved their years-long goal of quickly sapping energy from muons. The results are the first demonstration of ionization cooling, a technique which could allow researchers to control muons for future collider applications — an epochal achievement, according to Fermilab physicist Vladimir Shiltsev.

From the UKRI’s Science and Technology Facilities Council, Feb. 5, 2020: For the first time scientists have observed muon ionization cooling – a major step in being able to create the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. This new muon accelerator will give us a better understanding of the fundamental constituents of matter.

From Kane County Chronicle, Feb. 4, 2020: This year’s events will feature The Great Neutrino Hunt, The Mr. Freeze Cryogenics Show, live physics demonstrations, a physics carnival developed and presented by high school students, and several activities for kids and their parents. The event also will feature tours of the Linear Accelerator Gallery and the Muon g-2 experiment and a driving tour of the site.

From University of Colima’s El Comentario, Feb. 4, 2020: Alexis Solís Ceballos, estudiante de Ingeniería Química Metalúrgica en la Facultad de Ciencias Químicas de la Universidad de Colima, participó recientemente en una estancia de tres meses en el Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) de Estados Unidos, donde un grupo de científicos de todo el mundo explora las altas energías para responder preguntas fundamentales que ayudarían a entender mejor cómo funciona el universo.

From WTTW’s The Interview Show with Mark Bazer, Jan. 31, 2020: Fermilab scientist Dan Hooper talks about the early moments of the universe in this 16-minute interview at Chicago bar The Hideout.

From Cambridge Network, Feb. 3, 2020: Representatives from UK Research and Innovation and the US Department of Energy have signed an agreement that outlines £65 million worth of contributions that UK research institutions and scientists will make to the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment and related projects hosted by Fermilab. DUNE will study the properties of mysterious particles called neutrinos, which could help explain more about how the universe works and why matter exists at all.

From Gizmodo, Jan. 25, 2020: Physicists have found all of the particles and forces that the Standard Model describes, but there are still countless mysteries in the universe that the theory fails to explain. Various experiments are now probing the Standard Model for cracks, and this year, scientists hope to unveil a measurement from one of them, the Muon g-2 experiment, a measurement that might break from the theory.

From The Beacon-News, Jan. 30, 2020: Physics lovers of all ages are invited to the annual Fermilab Family Open House from 1 to 5 p.m. Feb. 9. Fermilab’s Amanda Early talks about how kids and grownups alike will get excited about science through the demos and tours at this free event.

From Inside Science, Jan. 24, 2020: Some scientists have been poking at the foundations of dark energy, but many say the concept remains on solid, if mysterious, ground. Fermilab scientist Josh Frieman is quoted in this story on the evidence for dark energy.