In the news

From Science, Nov. 12, 2019: Three years ago, a team of particle astrophysicists appeared to nix the idea that a faint glow of gamma rays in the heart of our Milky Way galaxy could be emanating from dark matter. But the conclusion that the gamma rays come instead from more ordinary sources may have been too hasty, the team reports in a new study. So the dark matter hypothesis may be alive and well after all. Fermilab scientist Dan Hooper is quoted in this article.

From Northwestern University, Nov. 8, 2019: Northwestern and Fermilab researchers, including Fermilab scientists Anna Grassellino and Alexander Romanenko, show how impurities can increase the maximum accelerating field of superconducting radio-frequency cavities, a finding with huge potential cost advantages.

From Gizmodo, Nov. 6, 2019: Scientists analyzing data from a defunct satellite say we should all consider that our universe might be round, rather than flat. The consequences, they explain in a new paper, could be crisis-inducing. Fermilab scientist Dan Hooper weighs in on this tension in cosmology.

From University of Virginia, Nov. 4, 2019: University of Virginia physicists are building major components for one of the largest and most complex physics experiments ever conducted in the United States: a $271 million particle physics project at Fermilab called the Muon-to-electron Conversion Experiment, or Mu2e.

From CERN, Nov. 6, 2019: The CERN Council has selected Fabiola Gianotti as the organization’s next director-general, her second term of office. The appointment will be formalized at the December session of the Council, and Gianotti’s new five-year term of office will begin on Jan. 1, 2021. This is the first time in CERN’s history that a director-general has been appointed for a full second term.

From In the Moment, Oct. 31, 2019: In this 42-minute podcast, Fermilab scientist Dan Hooper talks about particles, relativity and the origins of our universe, outlining our growing understanding of the conditions in which our universe began, highlighting what we know about the first few seconds after the Big Bang and how several astronomers and mathematicians throughout history helped us determine that the universe was expanding.

From C2ST TV, Oct. 21, 2019: On Sept. 25, the Chicago Council on Science and Technology hosted a celebration of the life of Fermilab’s second director, Leon Lederman. Fermilab leadership and scientists gave presentations and participated in a panel on Lederman’s sweeping contributions to science and science education. The event is now available on C2ST’s YouTube channel.

From Physics World, Nov. 1, 2019: Many science journalists will be familiar with the work of Reidar Hahn, who is retiring after 32 years as Fermilab’s staff photographer. On Nov. 6, Fermilab’s art gallery is putting on a show of Hahn’s personal work called Collections, which will run until Jan. 3, 2020.

From Descoperă.ro, Oct. 31, 2019: Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment a fost conceput pentru a înţelege mai bine neutrino şi degradarea protonilor. Într-un studiu recent, o echipă de cercetători de la Universitatea Ohio explică faptul că DUNE ar putea să îi ajute pe cercetători să realizeze o serie de descoperiri fundamentale legate de neutrinii solari, notează Phys.

From The Atlantic, Oct. 25, 2019: Errant particles from everyday radioactive materials are a major obstacle for particle physicists. The solution? Lead from the bottom of the sea. Fermilab archivist Valerie Higgins is quoted in this piece on materials from old ships reused for physics experiments.