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A new study shows that light dark matter is 1000 times less likely to bump into regular matter than previous analyses allowed.

From Inside HPC, July 3, 2019: Particle physics researchers are using custom integrated circuits called FPGAs in combination with other computing resources to process massive quantities of data at extremely fast rates to find clues to the origins of the universe. This requires filtering sensor data in real time to identify novel particle substructures that could contain evidence of the existence of dark matter and other physical phenomena. A growing team of physicists and engineers from Fermilab, CERN and other institutions, co-led by Fermilab scientist Nhan Tran, wanted to have a flexible way to optimize custom-event filters in the CMS detector they are working on at CERN.

Few numbers have gotten under astronomers’ skin like the Hubble constant. In fact, experts have debated the value of this single parameter for 90 years, and if astronomers can measure its value with great precision, they’ll be one step closer to solving some of the other grand astronomical mysteries of our age. There’s just one problem: The measurements they’ve taken don’t agree. The discrepancy makes scientists question whether something is amiss in our understanding of the universe.

A lot of people say they would like to travel to Mars, but Zoe Townsend doesn’t just talk the talk. As a mechanical engineer at CERN, she knows the importance of putting ideas to the test. To see if she could actually handle the unique challenges posed by living and doing science on another planet, Townsend spent 12 days on a simulated Mars mission in the deserts of Utah.

From CNN, June 21, 2019: Fermilab scientist Don Lincoln talks about the recent UFO sightings in the news. It’s plausible that what pilots have been seeing is something with an ordinary explanation, whether it be an instrumental glitch or some other unexplained artifact.

Scientists at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory are building the world’s largest digital camera for astronomy and astrophysics — a minivan-sized 3200-megapixel “eye” of the future Large Synoptic Survey Telescope that will see light in 2022. In the meantime, the lab has completed its work on a miniature version that will soon be used for testing the telescope and taking LSST’s first images of the night sky. ComCam will help test the observatory once it is installed in Chile later this year.

From Science News, June 17, 2019: The particles could be spotted when they slam into electrons or atomic nuclei in the crystals, says Fermilab scientist Noah Kurinsky.

From Physics World, June 14, 2019: Symmetry magazine’s physics slang roundup is mentioned in this piece.

What do particle accelerators and craggy outcrops have in common? Both have Tor Raubenheimer trotting the globe. Thanks to both his work at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and his passion for rock climbing, he has gotten to know people and places on several continents.

From University of Cincinnati News, June 13, 2019: University of Cincinnati researchers search for subatomic particles called ‘sterile neutrinos,’ which could redefine the Standard Model.