From Physics World, Sept. 23, 2020: The Proton Improvement Plan-II linear accelerator is an essential upgrade to the accelerator complex at Fermilab. The project is being led by PIP-II Project Director Lia Merminga, who talks to Physics World about this international effort to keep Fermilab at the forefront of particle physics.
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From Loma Linda University Health News, Sept. 17, 2020: The James M. Slater, MD, Proton Treatment & Research Center at Loma Linda University Cancer Center is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Slater began working Fermilab in 1986 to plan the proton synchrotron and center, which resulted in the construction of one of the most complex pieces of medical equipment ever built.
From Wired, Sept. 22, 2020: After repurposing facial recognition technology to study galaxies and the Higgs boson, physicists think they can help shape the responsible use of AI. Fermilab scientist Brian Nord talks about how these technologies advance fundamental science and the ethical implications of their use.
Handedness — and the related concept of chirality — are double-sided ways of understanding how matter breaks symmetries. Different-handed object pairs reveal some puzzling asymmetries in the way our universe works.
From Scientific American, Sept. 22, 2020: The Chinese JUNO experiment will aim to answer a mystery about the particles’ mass. It will be joined by the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment later this decade in its search for answers that neutrinos can provide. Fermilab Deputy Director Joe Lykken weighs in on how neutrinos will address the universe’s pressing questions.
From Radiotelevisione Italiana Spa, Sept. 2, 2020: Anna Grassellino, 39 anni, marsalese, è stata incaricata dal governo americano di realizzare al Fermilab di Chicago il calcolatore più veloce di sempre. Il progetto prevede anche iniziative di formazione in Sicilia.
From La Repubblica, Aug. 28, 2020: Anna Grassellino, 39 anni di Marsala, coordina duecento scienziati a Chicago per realizzare un obiettivo sul quale la Cina ha investito 10 miliardi. “E’ una questione di sicurezza nazionale, ma io mi occupo di scienza. Mi piace ascoltare le risposte che dà la natura alle nostre domande.”
From Brookhaven National Laboratory, Sept. 17, 2020: Brookhaven theorists publish an improved prediction for the tiny difference in kaon decays observed by experiments. Understanding these decays and comparing the prediction with more recent state-of-the-art experimental measurements made at Fermilab and CERN gives scientists a way to test for tiny differences between matter and antimatter.
From Spektrum, Sept. 16, 2020: Mit neuen Experimenten wollen Forscher herausfinden, ob es eine vierte Variante des Neutrinos gibt. Sollte sie existieren, könnte das Einblicke in den rätselhaften dunklen Sektor des Universums erlauben.
Particle accelerators like the LHC require intricate beam dump systems to safely dispose of high-energy particles after each run.