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Until recently, scientists had never detected black holes in the “mass gap.” Now, particle physicists are exploring ideas beyond the Standard Model that could explain them.

From Forbes, Dec. 14, 2020: Fermilab scientist Don Lincoln explains a new measurement performed by scientists at University College London that has the potential to cause researchers to look again at theories of electromagnetism. The team studied the behavior of an exotic atom called “positronium” and found a surprising difference between the prediction and measurement energy level of a specific energy transition. Positronium is an atom that consists solely of an electron and an antimatter electron.

From D La Repubblica, Dec. 12, 2020: Deputy Chief Technology Officer e vicedirettrice della divisione di fisica applicata e tecnologia dei superconduttori del Fermilab, negli Usa. Sta costruendo il computer più potente del mondo. L’abbiamo scelta insieme a voi tra 20 finaliste.

From D La Repubblica, Dec. 10, 2020: È italiana, ha solo 39 anni, è Deputy Chief Technology Officer al Fermilab di Chicago, dove sta progettando il computer quantico più potente mai creato al mondo. Incontro di Valeria Palermi, direttrice di D, con Anna Grassellino, Donna dell’Anno 2020.

From Phys.org, Dec. 7, 2020: The CMS collaboration, a worldwide group of scientists studying particle collisions at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, has recently observed the production of three massive gauge bosons in proton-proton collisions for the first time ever. Northwestern University postdoc and Fermilab Distinguished Researcher Saptaparna Bhattacharya talks about the triboson search.

When two heavy ions collide inside a particle accelerator, they produce a near-perfect fluid through which an assortment of fundamental particles swim. For scientists to accurately simulate even a tiny drop of this hot and dense subatomic brew with a classical computer, it would take longer than the age of the universe. Scientists show how quantum computing could be a game-changer in our understanding of quantum processes.

From DOE, Dec. 9, 2020: Computer Science Education Week is aimed at inspiring students to discover computer science activities and careers. The national laboratories, including Fermilab, are scheduled to host a number of activities to highlight The Department of Energy’s efforts, including increasing access to computer science education, building computational literacy, and growing the cyber workforce of the future.

From the CMS collaboration, Nov. 30, 2020: On Nov. 24, the CMS collaboration at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider announced the publication of the 1,000th paper in a peer-review journal, an exceptional achievement for a single experiment. Fermilab scientist Boaz Klima, CMS Publications Committee chair, is quoted.

From APS Physics, Dec. 4, 2020: Scientists are finding ways to increase particle accelerator efficiency. One way to reduce cooling costs relies on a technique developed at Fermilab and Jefferson Lab.

From The New York Times, Dec. 8, 2020: Scientists are puzzling over why the universe is not as dark as expected. Fermilab scientist Dan Hooper weighs in.