From Physics World, Nov. 13, 2019: In her new book “Fire, Ice and Physics: the Science of Game of Thrones,” Rebecca C Thompson, head of the Office of Education and Public Outreach at Fermilab, analyzes “Game of Thrones” fan theories by looking at actual physics.
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 College of DuPage, Nov. 6, 2019: College of DuPage Associate Professor of Astronomy Joe DalSanto has been selected as one of five participants to compete at Fermilab’s eighth Physics Slam competition, one of the highlights of Fermilab’s Art and Lecture Series, on Friday, Nov. 15.
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 Daily Herald, Nov. 4, 2019: Thirty-eight high school students from throughout the suburbs got to participate in hands-on activities and learn from field experts in physics, computer science, and mechanical and electrical engineering.
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.