Public

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.

A joint team of researchers at Fermilab and partner institutions have achieved quantum teleportation, teleporting information over a distance of 44 kilometers. The remarkable achievement supports the premise that scientists and engineers can build a workable and high-fidelity quantum network using practical devices.

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 working at the CIA to designing science facilities at Fermilab, Kate Sienkiewicz enjoys tackling complex problems. Currently, she oversees the team tasked with designing and building conventional facilities at the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility near site for the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment — all with the overarching goal of understanding the universe.

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.

Grassellino was selected from a list of 50 Italian women who have excelled in their fields, and who left their mark on 2020. She heads Fermilab’s new quantum national center, the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center.

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.

More than 3,500 researchers from around the world collaborate with Fermilab to develop state-of-the-art technologies and solve the mysteries of matter, energy, space and time. Here is a look at 10 ways Fermilab advanced science and technology in 2020.