News at work

The moment our universe came into existence fits one part of the definition of a miracle very well, as does the appearance of the imbalance between matter and antimatter.

Taking place on Twitter and in webinars, #BlackInPhysics week features events geared toward Black physicists, the entire physics community and the general public.

On Sept. 17, IARC at Fermilab hosted a workshop on medical device sterilization that focused on accelerator-sourced radiation. The workshop, titled Medical Device Sterilization: Continuing the Conversation, served as a virtual bridge between last year’s successful in-person event, the Midwest Medical Device Sterilization Workshop, and a future in-person workshop.

Scientists have long called the expanding universe “the Big Bang,” but the term is confusing. Many people think the Big Bang is the name of the moment of the creation of the universe, but it’s really just the expanding phase. In this episode of Subatomic Stories, Fermilab scientist Don Lincoln explains some of the speculative ideas that have been proposed about the actual and literal moment of creation.

All summer long, progress on preparing the Fermilab site for the construction of the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility has been proceeding at a healthy clip. Now, as summer winds down, that site prep is nearing completion.

Here’s how physicists calculate g-2, the value that will determine whether the muon is giving us a sign of new physics.

A precise calibration for measurements of electric current has long eluded scientists. Last year, the ampere was redefined based on the charge of a single electron. The next generation of charge-coupled devices, known as skipper CCDs, could provide the sensitivity needed to calibrate the new definition.

Fermilab joins the global celebration of Dark Matter Day. Hear from Fermilab scientists during a special webinar on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m. CT. Take a virtual tour of the lab’s dark matter experiments and detectors, and learn how Fermilab is helping answer questions about the mysterious stuff that makes up 25% of our universe.

DOE commended the Fermilab-led LHC CMS Detector Upgrade Project team for completing their project on budget and schedule and for delivering equipment that will enable new discoveries in science for years to come. The award was one of three given this year.

The first moments of the universe are still not well understood by modern science. While the theory of the Big Bang covers the big picture, it doesn’t address some detailed questions. In this episode of Subatomic Stories, Fermilab scientist Don Lincoln describes the idea of inflation, which is an addition to the Big Bang. Together, the two theories appear to be another step forward in our understanding of the origins of the cosmos.

Fermilab employee Cheryl Bentham started at Fermilab on July 1, 1975, as a summer student. Four years later, she was offered a permanent position in the Housing Office, in September 1979. She has worked in the Housing Office since then. Now she is retiring. Her last day is Oct. 22.

Rubin Observatory will bring new capabilities to the studies of dark matter and dark energy.