Fermilab news for employees and users

Three factoid cards, which look similar to playing cards or a baseball card, appear on a background of stars in a night sky (or in outer space) in a cartoon rendering. On each of the cards is a circle adjusted its sunglasses, presumably each a type of neutrino. Underneath these images on the cards are scribbles representing text and a question mark. In the upper left corner, the abbreviations for electron neutrino, a muon neutrino or a tau neutrino appear.

NEW

Figuring out which type of neutrino is heaviest, or solving the puzzle of neutrino mass hierarchy, would be a huge leap in our understanding of both neutrinos and the physics that govern our universe. The NoVA experiment or DUNE could help physicists do just that.

A large silver- and copper-colored metallic structure, with four silver "stripes" forming a rounded rectangle and a diamond at the bottom with a cooper circle in the center, stands in the center of the photo.

NuMI shutdown work pays off with record beam power

The Fermilab particle accelerator complex set a record beam power earlier this year, thanks to the high-quality work of numerous teams and individuals. The successful completion of the NuMI 2020 shutdown work prepared the target facility for this achievement.

A man in a dark suit and blue tie sits at a table with a blue tablecloth signing a document. Behind him to the right is a screen on which another man with a charcoal suit signs a document on a table with a blue tablecloth and a 16-story building and reflection pool in the background.

UK to play vital role in creating the world’s most powerful neutrino beam

The Science and Technology Facilities Council, or STFC, has signed an agreement with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, in the United States, designating how the two organizations will collaborate to build one of the world’s most powerful linear accelerators.

A cartoon-style illustration of a gray outdoor staircase with ornate serpents, tongues out, as the bannisters. Green grass in front, red and purple lightning shapes striking down all over the illustration.

Seeing through walls and breaking down barriers

Physicists and archaeologists are teaming up to provide research opportunities for Black and Hispanic undergraduates to image an archaeological site in Mexico using muon tomography. Fermilab personnel will help with the project, and Fermilab will also produce the scintillators for use in the muon detector.

Photo of a young woman in a green button-up dress against a light background.

SQMS Center at Fermilab announces Carolyn B. Parker Fellowship for postdocs

Fermilab’s Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center is announcing a new fellowship opportunity for Black and African American postdoctoral scholars. The Carolyn B. Parker Fellowship honors the legacy of the first African American woman to earn a postgraduate degree in physics.

The conveyor belt taking the rocks from the crusher to the Open Cut passes close to the town of Lead, South Dakota. Image: Fermilab

Rock transportation system is ready for excavation of DUNE caverns

Fermilab contractors have successfully commissioned a system that will move 800,000 tons of rock to create space for the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment’s detectors in South Dakota. Excavation crews will transport the rock from a mile underground to the surface using refurbished mining infrastructure and the newly constructed conveyor system.

Eight gray boxes that look like high-tech household refrigerators sit diagonally from foreground to background on a concrete floor. Wires hang behind and a person facing away from the camera sits behind on the left side.

PIP-II successfully accelerates beam using RF power amplifiers from India

Institutions in India are building major components for the new PIP-II particle accelerator, including radio frequency power amplifiers. These amplifiers power PIP-II components that accelerate the particles.

An image of a man in glasses and a purple shirt, Dr. Clifford Johnson, is overlaid on an illustration of comic strips. The panels include a hand writing equations on a whiteboard, an Agent Carter script, textbooks, and a male superhero talking to a person in a dress with the speech bubbles blank and formulas being written beside them.

On the marvels of physics

Theoretical physicist Clifford Johnson answers questions about his work in science and outreach, including advising on movies like Avengers: Endgame.

Dr. Kirsty Duffy, a young woman with long hair, holds a large beach ball and smiles. An orange bubble has text with the question "How big is a neutrino?" beside her.

Even Bananas 06: How big is a neutrino?

Have you ever wondered how big a particle is — or how scientists even measure something that tiny? Fermilab scientist Kirsty Duffy will answer a deceptively simple question with the help of some sports equipment: How big is a neutrino?

Centralized facility management begins this week

Fermilab enters a new era of facility management this week as the Centralized Facility Management program officially kicks off. Centralized Facility Management (CFM) brings the management of all* conventional facilities under one (virtual) roof.

A chalkboard with equations scribbled over it, a magnetic clip holding a yellow piece of paper that reads Do Not Erase.

8 students awarded DOE Graduate Student Research Fellowships

Eight students have received the prestigious U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Student Research Fellowships to conduct their research at Fermilab.

Thumbnail of an image from Dr. Johnson's lecture: A cartoon drawing of a young woman with blonde hair holding a box that says "The Theory of Everything," and another image of the box slightly shifted, still in her hand, saying the Theory of Everything ... So far. On the righthand side of the screen, a still of Dr. Clifford Johnson speaking

Graphic talk about the universe – Public lecture by Dr. Clifford Johnson

In this graphic but family-friendly 40-minute talk, Clifford Johnson, a professor at the University of Southern California, discusses the process of turning complex scientific topics into compelling visual narratives.

See all news

IN THE NEWS

Detector Technology Developed at Berkeley Lab Yields Unprecedented 3D Images, Heralding Far Larger Application to Study NeutrinosNEW

From EIN Presswire, May 14, 2021; LBNL’s LArPix experiment result is a leap forward in how to detect and record signals in liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs), a technology of choice for future neutrino and dark matter experiments such as Fermilab’s DUNE.

Scientists prove that neutron stars aren’t squishyNEW

From Forbes, May 14, 2021: Fermilab senior scientist Don Lincoln discusses measuring the size of neutron stars and the result of a measurement showing that the centers of neutron stars are stiff and not squishy.

See all in the news