Fermilab receives Inflation Reduction Act funding

The U.S. Department of Energy allocated funds to its 17 national laboratories from the Inflation Reduction Act to mitigate the rise of project costs as a result of inflation. Fermilab will spend the funding on the lab’s on-going construction projects. This will allow the lab’s major projects to uphold their schedules and keep their commitment to international collaborators.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory will receive $260 million in funding due to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. The funding was designated by the DOE’s Office of Science and allows the lab’s construction projects to lock in construction costs that otherwise could rise due to inflation.

“America’s commitment to science and ingenuity shaped us into the world leaders we are today, and the continued success of our national laboratories will ensure we’re at the global forefront of innovation for generations to come,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, these world-class institutions will receive $1.5 billion — one of the largest ever investments in national laboratory infrastructure — to develop advanced energy and manufacturing technologies we need to advance the frontiers of science and tackle tomorrow’s challenges.”

On Friday, Nov. 4, at 2:00 p.m. CT, Secretary Granholm and other DOE officials will visit Argonne National Laboratory and will host a live webinar event on the critical role DOE and the national labs play in the newly released White House report on U.S. Innovation to Meet 2050 Climate Goals.

The IRA funding allocated to Fermilab provides support for several, on-going construction projects. It will allow the lab’s flagship project, the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility, to stay on track and maintain its construction schedule. By doing so, Fermilab will continue moving forward with construction of the LBNF facility, which will house the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment at Fermilab and in Lead, South Dakota. The DUNE experiment, when complete, will perform research probing the fundamental properties of matter in the universe.

“I’m extremely grateful for the Department of Energy in allocating this funding to our laboratory,” said Fermilab Director Lia Merminga. “This money will allow us to mitigate the effects of inflation, deliver projects and scientific results on time, and honor our commitments to national and international partners.”

Funding will also help Fermilab deliver on its commitments to CERN, the research center that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world, in contributing to the high-luminosity upgrades to the Large Hadron Collider and its experiments. With the funding, Fermilab will be able to build and ship equipment as planned to allow more than 1,000 scientists and graduate students in the United States to continue their work on the LHC to understand the nature of matter and energy.

The IRA funding will increase support to the Muon-to-Electron conversion experiment. This will keep the project on track for completion by 2025, meeting critical deadlines and staying ahead of international competition.

“In the next five years, Fermilab expects to invest more than $500 million dollars in the construction of new buildings and infrastructure on site, creating many jobs,” added Merminga. “With the IRA funding, we now have the assurance that we can continue our projects on their planned schedules.”

Fermilab is one of the 17 DOE national laboratories and is the premier laboratory for particle physics and particle accelerators in the United States. The laboratory has one of the largest portfolios of construction projects in the DOE Office of Science.

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is America’s premier national laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research. A U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science laboratory, Fermilab is located near Chicago, Illinois, and operated under contract by the Fermi Research Alliance LLC, a joint partnership between the University of Chicago and the Universities Research Association, Inc. Visit Fermilab’s website and follow us on Twitter at @Fermilab. 

Each with a pair of big brown eyes and encapsulated in a thick mat of hair are the American plains bison that roam the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory’s 80-acre pasture. Since the introduction of the herd in 1969, these large mammals have become a cornerstone of the lab’s culture. A living homage, the bison represent the former frontier of the Midwestern prairie and symbolize the scientific frontier Fermilab researchers explore in the field of high-energy physics.

Since Fermilab’s first director, Robert Wilson, established the bison herd at the lab, locals and visitors alike have enjoyed seeing these magnificent animals. Often captured in photos or now seen through the virtual bison cam, the iconic bison is the lab’s unofficial mascot. During the spring, you might lay eyes on an adult female caring for her calf, otherwise known as a “red dog,” or in early winter catch a glimpse of light snowfall collecting atop the mammal’s brown fur. It’s especially exciting any time of year when the herd grazes near the fence line along Pine Street, affording closer viewing and better photo opportunities.

In 2013, the U.S. Senate passed its first National Bison Day Resolution. Observed on the first Saturday in November, National Bison Day falls on Saturday, Nov. 5, this year.

Serving as a symbol for abundance and manifestation, the bison was declared the national mammal of the United States six years ago.

Let’s celebrate our national mammal and take a look at Fermilab’s bison herd over the years.

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On April 28, 2016, Congress passed the National Bison Legacy Act, recognizing this iconic animal as a symbol of historical significance. President Obama signed it into law on May 9, 2016, and the bison officially became the national mammal of the United States.

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The lab purchased its first bison in 1969. Fermilab received its first bull from a breeder in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and added four cows and their calves from another breeder in Longmont, Colorado.

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The purpose of Fermilab’s bison herd is to preserve and restore a bit of Illinois heritage that was here some 200 years ago. Robert Wilson, Fermilab’s first director, established the bison herd in 1969 as a symbol of the history of the Midwestern prairie and the lab’s pioneering research at the leading edge of particle physics. The herd gathers in front of the red barn in December 2010.

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By the late 1880s, the plains bison population in the United States was decimated, driven nearly to extinction. Thanks to conservation efforts, like those at Fermilab and elsewhere, the bison has rebounded. It is no longer an endangered species, but conservation of the bison genome is still a federally recognized priority. Some of the Fermilab herd in 2016.

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Mid-November 2018 started off with a dusting of snow and a beastly move-in of two new bison bulls to Fermilab. Since 1971, the herd’s genetic diversity has been augmented by rotating the bulls, selling them and bringing in new bloodlines every five to seven years. In 2016, the lab learned the Fermilab bison herd is 100% pure bison with no cattle genes in the mix.

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In 1973, the Fermilab herdsmen began a tagging and sorting program, designed to help keep the bison herd healthy. Note the tag on the bison’s ear.

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Each spring, Fermilab’s first baby bison of the year is widely heralded. In a tradition followed since the herd’s creation, the herdsman notifies the lab director and other leaders about its arrival and the status of the mother. Newly birthed, this baby bison takes the spotlight on April 20, 2019, as the first newborn of the year.

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The largest land mammal in North America, bison are powerful creatures. Bulls like this one can weigh up to 2,000 pounds, while cows are smaller at 1,000 pounds. Bison range in height from 5 to 6 feet tall and 10 to 12 feet long. Don’t let their size deceive you: Not only are they fast — bison can run up to 35 miles per hour! — they’re also nimble and can jump up to 6 feet vertically and 7 feet horizontally.

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Bison are uniquely built to endure bitter cold and deep snows. In 2015, the lab experienced a heavy snowfall. Trudging through the thick snow may have winded this large bison, who stuck out his tongue to force more air into his lungs.

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Nearly 30 bison comprised the herd in spring 2022, and 23 calves were born this year, starting in April.

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Early spring 2022 brought forth the first red-haired baby bison, seen here with its mother.

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Recently born baby bison huddle near the safety of their mothers circa 1994. Bison cows are fiercely protective of their young.

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While grazing in the sun, a mother bison minds her calf in May 2011. She’ll feed her baby until it weans at about 6 months of age.

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Fermilab’s bison herd continues to attract visitors young and old. A children’s tour takes place at the Buffalo Barn in 1983.

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Fermilab remains committed to maintaining its famous herd. Here, Wilson Hall touches the sky in the distance, while mother and baby bison touch noses in Fermilab’s multi-acre greenery during mid-April 2021.

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Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science recently announced that Regina “Gina” Rameika has accepted the role of associate director for its Office of High Energy Physics. In her new role, Rameika will oversee all high-energy physics research activities in the United States at both national laboratories as well as universities. She joins the DOE Office of Science on Nov. 7.

“Gina has demonstrated tremendous leadership in the national laboratory environment with DOE projects and with international science collaborations,” said Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, director of the Office of Science. “We are thrilled to have Gina join the Office of Science, given her vast experience and skilled leadership.”

Rameika hails from the DOE’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory where, as a distinguished scientist, she spent much of her career in neutrino science and experimental particle physics. Her responsibilities have ranged from managing particle detector construction projects to leading the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, the international science collaboration that plans to carry out the world-leading experiment currently under construction as part of the DOE Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility/DUNE-US Project.

Some of her roles at Fermilab included serving as project manager for the Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment and for the MicroBooNE Project, as well as the head of Fermilab’s Neutrino Division. She was also an elected spokesperson of the 1,400-member international DUNE collaboration, in addition to serving as the DUNE resource coordinator and construction coordinator.

“I’m excited to step into this new position,” said Rameika. “I will always value my time at Fermilab and truly appreciate having worked hands-on with the international DUNE collaboration. I believe that serving as the associate director of HEP, I can bring these experiences and lessons learned to help increase and advance physics research in the U.S.”

Rameika has a bachelor’s degree and doctorate in physics from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. She has also received multiple awards, including most recently, the 2022 APS Panofsky Prize for contributions to the DONUT Experiment and a 2019 Fermilab Trailblazer Award for contributions to the Long-Baseline Neutrino program.

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.

A new result from the MicroBooNE experiment at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory probes the Standard Model — scientists’ best theory of how the universe works. The model assumes there are three kinds of neutrinos. Yet for more than two decades, a proposed fourth kind of neutrino has remained a promising explanation for anomalies seen in earlier physics experiments. Finding the theorized sterile neutrino would be a major discovery and radical shift in our understanding of the universe.

The new analysis compares the experiment’s data to a model with a fourth, sterile neutrino to test their compatibility. MicroBooNE scientists found no evidence of the long-sought sterile neutrino in the parameter range explored.

The possibility that sterile neutrinos caused the yet-unexplained anomalies reported by previous experiments still remains. These include measurements by the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the MiniBooNE experiment at Fermilab, and several radiochemical and nuclear reactor neutrino experiments.

“This is the first time we’ve checked whether our data fit a specific sterile-neutrino model,” said Matt Toups, a Fermilab scientist and co-spokesperson for MicroBooNE. “We’ve excluded large sections of the sterile neutrino parameter space allowed by LSND. But there are still corners where a sterile neutrino could potentially be hiding.”

While the most basic version of a sterile neutrino is becoming less likely, other, more subtle types of physics might be at play. For example, there could be a sterile neutrino working in combination with something else, such as dark matter. Or there could be completely different explanations for the anomalies.  Unexplained physics related to the Higgs boson or other physics beyond the Standard Model could be the reason.

“In this work, we found an important interplay between the neutrino appearance and disappearance, which was not considered in the previous experimental work. This has important consequences in the search result,” said Xiangpan Ji, a postdoctoral researcher at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, who is one of the co-leaders of this analysis.

Like the 2021 results, the new finding uses only half of MicroBooNE’s dataset. Researchers will continue to look for potential sterile neutrino signals in future analyses. They also will expand their analyses to the full dataset.

“Neutrinos continue to be one of the strangest and most interesting particles out there. They are one of our best opportunities to study new physics beyond the Standard Model.” – Justin Evans

The 170-ton MicroBooNE neutrino detector collected data from 2015 to 2021. It recorded hundreds of thousands of spectacularly detailed 3D images of neutrino events. Close to 200 collaborators from 39 institutions in five countries built and ran the experiment and are now working on the data analysis. The collaboration expects to release the first results from the full dataset in 2023.

MicroBooNE is one of three particle detectors that make up Fermilab’s Short-Baseline Neutrino Program. ICARUS and the Short-Baseline Near Detector are the other two detectors. Together, they enable the detailed exploration of neutrino properties. In particular, they examine neutrino oscillations at low energies and short distances. Scientists hope that the combined measurements of these three detectors will completely resolve the anomalies in neutrino measurements seen by LSND and MiniBooNE.

Next year, MicroBooNE scientists also expect to report on sterile neutrino models using data from two beams of neutrinos with different energies, a unique feature of the Fermilab accelerator complex. So far, this MicroBooNE result has relied on neutrinos provided by Fermilab’s Booster Neutrino Beam, produced by protons with energy of 8 billion electron volts (GeV). But the MicroBooNE detector also recorded interactions of neutrinos from Fermilab’s Main Injector accelerator, produced by 120-GeV protons.

“Our ability to explore sterile neutrinos and rare interactions will be enhanced when we add in the data from Fermilab’s Main Injector neutrino beam,” said Hanyu Wei, professor of physics at Louisiana State University and a co-leader of the sterile-neutrino analysis. “The interplay between the two beams’ data will be interesting, not just more statistics.”

In addition to weighing in on the sterile neutrino question, MicroBooNE will also search for other phenomena beyond the Standard Model and provide precision measurements of how neutrinos interact with matter.

“Neutrinos continue to be one of the strangest and most interesting particles out there. They are one of our best opportunities to study new physics beyond the Standard Model,” said Justin Evans, scientist at the University of Manchester and MicroBooNE co-spokesperson. “There is so much incredible neutrino physics that MicroBooNE can do. We’re excited to see what else is waiting for us in the data.”

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.

Editor’s note: This press release was originally published by National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab. It highlights research made possible thanks to the unique observing capabilities of the Dark Energy Camera, which was built and tested at Fermilab for the Dark Energy Survey.

An international team using the Dark Energy Camera, called DECam, mounted on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a program of the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab, has discovered three new near-Earth asteroids, or NEAs, hiding in the inner solar system, the region interior to the orbits of Earth and Venus. This is a notoriously challenging region for observations because asteroid hunters have to contend with the glare of the sun.

By taking advantage of the brief yet favorable observing conditions during twilight, however, the astronomers found an elusive trio of NEAs. One is a 1.5-kilometer-wide asteroid, called 2022 AP7, which has an orbit that may someday place it in Earth’s path. The other asteroids, called 2021 LJ4 and 2021 PH27, have orbits that safely remain completely interior to Earth’s orbit. Also of special interest to astronomers and astrophysicists, 2021 PH27 is the closest known asteroid to the sun. As such, it has the largest general-relativity effects of any object in our solar system and during its orbit its surface gets hot enough to melt lead.

“Our twilight survey is scouring the area within the orbits of Earth and Venus for asteroids,” said Scott S. Sheppard, an astronomer at the Earth and Planets Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution for Science and the lead author of the paper describing this work. “So far we have found two large near-Earth asteroids that are about 1 kilometer across, a size that we call ‘planet killers.’”

“There are likely only a few NEAs with similar sizes left to find, and these large undiscovered asteroids likely have orbits that keep them interior to the orbits of Earth and Venus most of the time,” said Sheppard. “Only about 25 asteroids with orbits completely within Earth’s orbit have been discovered to date because of the difficulty of observing near the glare of the sun.”

Finding asteroids in the inner solar system is a daunting observational challenge. Astronomers have only two brief 10-minute windows each night to survey this area and have to contend with a bright background sky resulting from the sun’s glare. Additionally, such observations are very near to the horizon, meaning that astronomers have to observe through a thick layer of Earth’s atmosphere, which can blur and distort their observations.

Discovering these three new asteroids despite these challenges was possible, thanks to the unique observing capabilities of DECam. The state-of-the-art instrument is one of the highest-performance, wide-field CCD imagers in the world, giving astronomers the ability to capture large areas of sky with great sensitivity. Astronomers refer to observations as “deep” if they capture faint objects. When hunting for asteroids inside Earth’s orbit, the capability to capture both deep and wide-field observations is indispensable. DECam was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and was built and tested at DOE’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

“Large areas of sky are required because the inner asteroids are rare, and deep images are needed because asteroids are faint and you are fighting the bright twilight sky near the Sun as well as the distorting effect of Earth’s atmosphere,” said Sheppard. “DECam can cover large areas of sky to depths not achievable on smaller telescopes, allowing us to go deeper, cover more sky, and probe the inner Solar System in ways never done before.”

As well as detecting asteroids that could potentially pose a threat to Earth, this research is an important step toward understanding the distribution of small bodies in our solar system. Asteroids that are further from the Sun than Earth are easiest to detect. Because of that these more-distant asteroids tend to dominate current theoretical models of the asteroid population.

Detecting these objects also allows astronomers to understand how asteroids are transported throughout the inner solar system and how gravitational interactions and the heat of the sun can contribute to their fragmentation.

“Our DECam survey is one of the largest and most sensitive searches ever performed for objects within Earth’s orbit and near to Venus’s orbit,” said Sheppard. “This is a unique chance to understand what types of objects are lurking in the inner solar system.”

“After 10 years of remarkable service, DECam continues to yield important scientific discoveries while at the same time contributing to planetary defense, a crucial service that benefits all humanity,” said Chris Davis, NSF program director for NOIRLab.

DECam was originally built to carry out the Dark Energy Survey, which was conducted by the DOE and the U.S. National Science Foundation between 2013 and 2019.