astrophysics

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

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

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.

Modeling collisions between argon nuclei and neutrinos from a supernova

A simulated supernova neutrino interaction in the MicroBooNE detector, produced using MARLEY. This work lays a strong foundation for future supernova neutrino measurements with DUNE. Credit: MicroBooNE collaboration

A new computer program called MARLEY simulates supernova neutrino interactions in argon-based particle detectors.

Hydrogen was nearly impossible

As the expanding universe cooled after the Big Bang, protons and electrons found each other and made hydrogen atoms, with a little helium and lithium. Illustration: CERN

The existence of hydrogen in our universe was touch-and-go. During the Big Bang, it depended on a minuscule mass difference between two subatomic particles called quarks.

Even Bananas 05: Neutrin… WHOA A SUPERNOVA!

Let’s talk about some of the largest explosions in the universe: supernovae. Join Fermilab scientists Dr. Kirsty Duffy and Dr. Anne Schukraft to find out more about exploding stars, tiny particles and the SuperNova Early Warning System (SNEWS).

Particle detector at Fermilab plays crucial role in Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment

One of the DUNE near detector's subdetectors, SAND, will detect neutrinos with an electronic calorimeter, which measures particle energy, and a tracker, which records particle momenta and charge. A second subdetector will use liquid argon to mimic the neutrino interactions in the far detector. The third will use gaseous argon. Working together, they will measure particles with more precision than other neutrino detectors have been able to achieve. Credit: DUNE collaboration

DUNE’s near detector, located at Fermilab, will take vital measurements of neutrino beam energy and composition before it reaches the experiment’s far detector in South Dakota. Its unmatched precision measurements will offer its own opportunities for the discovery of new physics.

Camera lenses with metamaterials-based coating help study ancient light in the universe

From AZoMaterials, Feb. 18, 2021: Fermilab scientist Jeff McMahon and his research team have designed a new kind of metamaterials-based antireflection coating for the silicon lenses used in cameras used to capture the cosmic microwave background.

Scientists take another look at tantalizing galaxies with no dark matter

From Forbes, Feb. 22, 2021: Fermilab scientist Don Lincoln explains how modern cosmology imagines our universe is an astronomical confection with three primary ingredients: ordinary matter, dark matter and dark energy.

A new measurement of quantum spacetime has found nothing going on

From Tech2.org, Feb. 16, 2021: Though the findings from the Holometer mean that, for now, scientists still haven’t found a way to solve general relativity with quantum mechanics, its design and the research it enabled will shape future efforts to prove the intersection of relativity and quantum mechanics at Planck scales.

New metamaterials for studying the oldest light in the universe

A Fermilab scientist and his team have developed a new way to make antireflective lenses, enabling big discoveries about the cosmic microwave background radiation and the fabric of the universe.

New strategy for Latin American physics

Scientists in Latin America recently published the first coordinated plan for the region’s research in high-energy physics, astrophysics and cosmology. Fermilab scientist Marcela Carena was part of the group that collected input for the report. Here, she weighs in its significance.