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07/01/09

This family tree has physics branches

Who is the grandfather of particle physics? Some might argue he is Otto Mencke, a German philosopher and scientist who received his doctorate from Leipzig University in 1688.

07/01/09

Dark Energy Camera scans ancient skies

Gazing into space, scientists wonder why the universe is expanding ever faster. What mysterious force is at work? By recording the light from hundreds of millions of galaxies from a mountaintop in Chile, they hope to find out what'’s going on.

07/01/09

Helium's shrinking bubble

Helium is the lifeblood of large particle accelerators. As the world’s supply dwindles, the particle physics community must take steps to preserve this precious commodity or learn to live without it.

07/01/09

Virtual particles

Virtual particles’ existence is fleeting, but their effects are real.

07/01/09

Accidental beauties

These exquisite test samples transcend their original purpose—ensuring all the metal parts of SLAC accelerators and detectors are flawless.

07/01/09

Periodic table

Look at the periodic table of elements, and you’d be hard pressed to find an element that is not used in physics. But what are the most important elements for building accelerators, detecting particles, and solving the mysteries of the universe?

07/01/09

Nope, no UFOs at Brookhaven Lab

The spotlight caught Todd Satogata. The camera zoomed in. “Did your particle beam shoot down a UFO?” the TV host asked. The accelerator physicist at RHIC, Brookhaven National Laboratory's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, smiled. Of course not.