His photographs show scientists and experiments, large physics facilities and tiny devices, enthusiastic crowds of conference participants and lone researchers absorbed in thought.
Drawn by the chance to help answer the most fundamental questions about the universe, philanthropists are starting to make significant investments in physics research.
Bird watchers have "life lists" of species they hope to see in their lifetimes. Why shouldn't particle physics fans do the same? With that in mind, in our April issue we asked readers to help us put together the first particle physics life list.
When Fermilab Director Pier Oddone asked me to join a group to consider possible intermediate-term accelerator-based physics opportunities at Fermilab in case construction of the International Linear Collider does not proceed on the proposed timeline, I was pleased to participate.
I've heard it said that culture is the opposite of nature. For me, that highlights the remarkable richness of particle physics. The “nature" of particle physics (the science) is a deep, complex mine of concepts and discoveries.
In 1967, 400 enthusiastic scientists met at Argonne National Laboratory to discuss plans to build a new 200 GeV accelerator and a national laboratory to house it.
Before conversion to a superconducting magnet, the Fermi Chicago Cyclotron Magnet (symmetry, Dec 2006) was used in the Neutrino Area as an analyzing magnet for muons.
Congratulations to 12-year-old Austin Ellsworth on his fun model of a linear accelerator (symmetry, Mar 2007). However, using antimatter for fueling spaceships or energy storage, as in Dan Brown's book Angels and Demons, will never happen.
Bird watchers have life lists of sightings. We think fans of particle physics need a checklist of their own, full of not-to-be missed places, experiences, and artifacts.
Regarding “Masters of improv” (symmetry, April 2007) I have one question. The article quotes former Fermilab director Leon Lederman as saying, “ without explanation, we took the student's experiment apart. He started crying, as he should have.” Was the student compensated for his loss?
In the April 2007 edition a letter was printed debunking the idea of antimatter-powered spaceships. The argument was that since antimatter is so difficult and expensive to produce, this use is impractical.
Sudoku is so 2005, but this logic puzzle still has plenty of fans. Invented in 1979 by an American, the puzzle really took off in Japan. In the years since, it has distracted aficionados daily, appearing in the pages of newspapers worldwide alongside the traditional crossword puzzle.
The problem: How to get short-lived radioactive drugs from the nuclear physics lab that makes them to a hospital 2.5 kilometers away, on the far side of a busy campus, in two minutes flat.
When objects weighing thousands of pounds have to be moved, the call goes out to riggers— specialized teams that work with hoists and cranes. They’re required to wear proper safety gear; and at some point, the riggers at SLAC decided to make a statement with their helmets.
