Archive

04/03/24

SLAC completes construction of the largest digital camera ever built for astronomy

Once set in place atop a telescope in Chile, the 3,200-megapixel LSST Camera will help researchers better understand dark matter, dark energy and other mysteries of our universe.

Illustration of a plane landing at the South Pole

03/26/24

A harsh environment for life, an ideal environment for research

The Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel recently recommended, among their top priorities for the next decade, moving forward with two experiments based at the South Pole.

Illustration of three physics-related tarot cards, labeled Proton-Proton, Muon and Plasma-Wakefield

03/19/24

A trio of paths toward the discovery machine of the future

An advisory committee recommends the US work to advance three key areas of emerging accelerator technology.

Maxim Marchevsky (left) and Soren Prestemon discussing an experimental setup to test the sensitivity of a temperature monitoring system for a high temperature superconducting magnet.

03/11/24

Preventing magnet meltdowns before they can start

Berkeley Lab researchers are developing an approach to avoid sudden, potentially destructive energy releases in a new generation of superconducting magnets.

Illustration of a woman wearing headphones

03/05/24

Ears around the world are on The Coldest Case

Particle Mysteries, a podcast released by the Interactions Collaboration, illuminates the international search for dark matter through conversations with its inquirers.

02/27/24

From the LHC to the search for exoplanets

A scientist tried using machine-learning techniques from particle physics to analyze data from astronomy—and in the process discovered a new exoplanet.

Wan-Lin Hu is seen talking with talks with accelerator systems operator Kabir Lubana in the lab’s main Accelerator Control Room.

02/20/24

A day in the life of a human-in-the-loop engineer

Wan-Lin Hu’s job is to improve the way people and artificial intelligence collaborate to run SLAC’s complex machines.

02/13/24

LIGO comes to India

In India, scientists are building a new LIGO detector, enhancing the capabilities of the observatory that reported the first observation of gravitational waves.

02/06/24

From life experience to research experience

A former retail worker finds the confidence to pursue a career in STEM thanks to an internship program designed for students at small colleges.

Construction workers created two colossal caverns for the gigantic particle detector modules of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment

02/01/24

Excavation of colossal caverns for Fermilab’s DUNE experiment completed

The excavation of the caverns that will house the gigantic particle detectors of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment in Lead, South Dakota, is complete.

01/30/24

CMS scientists expand search for new particles at the Large Hadron Collider

CMS scientists are analyzing the first dataset gathered through a new tool designed to search for long-lived particles.

Members of the PIP-II team from Fermilab and STFC UKRI stand in front of the prototype HB650 cryomodule at Daresbury Laboratory

01/23/24

PIP-II team transports first cryomodule between UK and Fermilab

The United Kingdom will eventually contribute three assembled cryomodules—known as HB650 for the radio frequency they use to operate—to Fermilab’s new particle accelerator.

01/18/24

A day in the life of a mountaintop telescope builder

Margaux Lopez is one of a team of engineers preparing the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile for the arrival of the largest digital camera ever built for astrophysics and cosmology.

Conceptual illustration of a generation ship flying through space

01/09/24

Science fiction inspires a new astrophysics university class

A professor at the University of Tennessee reimagines the way we teach STEM with a science-fiction story-based class.

01/08/24

Final supernova results from Dark Energy Survey offer unique insights into the expansion of the universe

In the culmination of a decade’s worth of effort, the DES collaboration of scientists analyzed an unprecedented sample of more than 1,500 supernovae classified using machine learning.

Illustration of a woman unveiling the bust of a female scientist

12/19/23

Bringing eclipsed women of astronomy and physics into the light

In Her Space, Her Time, physicist Shohini Ghose elucidates the stories of women scientists who contributed to and led some of the biggest breakthroughs in astronomy and physics.