Press Room


03-10
June 27, 2003

For immediate release

Press Contact:
Kurt Riesselmann, Fermilab, 630-840-3351

Fermilab offers tour of magnet factory on July 13

Registration required by July 11

BATAVIA, Ill.--Technicians at the Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory build some of the most powerful magnets in the world. On Sunday, July 13, at 1 p.m. visitors can take a behind-the-scenes tour of the facilities in which Fermilab produces and tests large-scale magnets. Advance registration for the program, which is free of charge, is required by Friday, July 11, at noon.

The two-hour program will focus on the construction of 18-foot-long magnetic coils that are produced for a new particle accelerator in Geneva, Switzerland, and Fermilab’s R&D efforts to advance the technology. Throughout the program scientists are on hand to answer questions.

The technology behind the Fermilab magnets is also used in state-of-the-art magnets for Magnet Resonance Imaging (MRI) applications in medical centers. Both types of magnets rely on superconductivity, allowing magnetic coils to conduct currents without any electrical resistance. The Fermilab magnets are operated at ultracold temperatures close to minus 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and the superconducting wires conduct currents of more than 10,000 amps. The magnets weigh about 11,000 pounds and are about 20 times stronger than the material used in refrigerator magnets.

Participation in the program is limited. Visitors need to call 630-840-5588 or 630-840-3351 during business hours to register. The minimum age for participation is 10 years.

Fermilab is a national laboratory funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy, operated by Universities Research Association, Inc.

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last modified 6/27/2003   email Fermilab

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