Monday, July 8, 2013
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Have a safe day!

Monday, July 8

PARTICLE ASTROPHYSICS SEMINARS WILL RESUME IN THE FALL

3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over

4 p.m.
All Experimenters' Meeting - Curia II
Special Topics: LARP Report, MTA Report

Tuesday, July 9

Noon
Undergraduate Lecture Series - One West
Speaker: Mark Pankuch, Central Dupage Hospital
Title: Cancer Treatment with Particle Beams

3 p.m.
Farewell reception for Young-Kee Kim - Wilson Hall atrium

3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over

4 p.m.
Accelerator Physics and Technology Seminar - One West
Speaker: Roger Jones, The Cockcroft Institute and the University of Manchester
Title: Accelerator Structures for High-Gradient Linac Applications

Click here for NALCAL,
a weekly calendar with links to additional information.

Ongoing and upcoming conferences at Fermilab

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Weather Thunderstorms
88°/71°

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Weather at Fermilab

Current Security Status

Secon Level 3

Current Flag Status

Flags at full staff

Wilson Hall Cafe

Monday, July 8

- Breakfast: pancake sandwich
- Breakfast: sausage, egg and cheese croissant
- Philly chicken sandwich
- Smart cuisine: herbed pot roast
- Spaghetti and meatballs
- Garden beef wrap
- Buffalo chicken salad
- Creole jambalaya
- Minestrone soup
- Texas-style chili
- Assorted pizza by the slice

Wilson Hall Cafe menu

Chez Leon

Wednesday, July 10
Lunch
Guest chef: Teri Traum Welsh
- Grilled shrimp and tri-melon salad
- Guacamole and grilled-garlic toast
- Pear caflouti

Friday, July 12
Dinner
- Minted orange, fennel and red-onion salad
- Grilled lamb chops with hot red-pepper relish
- Lemon tarragon green beans
- Toasted bulgur with corn and tomatoes
- Individual berry cobbler with spiced cream

Chez Leon menu
Call x3524 to make your reservation.

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From symmetry

Secrets of the early universe

Planck, the space telescope that this year revealed unprecedentedly detailed information about the early universe, is just getting started. Image: Sandbox Studio

If you had eyes that could see all photons, not just the ones in the visible part of the spectrum, you would be able to see that between the bright stars and galaxies, a faint background light made of microwaves pervades the universe, streaming toward you from all directions at all times.

The Planck telescope has just such a pair of eyes.

Earlier this year, Planck scientists used this light to take a detailed "baby picture" of the universe, revealing that the universe is older and contains more matter than previously thought. And as if that leap in understanding isn't enough, Planck has even more data up its sleeve.

A flash of light
The faint glow that Planck sees between the stars and the galaxies formed long ago when the universe was about 370,000 years old. Back then, before there were stars or planets, a fog of hydrogen plasma and radiation filled the universe. As the then very hot, very dense universe expanded, things cooled enough for protons and electrons to combine to form atoms. This made the universe transparent for the first time, allowing light to travel relatively unhindered over great distances.

It also unleashed a flash of radiation imprinted with the topography of the universe at that very moment: the cosmic microwave background.

By looking at the distribution of irregularities in this shadow-version of the early universe, researchers seek to deduce the conditions of the universe at that time and understand the laws governing its dynamics.

A rapid expansion
Earlier this year, scientists on the Planck space mission released the most detailed map ever of the cosmic microwave background. In its tiny temperature fluctuations—which correspond to density fluctuations in the early universe—researchers discovered that the universe contains slightly more matter and less dark energy than previously thought. It also revealed that the universe is about 100 million years older and its rate of expansion is slower than previously determined.

The map also shows how matter is distributed in the universe, and gives credence to theories that random processes were at work during the epoch in which the universe expanded rapidly. This favors simpler theories of that inflation over more complex ones.

This new information is helping researchers test detailed models of how the universe formed and evolved—models that have implications for what will happen in the future as well.

Read more

Sarah Khan

Photo of the Day

IARC in the morning sun

The Sun rises over the IARC Office, Technical and Education Building. Photo: Katie Kosirog, ESH&Q
In Brief

Workshop at Fermilab: She's Got It: A Woman's Guide to Saving and Investing

On July 24 from 3:30 to 5 p.m., TIAA-CREF will host a workshop on saving and investing in Wilson Hall, One North. You will learn strategies for planning a successful financial future, including:

  • the core concepts that guide all investing: how to get motivated, build a plan and take action.
  • how to take on life's challenges without damaging future financial well-being.
  • discovering more about yourself with the Financial Personality Type Quiz
  • breaking down what your real goals are and learning how to reach them via group activities.

Light refreshments will be provided. Space is limited, so register today.

In the News

China's strategy on next-generation high-energy electron-positron colliders discussed

From LC NewsLine, June 27, 2013

From 12 to 14 June, the 464th Fragrant Hill Science Conference on "The Next-generation High Energy Electron Positron Collider - Current Situation and Future Strategy" was held in the Beijing Fragrant Hill Hotel. Thirty-five front-line scientists from theoretical physics, experimental physics, detectors and accelerators from eleven institutes in China joined the conference.

The meeting started with a keynote speech from Yifang Wang, IHEP Director and Linear Collider Board member. Wang pointed out that "the next-generation high-energy electron-positron collider is the forefront of high-energy physics; it has decisive significance in science and technology in general, and China can't be absent."

Read more

Tip of the Week: Health

Save your skin this summer

Summer heat is here, so take the necessary precautions to save your skin from sun damage.

A suntan may look attractive, but skin damage and cancer can leave behind a permanent reminder of summers past. Some simple measures can help save your skin from ultraviolet-light medium waves (UVB), which cause sun burns, and long waves (UVA), which accelerate skin aging.

The best precaution is to monitor when you expose your skin to sun. High-risk times are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., as UVB intensity peaks then. When in doubt about the local UV peak, apply this rule of thumb: If your shadow is shorter than your height, be wary of sun exposure.

Also, don't be fooled by clouds, which may make it appear that the threat from the sun has dissipated. Under the right conditions, UV radiation may in fact increase on shady days over what would be present on a clear day. Water and sand also reflect UV light, increasing risks even in areas that appear shaded.

When you do go outside, make sure to take precautions by covering your skin or using sunblock. The American Academy of Dermatology advises use of a sun protection factor (better known as SPF) of at least 15, and dermatologists prefer formulations of sunblock that block UVA and UVB. The academy's website has a list of what ingredients block these rays. Some ingredients in some sunblocks can break down after an hour of sun exposure. Some controversy exists as to whether the secondary chemicals formed in the product's breakdown present a danger. Solid blocks such as zinc or titanium oxide provide the most protection without a chemical breakdown.

Remember that there is a diminishing return in terms of actual UVB blocked with the increase in SPF. An SPF of 2, 15 and 30 will screen 50, 93 and 97 percent of the UVB respectively. An ounce—about one shot glass' worth—of product is needed to cover typically exposed skin surfaces. Sunblock should be applied 15 to 20 minutes before sun exposure. Any product should be reapplied every two hours and more frequently if the skin becomes wet or if you sweat.

Brian Svazas, M.D., M.P.H.

Accelerator Update

Accelerator update, July 3, 2013

Shims placed near the ends of a Recycler magnet help shift the Recycler beam's base tune and chromaticity. Photo: Bruce Worthel, AD

Linac and Booster:
Operators ran and tuned Linac and Booster beam over the weekend of June 28.

Main Injector and Recycler:
RF experts began running the Main Injector RF system, and operators have been monitoring the run. Main Injector tunnel work continues. First beam to circle the Main Injector is scheduled for this month.

Operators installed all the Recycler focusing and defocusing gradient magnet shims—for 213 magnets in all. The shims affect the field at the end of the magnet, helping shift the Recycler beam's base tune and chromaticity.

View the AD Operations Department schedule.

Announcements

Today's New Announcements

Fall and spring onsite housing requests now accepted

Budker Seminar - today

Registration for FEMA assistance due July 9

NALWO event: How to create your own terrarium - July 12

Inside Money: Managing income and debt workshop being offered by TIAA-CREF - July 12

Behavioral interviewing course scheduled for July 18

Fermilab Prairie Plant Survey (Quadrat Study) - July 19

NALWO potluck supper - July 19

Chris Lintott: How to Discover a Planet From Your Sofa - July 19

What's Your Financial IQ Challenge runs from July 1 - 31

July EAP webinar

Summer intern Friday tours

Puppet Fundamentals course offered in September

Same-sex couples now eligible for immigration benefits

Martial arts

BuZheng Qigong & Tai Chi Easy

English country dancing at Kuhn Barn

Scottish country dancing meets Tuesday evenings in Auditorium

International folk dancing in Auditorium for summer