Fermilab Today Friday, December 21, 2007
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Friday, Dec. 21
3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
4 p.m.
Joint Experimental-Theoretical Physics Seminar - One West
Speaker: J. Velkovska, Vanderbilt University
Title: Flow and Wake in the Quark-Gluon Liquid Produced at RHIC

Happy Holidays!

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

Weather

WeatherDrizzle 39°/36°

Extended Forecast
Weather at Fermilab

Current Security Status

Secon Level 3

Wilson Hall Cafe
Friday, Dec. 21
- Cream of wild mushroom
- Blackened fish filet sandwich
- Southern fried chicken
- Tuna casserole
- Eggplant parmesan panini
- Assorted pizza slices
- Assorted sub sandwich

Wilson Hall Cafe Menu

Chez Leon

Wednesday, Dec. 26
Lunch
- Closed

Thursday, Dec. 27
Dinner
- Closed

Chez Leon Menu
Call x4598 to make your reservation.

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Info

Fermilab Today is online at:
www.fnal.gov/today/

Send comments and suggestions to:
today@fnal.gov

Special Announcement

All Hands video link available

The FY08 omnibus budget bill, expected to become law this week, will have a significant impact on Fermilab. Fermilab Director Pier Oddone discussed the implications of the proposed FY08 federal budget and what it means for the laboratory at an All Hands meeting Thursday morning.

Video is now available via video stream.

In the News

Federal budget impact on Fermilab and HEP

The FY08 federal budget, which is expected to pass later this week, eliminates $90 million in funding for High Energy Physics. As outlined in a recent Director's Corner, the diminished funds will have a powerful impact on Fermilab.

Below is a selection of recent In the News stories that reflect the impact that the budget could have on Fermilab.


Fermi layoffs: 200 to lose jobs
From Chicago Sun-Times,
Dec. 21, 2007
Read More

Fermi to start 200 layoffs
From Kane County Chronicle,
Dec. 21, 2007
Read More

Mayors lobby to stop Fermilab layoffs
From Daily Herald,
Dec. 21, 2007
Read More

Fermilab cuts loom; collider work to halt
From Chicago Tribune,
Dec. 21, 2007
Read More

See all related news stories here
Feature

The Tracker's Midnight Ride

The CMS tracker gets used to it's new home. Image courtesy of Michael Hoch, Adventure Art.

Under a starry sky just before midnight on Dec. 12, a truck carrying the CMS experiment's silicon tracker pulled out of the main CERN site. It began its 10-mile voyage to the underground experiment hall for the CMS detector. At 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 16 the team of scientists bolted the tracker into place.

The silicon tracker comprises 10 million silicon strips that will detect particles created in the LHC's proton collisions, and specialized electronics to select and send data to computers for storage and analysis.

"The silicon strip detector operates like a high-speed camera capable of taking 40 million images of elementary particles each second," said Slawek Tkaczyk of Fermilab, leader of the tracker electronics team.

The tracker's journey across the LHC-ring took three hours. "This was like having their baby crawl to CMS," said Joel Butler said of Fermilab, U.S. CMS project manager. "When it got there, you could see the relief of everyone involved."

At 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 13, the tracker began its 260-foot descent. Motion sensors monitored shaking to prevent damage to the detector. By 3:05 p.m., it rested safely on the cavern floor.

The next morning, Dec. 14, a team hoisted the tracker to align it with the detector. Next on Dec. 15, technicians stripped off its seal and introduced it into CMS. By 1:30 a.m. Dec. 16, scientists secured the tracker in place and toasted with champagne.

"This is a major milestone for CMS, marking the completion of the silicon tracker and the completion of the central CMS detector," said Jeff Spalding of Fermilab, co-leader for the final integration of the silicon tracker. "It is also a major personal milestone for the many U.S. physicists, engineers and technicians who worked on the project."

The silicon tracker group is eager to connect the tracker to the cooling and electronics at CMS in January and to commission full system ready for physics. The successful installation of the tracker in its new home brings CMS that much closer to the first proton collisions in mid-2008.

--Katie McAlpine

ILC Newsline

Omnibus is ominous

Barry Barish

Our plan this week was to make this issue of ILC NewsLine a thematic one, highlighting progress on Superconducting Radiofrequency R&D, the central technology for the International Linear Collider. It would have made a very nice final edition for this calendar year, but unfortunately new events that imperil the future course of the ILC must be addressed instead. Last week, I wrote a special Director's Update on the UK's Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) decision to "cease investment in the International Linear Collider." This week, in an independent action, the US Congress put together an "Omnibus Funding Bill" for fiscal year 2008 that will be signed into law within days. The very bad news is that this bill drastically cuts the level of funding for Department of Energy ILC R&D to one quarter the proposed amount for FY08. Details are described in the news articles in today's NewsLine. I will confine my remarks here to putting this funding action into context.

Read more

Photos of the Day

US CMS completes forward pixels detector

Two Fermilab PPD technicians, Dave Butler and Wanda Newby, traveled to CERN to install the CMS forward pixels detector half-disks that were recently completed at Fermilab. The actual half-disks are seen in their installed positions.

The CMS forward pixels detector group. The group recently completed the last two half-disks. The Pixels detector will contain four half-cylinders, assembled upstream and downstream of the proton-proton LHC interaction point. Inside each cylinder will be two half-disks filled with pixel detectors called plaquettes mounted on plates. The pixels will track charged particles flying out of the experiment.

Announcement

Medical Department closed next week, reopens Jan. 2

The Medical Department will be closed from 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 21 until 7 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 2. During this period the Fire Department will handle onsite injuries. Anyone with even non-serious work-related injuries should report to the Fire Department. Fire Department personnel will evaluate the injury and administer any necessary first aid. If necessary, they will ask the individual to report to an offsite medical facility for further evaluation and treatment, or transport the individual to a local hospital emergency room.

Workers may go to any medical facility, although we recommend that employees use Provena Mercy Occupational Health, Tyler Occupational Health, Dreyer Occupational Health, or Dreyer Urgent Care because of pre-existing arrangements with these organizations further information.

Personnel should inform offsite medical personnel whether they believe their condition is work-related or not. In addition, any employee who incurs an occupational injury/illness should notify the Medical Department as soon as possible. If the office is closed, leave a voice mail message at (630)840-3232 and/or send an e-mail.

Announcements

Have a safe day!

Today is an Air Pollution Action Day
The Partners for Clean Air and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency are issuing an Air Pollution Action Day today. Check www.cleantheair.org for updates and tips on reducing impact.

Payroll Department and Cashier's Office closings
The Payroll Department will close at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 21 and reopen at 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 2. The Cashier's Office will close at 4 p.m. on Dec. 21 and reopen at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 2.

Lederman Science Center closings
Lederman Science Center will be closed from Monday, Dec. 24, through Tuesday, Jan. 1. It will reopen on Wednesday, Jan. 2, at 8:30 a.m.

Classifieds
New classified ads have been posted on Fermilab Today.

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