LHC to restart in 2009

A view inside sector 3-4 of the LHC tunnel at the site of the Sept. 19 malfunction.

CERN today confirmed that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will restart in 2009. This news forms part of an updated report, published today, on the status of the LHC following a malfunction on 19 September.

"The top priority for CERN today is to provide collision data for the experiments as soon as reasonably possible," said CERN Director General Robert Aymar. "This will be in the summer of 2009."

The initial malfunction was caused by a faulty electrical connection between two of the accelerator's magnets. This resulted in mechanical damage and release of helium from the magnet cold mass into the tunnel. Proper safety procedures were in force, the safety systems performed as expected, and no one was put at risk.

Detailed studies of the malfunction have allowed the LHC’s engineers to identify means of preventing a similar incident from reoccurring in the future, and to design new protection systems for the machine. A total of 53 magnet units have to be removed from the tunnel for cleaning or repair, of these, 28 have already been brought to the surface and the first two replacement units have been installed in the tunnel. The current schedule foresees the final magnet being reinstalled by the end of March 2009, with the LHC being cold and ready for powering tests by the end of June 2009.

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Focus groups ongoing - RSVP!

Focus groups examining the laboratory workplace are in full swing. If you received an e-mail invitation, PLEASE RESPOND if you haven't yet done so. Questions: call the Perspectives Group at (703) 837-1195.

Oddone, Bollinger accept environmental award

Roads and Grounds employee Dave Shemanske, center, presents DOE's Fermi Site Office Deputy Manager Mark Bollinge, left, and Fermilab Director Pier Oddone with a natural landscaping award on Dec. 4. Shemanske accepted the award on behalf of the laboratory last month from the Chicago Wilderness Congress and the U.S. EPA. The award was given for conversion of a sewage treatment area on site into a natural marsh. Learn more about the Nepese Marsh Restoration Project here.

Laboratory releases Physics Advisory Committee report

Fermilab has released the latest report from the Physics Advisory Commitee, an advisory group that recommends direction to the laboratory's leadership regarding future experiments and programs.

The Fermilab Physics Advisory Committee considered at its fall session ways to keep and grow a dynamic, diversified science program. The meeting focused on R&D for future experiments.

Topics specifically considered during the Nov. 3-5 meeting included Fermilab's role on CMS, the long-baseline neutrino program anticipated for DUSEL, the mu2e experiment and the Joint Dark Energy Mission. The committee reviewed a proposal for a mu2e experiment and recommended Stage I approval. Stage I approval, which has been granted by the Laboratory, means that the experiment's physics goals are important for the field, and the proposed techniques are appropriate for that stage. Then, the experiment and Laboratory can proceed to develop a more detailed plan and pursue funding.

Throughout the laboratory's history, the PAC has analyzed proposals for experiments and potential programs and helped the laboratory to define its strategic plan. Senior scientists from universities and high-energy physics laboratories in the U.S. and abroad comprise the PAC.

"The theorists and experimentalists on the committee offer both breadth of vision and depth of experience," said Jeff Appel, assistant director at Fermilab and the committee's secretary.

The charge to the PAC and the committee's comments and recommendations are now available from links on the PAC Web page.

The PAC's next meeting is scheduled for March 5-7, 2009.