Fermilab Today Friday, April 30, 2010
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Friday, April 30
3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
4 p.m.
Joint Experimental-Theoretical Physics Seminar - One West
Speaker: Andrei Gritsan, Johns Hopkins University
Title: The Power of Spin Correlations: From B-Decays to Higgs and Beyond at the LHC

Monday, May 3
2:30 p.m.
Particle Astrophysics Seminar - Curia II
Speaker: Jack Singal, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Title: The Cosmic Radio Background: Recent Measurement and Implications
3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
4 p.m.
All Experimenters' Meeting - Curia II
Special Topic: New Collaring and Coil Pre-Stress Limit for a Nb3Sn Magnet

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Wilson Hall Cafe

Friday, April 30
- Breakfast: Chorizo burrito
- Old-fashioned ham & bean soup
- Philly-style chicken
- Chicken pot pie
- Baked fish over rice
- Roasted veggie & provolone panini
- Assorted sliced pizza
- Baked potatoes

Wilson Hall Cafe Menu

Chez Leon

Wednesday, May 5
Lunch
- Crepes w/ Black Forest ham & gruyere
- Cabbage salad
- Chocolate mousse w/butter cookies

Thursday, May 6
Dinner
- Pear and parmesan salad
- Steak au poivre
- Potato gratin
- Haricots verts
- Soufflé glace au grand marnier

Chez Leon Menu
Call x3524 to make your reservation.

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Photos of the Day

DESY Director General
Helmut Dosch tours Fermilab

From left: Fermilab's Rich Stanek, Jerry Leibfritz, Bob Kephart and Sergei Nagaitsev give DESY Director General Helmut Dosch a tour of the SRF facilities at Fermilab.

On April 14, DESY Director General Helmut Dosch visited Fermilab and gave a colloquium about research at the German physics laboratory. On a tour of Fermilab's SRF facilities, Dosch saw the first accelerator cryomodule with 1.3 GHz superconducting cavities assembled at the laboratory (above). DESY and INFN provided the cavities and cryogenic components for the cryomodule, and Fermilab engineers and technicians worked with them to assemble it. The cryomodule now is at the New Muon Laboratory building, where it will become part of a test accelerator. Fermilab is working with U.S. industry to manufacture additional cryomodules for the test accelerator.

Dosch also toured the MP9 building on the Fermilab site, where he learned about the laboratory's clean room and superconducting cavity assembly. Welders use a special chamber (below, right) to attach the helium vessel to a cavity. Technicians eventually take each "dressed" and tested cavity into the clean room (below, left) and assemble several cavities into a string, which becomes the heart of an accelerator cryomodule.

--Kurt Riesselmann

Fermilab's Tug Arkan explains to DESY Director General Helmut Dosch the assembly of superconducting cavities in a clean room at the MP9 building.
Special Announcement

Consolidating assessments

To ensure that the best work is being done at Fermilab and to confirm that the laboratory is meeting its contractual requirements as well as applicable laws, regulations and DOE directives, the laboratory does management and independent assessments. Each assessment evaluates a system, program or process in a limited time.

While those assessments are necessary to identify strengths, areas needing improvement and potential problems, assessments can sometimes overlap.

To streamline the assessment process, the Advisory Council on Integrated Assurance and the Office of Quality and Best Practices are examining whether Fermilab can reduce the number of assessments, which would use fewer resources and reduce the burden on the laboratory.

To determine whether they can consolidate assessments, members of the Office of Quality and Best Practices and the Quality Assurance Representatives in each division, section and center are helping figure out how many assessments Fermilab currently conducts, how often they happen and what those assessments look at. From this data they hope to find opportunities to consolidate multiple assessments into a single event or eliminate the need to perform them at all.

Please help these people if they contact you for information about assessments in your group or area, as it may benefit you and your organization.

If you have any questions regarding Fermilab assessment and consolidation assessment programs please contact your QAR or the Office of Quality and Best Practices.

--Susan Rahimpour

In the News

Hasty switch for space magnet

From Nature News, April 28, 2010

Longer-lasting part could make cosmic-ray detector less sensitive.

Fifteen years into the development of a US$2-billion experiment to detect cosmic rays, its designers have abruptly changed course. Less than six months before the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) is due to fly out to the International Space Station, they swapped the superconducting magnet at the heart of the seven-tonne particle detector for a weaker, permanent magnet. AMS researchers say the swap will preserve the sensitivity of the experiment and extend its lifetime. But some physicists say that problems with the superconducting magnet forced the swap, and fear that it could hamper the ability of the AMS to find evidence of dark matter, thought to make up 85 percent of the Universe's mass.

Read more

Recovery Act

Blasting at NOvA complete

Construction crews recently completed the roof over the loading dock area at the future site of the NOvA neutrino experiment, as shown in this photograph taken April 18. Crews also finished blasting granite to clear an area measuring about 50 by 70 by 350 feet for the detector facility. On Tuesday, they will pour the first concrete in the cleared area. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will recognize the NOvA experiment during the state's annual fishing opener the weekend of May 14. Photo by Dan Traska of Einarson Flying Service.
From symmetry breaking

April 2010 issue of symmetry now online

In this issue:

Plus: A new school of physics in Africa; the now-you-see-it, now-you-don't quantum art of Julian Voss-Andreae; a little-known product of particle accelerators that lives inside your house, your office and your car; a giddy fan collects physics autographs; the neutrino explained in 60 seconds; and more.

A pdf of the issue is available for download here.

In the News

Fermilab effort results in new International Standard

From CD Tracks, April 2010

High-energy physicists commonly use fairly complicated mathematical functions-things like Bessel and Neumann functions and Laguerre and Legendre polynomials-to perform data analysis, simulations activities, and other calculations. Although these functions have been available in software libraries for years, finding and using them has not been straightforward, and reusing code has been cumbersome. Because of this, scientists have often opted to write code themselves.

Noting that C++ is what he believes is the lingua franca of high-energy physics, Walter Brown from the CD Computing Enabling Technologies group has been acting as Project Editor for an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) project to develop a C++ standard for these mathematical special functions.

Last month, the ISO approved a proposal to publish these functions as International Standard 29124, "Extensions to the C++ Library to Support Mathematical Special Functions."

Read more

Announcements

ACU presents "Retirement Planning for Women"

National Day of Prayer observance May 6

NALWO Children's Playgroup international party - May 14

NALWO Spring Tea - May 20

Muscle Toning by Bod Squad - May 6

Tennis anyone? Outdoor singles league begins May 3

Outdoor soccer league - May 4

English country dancing - May 2

Next yoga session begins May 4

Celebrate National Humor Month

Toastmasters meet in cafeteria - May 4

IMAP users: Configure your e-mail client by May 5

Fermilab celebrates National Lab Day 2010 May 3-7

Fermilab Arts Series presents Leo Kottke - May 8

FORE! The 2010 golf season is about to hit you

SciTech summer camps start June 14

Butts & Guts class - sign up now

Employee discount at Batavia Rosati's

Country House discount for Fermilab employees

Qi Gong, Mindfulness and Tai Chi Easy for Stress Reduction

Fermilab Arts Series presents Corky Siegel and Chamber Blues - June 26

AutoCAD Intermediate classes - June 22 - 24

AutoCAD Fundamentals class - June 8 - 10

Calling all softball players

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