Zhite Yu has been awarded the 2024 J.J. and Noriko Sakurai Dissertation Award in Theoretical Particle Physics. The award was presented to Yu at the APS April Meeting in Sacramento, where he also delivered a talk about his work.
Accelerator scientists at Jefferson Lab have used an enhanced topographic analysis toolkit they developed to show that it not only successfully predicts particle accelerator component performance, but also points toward even better surface treatments not yet tested on a large scale.
As a longtime partner of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Jefferson Lab has been supplying sections of particle accelerator called cryomodules – the supercooled behemoths that propel particles to near the speed of light for scientific research – for the Proton Power Upgrade (PPU) of the Spallation Neutron Source.
Jefferson Lab accelerator physicists are partnering with Fermilab, Florida International University, General Atomics and others to further develop compact, high-power, and energy-efficient SRF accelerators for work in industrial settings.
From televisions to X-ray machines, many modern technologies are enabled by electrons that have been juiced up by a particle accelerator. Now, Jefferson Lab has teamed up with General Atomics and other partners to unlock even more applications. The team has designed, built and successfully tested a prototype of a key component of particle accelerators that could enable novel industrial applications of accelerators.
Nuclear physicists with Jefferson Lab have shattered a nearly 30-year-old record for precision in electron beam polarimetry. The groundbreaking result sets the stage for high-profile experiments that could open the door to new physics discoveries.
New research conducted by nuclear physicists at Jefferson Lab is using a method that connects theories of gravitation to interactions among the smallest particles of matter.
A multidisciplinary team led by Jefferson Lab and including imec, NY CREATES, and Cornell University has been selected by DOE to advance a superconducting approach to advanced computer chip technology.
Today, the City of Newport News announced the transfer of the Applied Research Center to Jefferson Lab and the Department of Energy. The announcement was made in a ribbon-tying ceremony for the building. Renovation work on the ARC is planned over the next four years.
A team of scientists from Jefferson Lab and the University of Virginia have turned to machine learning in the quest to streamline beam tuning on the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility – and reduce accelerator downtime.
Jefferson Lab and Old Dominion University are launching a unique joint institute that will leverage the lab’s specialties in data science and computing in an effort to tackle the most pressing problems and disparities at the intersection of health and the environment in Hampton Roads.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is proud to announce nine new graduate fellowships for the 2023-2024 academic year, thanks to ongoing funding from Jefferson Science Associates. These fellowships offer students a unique opportunity to collaborate with leading nuclear physicists at Jefferson Lab and pursue advanced studies at their respective universities.
With a buoy of Inflation Reduction Act funding, Jefferson Lab is helping design and build a first-of-its-kind collider in New York to learn more about matter at the smallest scale.
The U.S. Department of Energy has just announced the selection of Jefferson Lab as the lead site for its new High Performance Data Facility. Partnering with Berkeley Lab, the HPDF will be a $300+ million computing facility that will provide transformational capabilities for data analysis, networking and storage for the nation’s research enterprise.
Jefferson Lab joins four other scientific research institutions in a collaborative research project that aims to measure the lifetime of spin polarization in particles used to fuel nuclear fusion. Here’s a look at Jefferson Lab’s role in the joint venture.
Staff and scientific users affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility came together on Friday, Oct. 6, for the rollout of “A New Era of Discovery: The 2023 Long Range Plan for Nuclear Science.” The document includes recommended research priorities for the next decade in nuclear physics.
An experiment to explore the 3D structures of nucleon resonances – excited states of protons and neutrons -- at Jefferson Lab offers critical insights into the basic building blocks of matter and has added one more puzzle piece to the vast picture of the chaotic, nascent universe that existed just after the Big Bang.
Peter Hurck has been searching for strange particles, named such because they contain strange quarks, since beginning work on his Ph.D. As the 2023 Jefferson Science Associates (JSA) Postdoctoral Prize winner, he’ll continue conducting data analyses to identify strange particles and learn about their properties at Jefferson Lab.
Allison Zec has been awarded the 2022 JSA Thesis Prize for recounting experiments that achieved the world record in the precise measurement of an electron beam’s polarization. Since 1999, the prize has been awarded to the top doctoral dissertation on research related to Jefferson Lab science. The prize is funded by the JSA Initiatives Fund program, which supports programs, initiatives and activities that further the scientific outreach and promote the science, education and technology missions of Jefferson Lab, and which benefit the laboratory’s scientific user community.
When the global pandemic put the kibosh on in-person events, Jefferson Lab sought alternatives for ensuring its world-class science and unique equipment remained accessible to interested publics. These efforts culminated in the Fall for Science Virtual Field Trip Event, which has been recognized by the Public Relations Society of America with three Anvil Awards.
The U.S. Department of Energy has selected Craig Ferguson to lead the Thomas Jefferson Site Office (TJSO) at Jefferson Lab in Newport News, Va. As TJSO manager, Ferguson will lead in the oversight and contract management of Jefferson Lab. Additionally, Donté Davis has been confirmed as TJSO deputy manager and will support the office’s wide range of oversight programs.
Jefferson Lab is now offering a new playlist called “Here’s a Question” as part of its long-running Frostbite Theater video series. In the “Here’s a Question” videos, longtime Frostbite Theater hosts Steve Gagnon and Joanna Griffin help viewers understand the scientific concepts underlying iron oxidation, magnetism and thermodynamics - and many more!
Jefferson Lab’s Superconducting Radiofrequency Operations team builds parts for accelerators around the world. Now, the team has achieved certification for its quality management system, signifying that the system meets the rigorous standards set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in its ISO 9001: 2015 standard.
The U.S. Department of Energy has given the greenlight for the MOLLER experiment to begin procurement of key components with its granting of Critical Decision-3A (CD-3A): Approve Long Lead Procurements. The determination allows the MOLLER project at Jefferson Lab to begin spending $9.14 million for long-lead procurements of critical items for which designs are complete. The MOLLER collaboration formed in 2006, and more than 100 physicists from more than 30 institutions are now involved. MOLLER will make a measurement of the electron’s weak charge that is five times more precise than any before. The electron’s weak charge is essentially how much influence the weak force exerts on the electron.
Shreyas Balachandran has been chosen to receive the ICMC Cryogenic Materials Award for Excellence, presented annually to an individual under 40 who has demonstrated innovation, impact and international recognition for their work in advancing the knowledge of cryogenic materials.
Stuart Henderson, director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, has again been named to the Hampton Roads Power List by Inside Business. According to Inside Business, the 2023 list salutes the people who are moving the needle for the Hampton Roads economy.
Experts in high-performance computing and data management are gathering in Norfolk next week for the 26th International Conference on Computing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (CHEP2023). Held approximately every 18 months, this high-impact conference will be held at the Norfolk Marriott Waterside in Norfolk, Va., May 8-12. CHEP2023 is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in nearby Newport News, Va. This is the first in-person CHEP conference to be held since 2019.
The Electron-Ion Collider Center at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (EIC Center at Jefferson Lab) has announced the winners of six new research fellowships. Over the next year, the fellows will work to advance the science program and further the research of the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). The EIC is a unique physics research facility dedicated to answering fundamental questions about nature’s building blocks.
Jefferson Sciences Associates (JSA) has announced the award of $558,060 through its JSA Initiatives Fund Program. The program supports projects by staff and scientific users at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The FY23 program awards leveraged over $800,000 in matching funds, and taken together, the program and matching awards total over $1.3 million. Project awards include scientific meeting support, education and career development, and outreach activities, all of which support the lab’s mission.
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory partnered early on to take on the design and construction of the Electron-Ion Collider. Now, Jefferson Lab is proud to announce it has appointed a dedicated EIC project manager: James Fast will lead Jefferson Lab’s EIC project team. The Electron-Ion Collider, to be built at Brookhaven, is led by EIC Project Director Jim Yeck and EIC Project Manager Luisella Lari.
Experts in nuclear physics and quantum information have demonstrated the application of a photon-number-resolving system to accurately resolve more than 100 photons. The feat is a major step forward in capability for quantum computing development efforts. It also may enable quantum generation of truly random numbers, a long-sought goal for developing unbreakable encryption techniques for applications in, for instance, military communications and financial transactions.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has been recognized with a gold-level GreenBuy Award for its purchase of environmentally friendly products in fiscal year 2022. This is the sixth year the lab has received the award. The GreenBuy Award Program honors DOE sites that go beyond the minimum requirements for purchasing products that are energy efficient, water efficient and recycled. Participating sites can qualify for three levels of the award: gold, silver and bronze.
In a unique analysis of experimental data, nuclear physicists have made the first-ever observations of how lambda particles, so-called “strange matter,” are produced by a specific process called semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS). What’s more, these data hint that the building blocks of protons, quarks and gluons, are capable of marching through the atomic nucleus in pairs called diquarks, at least part of the time.
If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a world-renowned research center for nuclear physics, now’s your chance to find out! With an interactive map, viewers can now virtually visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.
Nuclear physicists may have finally pinpointed where in the proton a large fraction of its mass resides. A recent experiment carried out at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has revealed the radius of the proton’s mass that is generated by the strong force as it glues together the proton’s building block quarks. The result was recently published in Nature.
Better methods for detecting and treating disease. Groundbreaking technologies for monitoring and blocking radiation. New techniques for removing forever chemicals from wastewater. These research and development activities and more are being pursued by innovators at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. And today, they are being brought together to form the lab’s new Biomedical Research & Innovation Center (BRIC).
A new project gearing up at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility will construct a new facility for equipment and materials.
Jefferson Lab has selected Tim Michalski to lead its Engineering Division as the Engineering Division Manager. In this role, Michalski oversees all aspects of the management and operation of the Engineering Division. The division includes more than 200 staff members and supports the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility and the lab’s growing project portfolio.
DOE's Jefferson Lab has hired Tisca Dorsey as a Director of Business and Finance. In this role, she will be primarily responsible for the development and implementation of the lab’s contracting approach and strategy. She took on this role Feb. 16.
Since it first went online more than 30 years ago, the Vertical Test Area at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has gotten used to superlatives. One of the biggest testbeds of its kind. The busiest. The most versatile.Now, the Vertical Test Area that was created to help build Jefferson Lab’s main particle accelerator has hit another milestone: In 2022, it conducted a mind-boggling 470 different superconducting radiofrequency accelerator cavity tests. In the rarified world of accelerators, that’s an Olympic-level achievement.
Jefferson Lab has appointed Gail Frayne as its new Chief Financial Officer. As CFO, Frayne is responsible for the development and implementation of Jefferson Lab’s financial strategy. She took on these new responsibilities Feb. 1.
Mexican-born physicist Carlos Hernandez-Garcia has been honored by the Mexican Community of Particle Accelerators with an inaugural award for outstanding contributions to Mexico’s particle accelerator community. The award was established and has been named in his honor.
Efforts to harness the power of supercomputers to better understand the hidden worlds inside the nucleus of the atom recently received a big boost. A project led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is one of three to split $35 million in grants from the DOE via a partnership program of DOE’s Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC). The $13 million project includes key scientists based at six DOE national labs and two universities, including Jefferson Lab, Argonne National Lab, Brookhaven National Lab, Oak Ridge National Lab, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Los Alamos National Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and William & Mary.
After an extensive international search, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has appointed Mark Jones as the new group leader of the lab’s Experimental Halls A and C. He began his tenure Nov. 1.
Computers help physicists solve complicated calculations. But some of these calculations are so complex, a regular computer is not enough. In fact, some advanced calculations tax even the largest supercomputers. Now, scientists at Jefferson Lab and William & Mary have developed MemHC, a new tool that uses memory optimization methods to allow GPU-based computers to calculate the structures of neutrons and protons ten times faster.
A new precision measurement of the proton’s electric polarizability performed at Jefferson Lab has confirmed an unexplained bump in the data. The proton’s electric polarizability shows how susceptible the proton is to deformation, or stretching, in an electric field. Like size or charge, the electric polarizability is a fundamental property of proton structure. The data bump was widely thought to be a fluke when seen in earlier measurements, so this new, more precise measurement confirms the presence of the anomaly and signals that an unknown facet of the strong force may be at work. The research has just been published in the journal Nature.
Scientists have begun turning to new tools offered by machine learning to help save time and money. In the past several years, nuclear physics has seen a flurry of machine learning projects come online, with many papers published on the subject. Now, 18 authors from 11 institutions summarize this explosion of artificial intelligence-aided work in “Machine Learning in Nuclear Physics,” a paper recently published in Reviews of Modern Physics.