The U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has appointed Patrick Carsten Achenbach as the new leader of Jefferson Lab’s Experimental Hall B. The appointment comes after an international search.
The protons and neutrons that build the nucleus of the atom frequently pair up. Now, a new high-precision experiment conducted at Jefferson Lab has found that these particles may pick different partners depending on how packed the nucleus is. The data also reveal new details about short-distance interactions between protons and neutrons in nuclei and may impact results from experiments seeking to tease out further details of nuclear structure.
What happens when a unique research machine breaks? The question isn’t academic. In April, sensors showed that a vacuum seal in Jefferson Lab's Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility had failed in a critical area of the injector – the chopper – where electrons are sorted by large copper cavities and directed for experiments. Without that vacuum seal, outside air we breathe will enter those cavities, contaminating the system and effectively crippling accelerator operations. An ad hoc team of experts from the accelerator and engineering divisions assembled to diagnose the situation and figure out how to fix it.
Take a break for lunch and nourish your brain with the latest in scientific discussions, presented by experts at Jefferson Lab. The second season of the lab’s summer series, Bite-Size Science, is now underway. The Bite-Size Science lunchtime lecture series features half-hour, live-streamed presentations on lab-related science, engineering and technology topics and presented by leaders in their fields. The presentations are tailored to non-scientists and are brief, free, and feature a chat feature for Q&A with the presenters.
Researchers have experimentally extracted the strength of the strong force, a quantity that firmly supports theories explaining how most of the mass or ordinary matter in the universe is generated. This quantity, known as the coupling of the strong force, describes how strongly two bodies interact or “couple” under this force. With Jefferson Lab data, the physicists were able to determine the strong force coupling at the largest distances yet.
The 2022 JSA Postdoctoral Prize winner, Arkaitz Rodas, characterizes lesser-known particles to help physicists understand what holds matter together. Rodas will characterize light mesons using computational mathematical tools for his prize-winning project.
How big is an atomic nucleus? How does the size of a nucleus relate to a neutron star? These tantalizing questions in physics were explored in a pair of experiments at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Now, a 2021 doctoral dissertation describing those experiments has just earned Devi Lal Adhikari the prestigious annual Jefferson Science Associates (JSA) Thesis Prize.
Alexander Austregesilo, a staff scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, has been awarded a research grant by the DOE Office of Science’s Early Career Research Program. He is one of 83 early career scientists awarded nationwide for the grant, which averages $2.5 million over five years.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has appointed Johnathon Huff as its Chief Operating Officer (COO). The COO is responsible for the business functions of Jefferson Lab, including business and finance, health and safety, human resources, procurement, facilities management, communications, legal and performance assurance. Huff will take on the responsibilities of this role in mid-June.
Two graduate students at Virginia universities who plan to conduct research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility have just received grants toward their projects. They are among 80 graduate students representing 27 states selected to receive support through the Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program’s 2021 Solicitation 2 cycle.
The director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Stuart Henderson, has just been named to the 2022 Hampton Roads Power List by Inside Business. According to the article, the list showcases “who’s who in terms of moving the needle for the economy in Hampton Roads, whether they be the decision-makers, the influencers and even some working behind the scenes.” This is Jefferson Lab Director Stuart Henderson’s fourth appearance on the list.
In conducting its research mission, the skilled and resourceful scientists and engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility generate ideas and technologies that have the potential to solve real-world problems. Now, with the establishment of its new Research and Technology Partnerships Office, the lab is expanding its capabilities to put the lab’s scientific and technological advances to work to the benefit of society. The Research and Technology Partnerships Office will ensure that intellectual property opportunities generated in support of the lab’s research mission receive the focus, support and outreach they need to reach the marketplace. She will also initiate and lead new programs related to the lab’s mission.
For nearly four decades, scientists have known that protons and neutrons cozily bundled up inside an atom’s nucleus are different from those roaming free in the cold emptiness of space. Now, for the first time, nuclear physicists at the Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility have shown that while both particles are altered by their residence inside a nucleus, they may be affected differently.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is welcoming Dr. Krishna Padiyar to the team as the new site Occupational Medicine director. Dr. Padiyar is joining the lab with more than 15 years of experience in his field.
Scientists are holding up a ‘mirror’ to protons and neutrons to learn more about the particles that build our visible universe. The MARATHON experiment, carried out at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, has accessed new details about these particles’ structures by comparing the so-called mirror nuclei, helium-3 and triton. The results were published today in Physical Review Letters.
Particle accelerators are among the hidden drivers of our modern world. From medical diagnostics and treatments to computer chip manufacturing and oil exploration to discovery sciences, the world’s more than 30,000 particle accelerators underlie many of our modern conveniences. Now, more students will soon have easier access to the unique job opportunities offered by these remarkable machines. The new Virginia Innovative Traineeships in Accelerators (VITA) is now accepting students. VITA is a partnership among four higher education and research institutions located in Hampton Roads, Va., including Old Dominion University, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Hampton University and Norfolk State University.
Latifa Elouadrhiri has been presented with the 2021 Jesse W. Beams Research Award, which recognizes especially significant or meritorious research in physics that has earned the critical acclaim of peers from around the world. The award was established by the Southeastern Section of the American Physical Society (SESAPS) in 1973. Elouadrhiri is only the second woman to receive it.
A newly invented detector is allowing physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility to “see” neutrons like never before. Fresh insight from these devices has improved operation of the lab’s powerful electron accelerator, which is used in nuclear physics studies of the atom’s nucleus.
Neutrinos may be the key to finally solving a mystery of the origins of our matter-dominated universe, and preparations for two major, billion-dollar experiments are underway to reveal the particles’ secrets. Now, a team of nuclear physicists have turned to the humble electron to provide insight for how these experiments can better prepare to capture critical information. GENIE is simulation framework made of many models that each help physicists reproduce certain aspects of interactions between neutrinos and nuclei to help understand their experimental results. Since so little is known about neutrinos, it’s difficult to directly test GENIE to ensure it will produce both accurate and high-precision results from the new data that will be provided by future neutrino experiments. In this study, the team used an electron-scattering version of GENIE, dubbed e-GENIE, to test the same incoming energy reconstruction algorithms that neutrino researchers will use. Instead of using neutrinos, the
Jefferson Lab has appointed David J. Dean as its Deputy Director for Science. This key leadership position oversees the science and technology aspects of the laboratory’s mission. Dean will take on the responsibilities of this role in January 2022.
Jefferson Lab has appointed Cynthia Keppel as Jefferson Lab’s Associate Director for Experimental Nuclear Physics. In this role, Keppel will oversee more than 170 Jefferson Lab staff members.
On Oct. 25, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility welcomed U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and honored guests for a short tour of the lab and briefing on its research mission and plans for the future.
Two researchers affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility have been selected by their peers for the distinct honor of Fellow of the American Physical Society. The APS announced its 2021 Fellows on Oct. 13.
A new measurement of the neutron skin in calcium reveals that heavier types of calcium nuclei are relatively thin-skinned. The new measurement, made by the 48Ca Radius EXperiment (CREX) collaboration at DOE’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, was presented at the 2021 Fall Meeting of the APS Division of Nuclear Physics of the American Physical Society. It is the first highly robust electroweak measurement of the neutron skin in a medium-weight nucleus, and it features a precision of about 0.025 millionths of a nanometer.
Accelerator scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility have developed a model for a cheaper and easier preparation method for getting better performance from particle accelerators. Further, preliminary tests of the new model show that it may soon provide scientists the ability to predict the best material preparation method for specific performance goals. The results from this study were recently published in Applied Physics Letters.
Andrew Jackura wants to know what we’re made of. Now, as the winner of the 2021 Jefferson Science Associates (JSA) Postdoctoral Prize, he’ll get the chance to find out. Jackura is a postdoctoral research scientist at Old Dominion University and a scientific user at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. His research focuses on the strong nuclear force, the fundamental force responsible for keeping all ordinary matter in the universe together, including us.
The proton was discovered just over a hundred years ago and has been intensely studied ever since. Yet, there’s still more to learn about this important building block of the visible universe. Now, work toward a better understanding of the proton carried out at the Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has earned Weizhi Xiong the 2020 Jefferson Science Associates (JSA) Thesis Prize.
The Electron-Ion Collider Center at the Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (EIC Center at Jefferson Lab) has announced the winners of six international fellowships to help advance the science program of the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC).
Thirteen universities working on a new experiment to be carried out at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility have recently been awarded new grants totaling more than $9 million. The grants come from the National Science Foundation and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, with a matching award for the CFI grant from Research Manitoba. The grants benefit the Measurement of a Lepton-Lepton Electroweak Reaction Experiment, called MOLLER.
Nuclear physicists have made a new, highly accurate measurement of the thickness of the neutron “skin” that encompasses the lead nucleus in experiments conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and just published in Physical Review Letters. The result, which revealed a neutron skin thickness of .28 millionths of a nanometer, has important implications for the structure and size of neutron stars.
A new project at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility will use a quantum simulator to model experiments at the Electron-Ion Collider. This device uses quantum computing to simulate carefully crafted models of experiments that are being proposed for the collider.
Elementary and middle school teachers are invited to register now to participate in the annual Virginia Region II Teacher Night hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility on April 14, 2021. The fully virtual event will allow educators to see demonstrations of new methods for teaching physical science concepts and safely meet and interact with their colleagues, all while they pick up one recertification point from the comfort of their own homes. Advance registration is required, and the event is open to all upper elementary and middle school teachers of physical science.
While protons populate the nucleus of every atom in the universe, sometimes they can be squeezed into a smaller size and slip out of the nucleus for a romp on their own. Observing these squeezed protons may offer unique insights into the particles that build our universe. Now, researchers hunting for these squeezed protons have come up empty-handed, suggesting there’s more to the phenomenon than first thought. The result was recently published in Physical Review Letters.
In honor of Hermann Grunder, the founding director of Jefferson Lab, and his contributions to accelerator science, the lab recently established the Hermann Grunder Postdoctoral Fellowship in Accelerator Science. Now, the first Hermann Grunder fellow, John Vennekate, has started work. He said he hopes to follow in the footsteps of his fellowship’s namesake to continue blazing a new trail for practical applications of superconducting accelerators.
A major injector upgrade at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility was well underway early last year when the pandemic hit, throwing scientists and their long-anticipated project for a loop. Literally overnight, they had to leave their desks, control room and colleagues behind and rapidly learn how to work together from the confines of their own homes.
Artificial intelligence is a game-changer in nuclear physics, able to enhance and accelerate fundamental research and analysis by orders of magnitude. DOE's Jefferson Lab is exploring the expanding synergy between nuclear physics and computer science as it co-hosts together with The Catholic University of America and the University of Maryland a virtual weeklong series of lectures and hands-on exercises Jan. 11-15 for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and even “absolute beginners.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned workplaces everywhere upside down, prompting countless brainstorming sessions on how to make work environments safer or whether jobs might be done just as well from home. Jefferson Lab technical designer Mindy Leffel says working from home during the pandemic has been a learning process, but has only motivated her to prove herself.
Operators of Jefferson Lab's primary particle accelerator are getting a new tool to help them quickly address issues that can prevent it from running smoothly. The machine learning system has passed its first two-week test, correctly identifying glitchy accelerator components and the type of glitches they’re experiencing in near-real-time. An analysis of the results of the first field test of the custom-built machine learning system was recently published in the journal Physical Review Accelerators and Beams.
The MOLLER experiment at DOE’s Jefferson Lab is one step closer to carrying out an experiment to gain new insight into the forces at work inside the heart of matter through probes of the humble electron. The experiment has just received a designation of Critical Decision 1, or CD-1, from the DOE, which is a greenlight to move forward in design and prototyping of equipment.
Some of the most advanced work to enable research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is focused on ensuring that nothing gets in the way of the electron beam produced for nuclear physics experiments. Now, one Jefferson Lab staff scientist is being honored for her work on producing ultra-high to extreme-high vacuum environments to do just that.
Jefferson Science Associates has announced the award of ten graduate fellowships to doctoral students for the 2020-2021 academic year. The fellowships will support students’ advanced studies at their universities and research at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, a U.S. Department of Energy nuclear physics research laboratory managed and operated by JSA.
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has shipped the final new section of accelerator that it has built for an upgrade of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). The section of accelerator, called a cryomodule, has begun a cross-country road trip to DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, where it will be installed in LCLS-II, the world’s brightest X-ray laser.
A graduate student who will work with theorists at Jefferson Lab to better understand subatomic particles has received a supplemental research award from the DOE Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program.
Five researchers who are affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility have been selected by their professional peers for the distinct honor of Fellow of the American Physical Society.
Two physicists at DOE's Jefferson Lab have secured $2.16 million in funding for projects that harness the power of data analytics to make the work of studying the universe down to its smallest subatomic parts faster and more efficient.
Hadrons are elusive superstars of the subatomic world, making up almost all visible matter, and British theoretical physicist Antoni Woss has worked diligently with colleagues at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility to get to know them better. Now, Woss’ doctoral thesis on spinning hadrons has earned him the 2019 Jefferson Science Associates Thesis Prize.
Bob May’s career-long aspiration has been to keep people from all walks of life and in different work environments safe from radiation in the workplace. Now, the deputy director of Environment, Safety and Health at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has been honored for his dedication to the field by being named a fellow of the Health Physics Society.
Cynthia Keppel has been named a DOE Office of Science Distinguished Scientist Fellow. Based at DOE’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, she is one of three DOE National Laboratory scientist fellows who will receive $1 million to devote to developing better detectors for science and medicine.
Wenliang “Bill” Li won the 2020 JSA Postdoctoral Prize to run experiments that will examine proton structure from a lesser-studied perspective. A postdoctoral researcher at William & Mary, Li is studying proton structure just like many people who conduct their nuclear physics research at Jefferson Lab. But he’s studying a new aspect of it: the backward perspective.
Dien Nguyen (Zee-en Wen) studies some of the smallest units of matter on Earth to learn more about massive objects in space. Now, she’ll be conducting her research as the Nathan Isgur Postdoctoral Fellow in Nuclear Experiment at the Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.
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