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The LHC’s winter technical stop is rapidly approaching. As in past years, technical staff in their thousands will be flocking to the underground areas of the LHC and the Linac2, Booster, PS and SPS injectors. To make sure they are protected from ionising radiation, members of the Radiation Protection Group will perform an assessment of the levels of radioactivity in the tunnels as soon as the beams have stopped.
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At the beginning of my mandate, I undertook to write a message in each issue of the Bulletin, and I’ve been true to my word. Over the last three years, I’ve spoken about everything from LHC physics to summer student programmes. But now I think the time has come to ask you what you’d like me to write about in my bi-weekly messages to the CERN community.
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The current LHC ion run has been progressing very well. The first fill with 358 bunches per beam - the maximum number for the year - was on Tuesday, 15 November and was followed by an extended period of steady running. The quality of the beam delivered by the heavy-ion injector chain has been excellent, and this is reflected in both the peak and the integrated luminosity.
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Last year, CERN’s HR Department leapt ahead of the curve in recruitment techniques by moving into the social media scene. Their success is in the numbers, with applications for CERN jobs increasing significantly.
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It’s been 50 years since a small group at CERN measured the muon (g-2) for the first time. Several other experiments have followed over the years. The latest measurement at Brookhaven (2004) gave a value that obstinately remains about 3 standard deviations away from the prediction of the Standard Model. Francis Farley, one of the fathers of the (g-2) experiments, argues that a statement such as “everything we observe is accounted for by the Standard Model” is not acceptable.
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After publishing its first strategy plan in 2008, the AStroParticle European Research Area (ASPERA) – a network of European national funding agencies responsible for astroparticle physics – has just published an update. The new document provides an overview of the activities of the astroparticle physics community, makes recommendations for future projects and emphasizes the role of networking and sharing among the funding agencies.
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Commuting between the home institute and CERN is a tough task for a lot of scientists with families. However, thanks to a newly signed agreement between CERN and the “Jardin de Capucine” kindergarten, the task of looking for a childcare solution might turn out to be easier than originally expected: 4 places are reserved for all categories of CERN personnel for child enrolment periods that can vary between a few weeks and a few months.
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There’s not much room in the centre of a detector. Ensuring the safety of technicians who have to work on components close to the collision point is an absolute priority. With this firmly in mind, the Fire Brigade has recently acquired a back immobilisation device known as a spine splint.
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Are you 18 to 35 years old and studying or working in science in Switzerland? Are you passionate about your job and keen on exciting public imagination with a vision of the 21st century of science? Then this competition is for you!
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e-EPS News is a monthly addition to the CERN Bulletin line-up, showcasing articles from e-EPS – the European Physical Society newsletter – as part of a collaboration between the two publications.
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From 8 December 2011 to 17 February 2012, Geneva University's physics faculty will be holding an exhibition called "L'Origine – un voyage entre la Science et l'Art". Thirty artists from Europe and Africa will be exhibiting their work.
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On the patio of the Main Building, a new garden has been unveiled. Inspired by physicists themselves, the garden uses a clever combination of flower arrangements and slate slabs to create the shape of the CMS particle tracker.
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Christmas is coming! Time to send to your loved ones a nice Christmas card, and maybe receive one too. But hold on… you’ve already received a Hallmark card by e-mail, or even two? Watch out.
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In this series, the Bulletin aims to explain the role of the Ombuds at CERN by presenting practical examples of misunderstandings that could have been resolved by the Ombuds if he had been contacted earlier. Please note that, in all the situations we present, the names are fictitious and used only to improve clarity.
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If you are looking for an idea for your Christmas gifts, the Bookshop of the Central Library offers you a wide choice of titles in physics, mathematics, computing and popular science.
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