The CP violation in charm quarks has always been thought to be extremely small. So, looking at particle decays involving matter and antimatter, the LHCb experiment has recently been surprised to observe that things might be different. >>

The design collision energy and luminosity of the LHC are already at record numbers, making the machine one of the most complex scientific instruments ever built. However, to extend its discovery potential even further, a major upgrade of the LHC will be required around 2020. This will increase its average luminosity by a factor of 5 to 10 beyond its design value. Fifteen worldwide institutions and the European Union are supporting the initial design phase of the project through the HiLumi LHC programme, whose kick-off meeting will take place on 16-18 November. >>

Autumn is not usually thought of as the season for renewal, but in the world of particle physics, this year is different. Around the world, many of CERN’s old friends and colleagues are moving on and making way for new faces. >>

The LHC finished proton physics for the year on Sunday 30 October at 17:00 after delivering around 5.6 fb-1 to both ATLAS and CMS, 1.2 fb-1 to LHCb, and 5 pb-1 to ALICE. >>

At the last meeting of CERN’s Scientific Information Policy Board (SIPB), on 20 October this year, participants were informed of a practice that is disconcerting to say the least: some publishers are compiling books from free access material, which they then market at relatively high prices. >>

Since 21 October, CERN has been sending a new type of neutrino beam to Gran Sasso. The new configuration is intended to allow the experiments to define the departure time of the neutrinos more accurately and thus check the previous results obtained using the nominal beam configuration. >>

iThemba LABS in South Africa is a research facility that, about twenty years ago, started to treat oncological patients with particle beams. Its collaboration with CERN has steadily grown over the years. After becoming a member of the ALICE and ATLAS Collaborations, today iThemba LABS is planning to buy a new medical-use cyclotron proton facility, and is seeking to strengthen its links with CERN and Europe also in this field by collaborating with ENLIGHT. The cyclotron will be dedicated to proton therapy – the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere. >>

Imagine a portable medical cyclotron operated in a conventional radioactive facility at a hospital. Imagine a nurse or technician switching it on and producing isotopes at the patient’s bedside. Sounds like science fiction? Think again. >>

It is one of the hidden secrets that literally surround the Universe. Experiments have shown no result so far because trying to capture particles that do not seem to interact with ordinary matter is no trivial exercise. The OSQAR experiment at CERN is dedicated to the search for axions, one of the candidates for Dark Matter. For its difficult challenge, OSQAR counts on one of the world’s most powerful magnets borrowed from the LHC. In a recent publication, the OSQAR collaboration was able to confirm that no axion signal appears out of the background. In other words: the quest is still on. >>

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. >>

Have you ever thought about the security of your service(s) or system(s)? Show us and win one of three marvellous books on computer security! Just print out this page, mark which of the 25 good practices below you already follow, and send the sheet back to us at Computer.Security@cern.ch or P.O. Box G19710, by November 14th 2011. >>

Are you a student paid by CERN, using CERN equipment or advised by CERN staff and you are currently writing a thesis? Then you should know that you are welcome to submit your final work to the CERN Document Server (CDS), where it will be made available by Open Access. >>