CERN Bulletin

Polarisation confirmed

The polarisation of photons emitted in the decay of a bottom quark into a strange quark, as predicted by the Standard Model, has just been observed for the first time by the LHCb collaboration. More detailed research is still required to determine the value of this polarisation with precision. >>

Celebrating with our neighbours

CERN’s 60th anniversary is all about celebrating 60 years of science for peace with people who matter to us. High on that list are our neighbours, and that’s why we’ve devoted two days just for them on 24 and 25 May. There will also be a special day of visits to CMS for local schools, and we’ll be taking part in the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of Geneva’s entry to the Swiss Confederation. >>

LS1 Report: PS Booster prepares for beam

With Linac2 already up and running, the countdown to beam in the LHC has begun! The next in line is the PS Booster, which will close up shop to engineers early next week. The injector will be handed over to the Operations Group who are tasked with getting it ready for active duty. >>

From the drawing board to the test bench

After seven years of design, prototyping and manufacturing, the Linac4 Drift Tube Linac (DTL) is being assembled in CERN's Building 181. In fact, the first DTL tank is just a few tests away from installation into the Linac4 tunnel. Let's check in on how this essential element of the accelerator complex has - at last - come into being. >>

Data defenders

Uniting High-Energy Physics institutes, experimental collaborations and funding agencies, the HEP Data Preservation Initiative (DPHEP) has set out to change the way we save “information”. >>

The "Karma Level Sexy Bottom" awards are back at CERN

The highly coveted "Karma Level Sexy Bottom" awards are given to the winners of the “Bike to CERN” competition. There is only one way to secure your place in history: commute to work on your bike, no matter what the weather conditions are and how busy you may feel. >>

Winter Atomiades 2014: CERN skiers win 31 medals!

The 12th Winter Atomiades took place at Flachau, Austria, from 8 to 15 March 2014. The event, organised by the Association of the Sports Communities of the European Research Institutes (see here), brought together 18 research centres, including CERN, AIT, ESRF, PSI and many others, with a total of about 280 participants. >>

Behind the scenes of GS: nothing left to chance

The AS (Alarm Systems) Section in the GS-ASE Group is, as its name suggests, in charge of the various alarm systems spread across CERN’s many sites. Its mission? To install, manage and maintain more than 26,000 alarms of all types located both above ground and in the tunnels. >>

Computer Security: improve software, avoid blunder

Recently, a severe vulnerability has been made public about how Apple devices are wrongly handling encryption. This vulnerability rendered SSL/TLS protection useless, and permitted attackers checking out a wireless network to capture or modify data in encrypted sessions. >>

Ombuds' Corner: Signs of our times?!

Do you get up in the morning and go online before getting your coffee? Do you sit down to meals with your mobile phone next to your plate? Do you get an awful feeling of complete disorientation and not knowing what to do with yourself when you disconnect from the Internet? As exaggerated as these actions may have seemed a few years ago, today they are familiar occurrences that are indeed the signs of our times. >>

Werner Albrecht (1924 - 2014)

Werner Albrecht, one of the very first mechanical designers recruited by CERN, passed away on 28 March. Born and educated in Zurich, where he spent the first years of his professional life, he joined CERN in June 1955. >>

Jacques Spalter (1929 - 2014)

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Jacques Spalter on 1 April. His funeral took place in the presence of family and close friends. >>

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