Fermilab Is In Deep, Deep Trouble

I mentioned earlier about the spending bill that just passed the US House of Representative. This news article from Science's website clearly spells out the doom and gloom picture at Fermilab. While we all know that the Tevatron will shut down after 2009, Fermilab as a facility had hoped to remain as a high-energy physics laboratory via its neutrino experiment, which include the upcoming NOvA.

Now, even its survival as a laboratory is in question after the proposed severe cuts in the budget. But I think what is frustrating is that most people would just wish that those who are in power would just make up their freaking minds! I think this sums up best:

The budget decisions, part of a $550 billion omnibus spending package that Congress approved this week, call into question the U.S.'s commitment to particle physics as a whole, says Fermilab Director Pier Oddone. "There's a policy question for the government and for Congress," he says. "Do we want to stay in particle physics or not?"

They need to decide now because with the LHC looming in the near future, they either should give sufficient funding, or simply declare that the US will no longer be in particle physics and close up shop. This way, they can take the "credit" later on in the history of human civilization as being the group of legislator responsible for killing high energy physics work in the US. Maybe that is something they want to be proud of.

Edit: More related news story on this matter.

Zz.

Ten Top Physics Stories for 2007

The Physics News Update at the AIP has compiled a list of their Top 10 physics stories of 2007.

I think I covered most of them on here this year! :)

Zz.

Ampere Could Be Defined One Electron At A Time

This is another very clever technique and experiment.

The Ampere unit might possibly be defined more accurately using a single-electron transistor.

The current flowing through the device is simply the number of electrons that tunnel per gate cycle multiplied by the charge of the electron and the frequency of the gate voltage. The gate frequency and number of electrons per cycle can be determined and the charge on the electron is fixed – which means that the device is a very precise source of current.

The team believe that the device could form the basis of a "metrological current pump", which could be used to define the ampere from the fact that

Very nice!

Zz.

The Religious and Other Beliefs of Americans

I thought that during this "joyous" time of the year with the holidays approaching, that I throw in a piece of coal into the celebration by bringing some depressing statistics (just call me the Grinch that is trying to ruin Christmas).

This Harris poll was just recently published, and a follow up to its earlier similar poll in 2005. It asked about the beliefs (religious or otherwise) of Americans. Here are some of the interesting results:

* 82 percent of adult Americans believe in God – unchanged since the question was last asked in 2005;
* Large majorities of the public believe in miracles (79%), heaven (75%), angels (74%), that Jesus is God or the son of God (72%), the resurrection of Jesus (70%), the survival of the soul after death (69%), hell (62%), the devil (62%), and the virgin birth (Jesus born of Mary) (60%);
* Roughly equal numbers – both minorities - believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution (42%) and creationism (39%);
* Sizeable minorities believe in ghosts (41%), UFOs (35%), witches (31%), astrology (29%) and reincarnation (21%);
* While many of these numbers for people who hold these beliefs are the same or little changed from 2005, the overall trend is upwards with slightly more people believing in miracles, angels and witches than did so two years ago.

So, compare that with the survey on science literacy of the public that was conducted by the National Academies, and you now have a very clear idea of the kind of public you are dealing with as far as science is concerned. Just something to think about during the festive season.

:)

Zz.

From High Temperature Superconductivity to Quantum Spin Liquid: Progress in Strong Correlation Physics

This is a fascinating review article by Patrick Lee of MIT[1], even if you don't agree with his take on the mechanism of cuprate superconductivity. He covers the outstanding issue in strongly-correlated electron system, which is the main area of study in condensed matter physics since it covers essentially that whole field of study.

What is interesting is that at the end of the article, he has a question-answer section that addresses specific issues and his take on the answer. This is always something I like to read because even if you disagree with him, at least you know clearly where he stands and why he disagrees. In many instances, it can be vague on what exactly people are disagreeing on. Here, it is rather clear.

In any case, I would think anyone in this field of study would want to read this article. At the very least, it'll get you up to speed on the theoretical progress in this area.

Zz.

[1] P.A. Lee, Rep. Prog. Phys. v.71, p.012501 (2008).

New Budget A Blow to Physics Funding

The budget that was passed in the USHouse of Representatives, and that President Bush intended to sign, is a MAJOR SETBACK for physics, and especially High Energy Physics funding.

The ILC effort was severely reduced, and zero money has been allocated for the NOvA project at the Tevatron. This is horrendous!

With all the talk about trying to make US more competitive, etc... etc.. and all the initiatives to raise funding for basic science, they all come to zilch.

Zz.

Using Physics to Learn Mathematica to Do Physics

About a week ago, I highlighted a physics education paper that studied the impact of using symbolic mathematical software packages such as Mathematica on the way physics students think about physics problems. It was an enjoyable reading.

This time, there is another paper on using Mathematica specifically in advanced undergraduate physics classes. The author describes how Mathematica is used in junior-senior level physics courses. Too bad he does not have the same transcript of the students' struggle with solving the problems. :)

Zz.

Laws Of Nature, Source Unknown

I have mixed feelings after reading this article. On one hand, it is a compact, brief summary of the differing opinions among physicists on the issues surrounding how we comprehend our world. On the other hand, I don't think someone without a good background in physics would read it with the same comprehension as a physicist, and that could create a whole different perspective that may not be entirely accurate.

The problem here is that it is trying to "describe" the problem using a series of short, quick quotations from various sources. Such a thing is never accurate, especially on something as complex as this. This is where a physicist read this does see the actual physics associated with the quote being shown, while the general public ONLY see the quote and take it at face value without realizing the underlying physics. This is where the differing perspective from reading the same article comes from.

Still, I suppose this is an interesting enough article. At least, it reminded me again that hilarious quote attributed to Feynman:

These kinds of speculation are fun, but they are not science, yet. “Philosophy of science is about as useful to scientists as ornithology is to birds,” goes the saying attributed to Richard Feynman, the late Caltech Nobelist, and repeated by Dr. Weinberg.

I have to remember to use that one of these days. :)

Zz.

Photonic Crystal Bends Light Round Corners

Another cool experiment that has plenty of possible application. A photonic band gap material has been fabricated to cause light to be directed around as if it is in a waveguide.

Paul Braun and colleagues at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign have pioneered a flexible process for a fabricating 3D photonic-crystal waveguide by using a focused laser to mark it out.

Zz.

The Physics of Magic Carpet

Just when you thought you've read everything....

It seems that physicists at Harvard, no less, have found an aerodynamics solution in which one can make a "carpet" fly.

The researchers have studied1 the aerodynamics of a flexible, rippling sheet moving through a fluid, and find that it should be possible to make one that will stay aloft in air.

No such carpet is going to ferry people around, though. The researchers say that to stay afloat in air, a sheet measuring about 10 centimetres long and 0.1 millimetres thick would need to vibrate at about 10 hertz with an amplitude of about 0.25 millimetres. Making a heavier carpet 'fly' is not forbidden by the laws of physics. But the researchers say that their "computations and scaling laws suggest it will remain in the magical, mystical and virtual realm", as the engine driving the necessary vibrations would need to be so powerful.

I will stick to commercial airlines, though. Just think how difficult it is to eat powdered doughnuts during an open-air magic carpet ride? :)

Zz.

Compact Synchrotron Is Unveiled

This is another advancement in the wakefield accelerating technique for particle accelerators. This time, using a laser plasma wakefield and an undulator, they have managed to create the same type of radiation produced at large synchrotron centers (free registration required to view article), all inside a standard-sized laboratory.

Now, Dino Jaroszynski of Strathclyde University in the UK, together with colleagues at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität in Jena, Germany, and Stellenbosch University in South Africa are the first to have combined a laser-driven plasma wakefield accelerator with an undulator to make a compact source of synchrotron radiation.

The team’s wakefield accelerator can accelerate electrons to 1 GeV, which can create X-ray synchrotron radiation with a very narrow bandwidth. What's more, the wavelength of the radiation can be tuned from the far infrared (terahertz frequencies) to hard X-rays by simply changing the energy of the electron beam.

Such technique, such as plasma wakefield, laser-plasma wakefield, and dielectric wakefield, are show more promises of being a feasible technique for new acceleration scheme. The next few years should be very interesting, especially if the delay in the ILC might cause some people to start thinking of other accelerating structures.

Zz.

Lee Teng Undergraduate Internship in Accelerator Science and Engineering

Lee Teng is a distinguished physicist in accelerator physics and received the Wilson award at this year's Particle Accelerator Conference.

An internship in his honor has be set up for undergraduates intending to go into accelerator physics. The following is the official announcement:

Applications are now being accepted for the Summer 2008 Lee Teng Undergraduate Internship in Accelerator Science and Engineering, sponsored jointly by Argonne National Laboratory, the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and the US Partice Accelerator School.

The internship will provide a unique research opportunity to select students from US universities who are currently in their Junior year in physics, engineering, or computer science. Each intern will work closely with a mentor from one of the two laboratories on a project related to accelerator science and/or engineering.

The ten week program includes a generous stipend, as well as travel and housing allowances. In addition, the program includes full tuition and travel expenses to the two week US Particle Accelerator School, which will be held at the University of Maryland. For more information and to apply, visit www.illinoisacceleratorinstitute.org

Vladimir D. Shiltsev
Director, Accelerator Physics Center
FNAL, PO Box 500, MS221
Batavia, IL 60510 USA
Ph. +1(630)840-5241
Fax +1(630)840-6039

Zz.

The Tiny, Mighty Transistor

The transistor turns 60 this coming week. This news article describes the importance and the impact of the invention of the transistor in our digital world of modern electronics.

A transistor is a little electronic switch capable of amplifying electric current, invented by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley at Bell Labs in New Jersey on Dec. 16, 1947. They jury-rigged the first transistor using a paper clip, some germanium and gold foil, and found that it boosted electrical current a hundredfold. They kept the discovery to themselves for a bit, and showed their bosses the device just before Christmas. Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1956.

Of course, I've mentioned this earlier in the context of the most under-rated physicist of them all, John Bardeen, who I consider to be http://physicsandphysicists.blogspot.com/2006/09/most-influential-physicist.html.

Zz.

Rising Above "The Gathering Storm"

This promises to be a fascinating, if not provocative, reading reading with the issue of science education and the perceived shortage of qualified scientists and engineers in the US.

If you're familiar with the report from the US National Academies titled "Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future", you would have read the gloomy outlook for America's competitiveness in science and engineering. In most cases, this was a very influential report and has produced several legislative actions to halt this decline.

Now, however, comes a report from another organization that challenges this perception. A report titled "Into the Eye of the Storm: Assessing the Evidence on Science and Engineering Education, Quality, and Workforce Demand" by the Urban Institute, a policy-research organization, points out several inconsistencies of the first "Gathering Storm" report.

You may read more about this conflict (and read the reports yourself) at this Science Career webpage. It would be interesting to see if the National Academies write a response to this new development.

Zz.

Stored Light in an Optical Fiber via Stimulated Brillouin Scattering

A new paper appearing in this week's Science[1] advances the possible practical application of storing light pulses and using it at later. This time, light pulses in an optical fiber are converted to slow-moving vibrations in the fiber itself, before converting it back into light. The efficiency of the conversion depends only on the lifetime of the acoustic vibration.

What is different than the earlier light-storing scheme done by Lene Hau is that this technique doesn't employ purely quantum-mechanical phenomena and thus, is more robust. it can't do some of the exotic gymnastics that the other earlier techniques can do, but at the same time, it is relatively easy to implement, using standard equipment already available and works at room temperature. Further, it can work on any frequency of light that is transparent to the fiber, whereas the atomic/resonator technique of storing light so far is restricted to only one particular frequency.

A review of this work can be found here (link may be open without restrictions only for a limited time).

Zz.

[1] Z. Zhu et al, Science v.318, p.1748 (2007).

Snow and Ice Crystals

It's winter around here (at least, for most of us in the upper Northern hemisphere). So what better time to read about snow and ice crystals. It is a good quick study on snow and ice crystals from this month's issue of Physics Today. It's everything you wanted to know about such a thing within 5 minutes, but were afraid to ask! :)

Zz.

ILC Reference Design Report Volume 1 - Executive Summary

I don't know if this is now moot, especially after the future of ILC is in jeopardy with the pullout of the United Kingdom, which is a major blow to the ILC effort. Still, if you're interested, this is Volume 1 of the ILC Design Report Executive Summary. It should tell you everything you wanted to know about the ILC design, but were afraid to ask.

:)

Zz.

Bill Foster for Congress

OK, politics.

It is no surprise that the US legislators lack scientific expertise. As far as I know, only 2 members of the US Congress are scientists. Well, let's hope there could be one more addition to that.

I received this e-mail from the Bill Foster for Congress campaign.

There has never been a more important time to improve the quality of scientific and technical judgment in our government. I am asking for your support as a scientist who has taken up this challenge – specifically, by campaigning for the now-open seat of former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert in the U.S. Congress.

Dennis Hastert has now resigned from Congress and a Special Election is scheduled for March 8, 2008.

This election offers a rare opportunity to send a clear signal of national disapproval for the continuation of the policies of President Bush and a Republican party that refuses to change course.

Since I announced my candidacy in May 2007, 24 Nobel Laureates have endorsed my campaign and we are making news. Over 650 scientists from across the country have so far contributed to our campaign.

Political endorsements for the campaign include Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, the Majority Whip in the U.S. Senate.

Like many other scientists, I have felt the frustration of a government that has abandoned the basic principles that we in the scientific community take for granted. Logic, reason, and demonstrable facts have been suppressed and ignored by an administration and congress more interested in pleasing its ideological patrons than in governing effectively. Our country will be suffering the consequences for decades.

In addition to the War in Iraq, our nation faces complex issues in energy policy, arms control, global warming, cost-effective delivery of health care, intellectual property rights, and individual privacy in the age of networked computers. Stem cell research represents only the leading edge of a wave of issues that will challenge and divide the most thoughtful of us – but has been used so far only as a political football in the abortion rights debate. Essentially every issue we face has a technological edge to it, and there is no substitute for adequate scientific competence in congress.

I believe that my background as both a successful physicist and businessman makes me well qualified to address the economic and technological challenges we face.

* As a particle physicist, I worked 22 years at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory where I was involved in the discovery of the Top quark and the design and construction of the latest of Fermilab’s giant synchrotrons.
More information: Foster08.com/about/?id=science
* Before becoming a scientist, I was a successful businessman. When I was 19 years old, my younger brother and I started a company in our basement that now manufactures about 70% of the theater lighting equipment in the United States.
More information: Foster08.com/about/?id=business

A competent, dedicated, and experienced campaign staff has been assembled to win this race. Polling data is favorable. The hard-eyed political viability of this campaign is addressed in our campaign prospectus Foster08.com/cp (.pdf version)

HOW YOU CAN HELP

· Contribute to the campaign at www.foster08.com/donate

· Endorse the campaign at http://www.foster08.com/action/endorse.cfm

· Sign up for our newsletter at http://www.foster08.com/action/emailalerts.cfm

It is no secret that winning a campaign in our democracy requires money. Many thousands of personal telephone calls by the candidate are typically required to raise the millions of dollars needed to wage a competitive congressional campaign. The necessity of fundraising has been a major barrier to the participation of more scientists and others in our democracy. You generous support lowers that barrier, and will encourage other scientists to follow the path to public service.

More information can be obtained at www.foster08.com

I look forward to your strong support.

Sincerely,

Bill Foster
Candidate for Congress (IL-14)

Looks like he has a clear vision of what he wishes to accomplish.

Zz.

Free For All For Particle Physics Journals?

There's a movement to make all journals publishing particle/high energy physics papers to be open accessed.

The issue surrounding this isn't as trivial as it might appear, as one can read in the article itself. While such an aim might be feasible for high energy physics, it is still an open question if it can be done with other fields, such as condensed matter which produces probably the largest percentage of published papers. There aren't a lot of "large groups" in condensed matter, and most research work are done by small groups with small budgets.

Zz.

Disagreement Over Fractal Technique In Pollock's Painting Isn't Over

.. and not by a long shot.

Recall earlier that I mentioned that the fractal analysis technique used to "authenticate" a Jackson Pollock's art has been discredited. Most of us thought that was the end of that. Not so fast...

It appears that the original authors have posted a rebuttal to this. Read it for yourself to see if you're convinced. I am sure that the Jones-Smith et al. camp will be reading this carefully and it would not surprise me if they have a response to this rebuttal.

So stay tune, the fun may not be over just yet! :)

Zz.