In This Issue
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The California Tech Volume CXiX number 4 Pasadena, California [email protected] oCtober 19, 2015 Alumnus Arthur McDonald wins Nobel Prize in Physics DOUGLAS SMITH and it slowly became apparent that planet, Kajita and his colleagues The conclusion, for which a postdoctoral researcher under Caltech Media Relations as few as one-third of the neutrinos concluded that the extra distance McDonald and Kajita were Barnes. “It is a shame that Charlie the theorists said the sun should had given them a little extra time awarded the Nobel Prize, was that didn’t get to see Art receive this This article was originally be emitting were actually being to change their identities. neutrinos must have a nonzero tremendous honor.” published online at caltech.edu. observed. Various theories were McDonald’s SNO, built 2,100 mass. Quantum mechanics A native of Sydney, Canada, proposed to explain the deficit, meters deep in a nickel mine, began treats particles as waves, and McDonald received his bachelor Arthur B. McDonald (Ph.D. ’70), including the possibility that the taking data in 1999. It has two the potentially differing masses of science and master’s degrees, director of the Sudbury Neutrino detectable electron neutrinos were counting systems. One is exclusively associated with muons and taus both in physics, from Dalhousie Observatory (SNO) in Ontario, somehow transmuting into their sensitive to electron neutrinos, gives them different wavelengths. University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and Takaaki Kajita, at undetectable kin en The probability in 1964 and 1965, respectively. the University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, route to Earth. waves of the three After receiving his doctorate, Japan, have shared the 2015 Nobel Solving the particle types are he worked for the Chalk River Prize in Physics for the discovery mystery of the aligned when the Laboratories in Ontario until 1982, that neutrinos can change their missing neutrinos particle is formed, when he became a professor of identities as they travel through would require but as they propagate physics at Princeton University. He space. extremely large they get out of left Princeton in 1989 and became McDonald and Kajita lead two detectors in order sync. Therefore, a professor at Queen’s University in large research teams whose work to catch enough of there is a one-third Kingston, Canada; the same year, has upended the standard model of the elusive particles chance of seeing any he became the director of the SNO. particle physics and settled a debate to get accurate particular neutrino In 2006, he became the holder of that has raged since 1930, when statistics. Such in its electron form. the Gordon and Patricia Gray Chair the neutrino’s existence was first sensitive detectors Because these in Particle Astrophysics, a position proposed by physicist Wolfgang also require particles have this he held until his retirement in 2013. Pauli. Pauli initially devised enormous amounts nonzero mass, their Among many other awards the neutrino as a bookkeeping of shielding to avoid gravitational effects and honors, McDonald is a fellow device—one to carry away surplus false readings. on the large-scale of the American Physical Society, energy from nuclear reactions in The University behavior of the the Royal Society of Canada and stars and from radioactive decay of Tokyo’s Super- universe must be Great Britain’s Royal Society. He processes on Earth. In order to Kamiokande taken into account ― a is the recipient of the Killam Prize make the math work, he gave it no neutrino detector, Caltech alum Arthur B. McDonald (Ph.D. ’70) was awarded the Nobel profound implication in the Natural Sciences; the Henry Prize in Physics this year. charge, almost no mass, and only which came online Photo Courtesy of Queen’s University for cosmology. Marshall Tory Medal from the the weakest of interactions with in 1996, was built McDonald came Royal Society of Canada, its highest ordinary matter. Billions of them 1,000 meters underground in which are the type emitted by the to Caltech in 1965 to pursue a award for scientific achievement; are coursing through our bodies a zinc mine. Its detector, which sun; the other records all neutrinos Ph.D. in physics in the Kellogg and the European Physics Society every second, and we are entirely counts muon neutrinos and but does not identify their types. Radiation Laboratory under the HEP Division Giuseppe and unaware of them. records their direction of travel, The SNO also recorded only about mentorship of the late Charles Vanna Cocconi Prize for Particle There are three types of neutrinos found fewer cosmic-ray neutrinos one-third of the predicted number A. Barnes, professor of physics, Astrophysics. ― electron, muon, and tau ― and coming up through the Earth than of solar electron-type neutrinos ― emeritus, who passed away in To date, 34 Caltech alumni and they were, for many years, assumed from any other direction. Since but the aggregate of all three types August 2015. “Charlie Barnes was faculty have won a total of 35 Nobel to be massless and immutable. they should not be affected in measured by the other counting a great mentor who was very proud Prizes. Last year, alumnus Eric The technology to detect electron any way by traveling through the systems matched the theory. of his students,” said Bradley W. Betzig (B.S. ’83) received the Nobel neutrinos emerged in the 1950s, 12,742-kilometer diameter of our Filippone, professor of physics and Prize in Chemistry. Students present summer research at SURF Seminar Day NEERA SHAH biological processes, such as those CHING-YUN (CHLOE) HSU of yeast, so it is less harmful for the Editor-in-Chief environment. Page Editor Sophomore Arjun Goswami is another first-timer who was able On Oct. 17, undergraduates to gain exposure to his field and who were part of this year’s learn more about what research is Summer Undergraduate Research like. He stayed true to his physics Fellowship (SURF) program major and worked on a project presented their research at SURF designing a radiation shield for Seminar Day. This annual event Angle-Resolved Photoemission is open to the public and allows Spectroscopy (ARPES). Goswami students to share their work with helped build a computer model of a peers and community members. shield that could shield black body For many, this was their first radiation during measurements. SURF experience, while others are Debugging and other constraints veterans of the research program. have prevented the group from Sophomore Lani Kim described implementing the model, but her first experience this year as Goswami is continuing his SURF a great learning experience. “In research to follow this project high school, I didn’t have much through. lab experience, I got to get more When asked what his favorite experience in the wet lab here and part of his SURF project was, I learned techniques like PCR,” sophomore Arjun Bose paused she said. While she is majoring in for a while, as if mulling over his chemical engineering, her project entire summer, and then there was was in bioengineering. Kim worked his half-serious answer, “Perhaps to make the conversion of methane writing the proposal.” Although Sophomore Lani Kim completed her first SURF this year and studied the process of converting methane gas to methanol. gas to methanol better using Continued on page 2 Photos Courtesy of Ching-Yun (Chloe) Hsu and Neera Shah neWs | Page 2 OPInIOn | Page 3 FEATURe | Page 4 sPORts | Page 5 In thIs neW vOlunteeR cRystal RevIeWs lInda chIO ReFlects WOmen’s vOlley- OPPORtunItIes OF- emOtIOnal album On summeR tRavels ball tRIumPhs Issue FeRed by caltech y by julIa hOlteR agaInst mIlls news 2 oCtober 19, 2015 the calIFORnIa tech Caltech Y Column Students recognized at Seminar Day CALTECH Y difficulties when it comes to securing funding and downs together, as friends rather than and developing a business plan. competitors. The Caltech Y Column serves to inform Tethers Unlimited, Planet Labs, and Headed by Director Candace Rypisi, students of upcoming events and volunteer Planetary Resources, who represent the the Student-Faculty Programs office is opportunities. The list is compiled by Neera entire spectrum of space startups, will responsible for administering the SURF Shah from information given by the Caltech discuss what is needed to succeed as a space program. This is the 37th consecutive year Y and its student leaders. company. Topics to explore include risks that the scholarship has been available Founded by students in 1916, the Y was and rewards within each category, how to for students. Continual donations and organized to provide extracurricular activities work with minimal existing infrastructure, endowments maintain this scholarship fund planned and implemented by students as an and how to secure funding when the average that caters to more than 400 students each opportunity to learn leadership skills and return on investment timeline is much longer year. discover themselves. The mission of today’s Y than for a typical startup. remains the same—to provide opportunities No registration required, seating is Semifinalists* for the Perpall Speaking that will prepare students to become available on a first come, first served Competition: engaged, responsible citizens of the world. basis. Visit www.kiss.caltech.edu for more Emily Meany Anvita Mishra The Y seeks to broaden students’ worldviews, information. Alec Brenner Daniel Lim raise social, ethical, and cultural awareness Heather Gold Suchita Nety through teamwork, community engagement, 3. Adventure 101 - Great Hikes in the Sean McKenna Aritra Biswas activism, and leadership. More information Greater LA Area Aishwarya Nene Moriah Bischann about the Caltech Y and its programs can be Wednesday | October 28th | 12:00 Noon Senior Chaitanya Malladi presents his research. Dominic Yurk Sean Mendoza Photo Courtesy of Ching-Yun (Chloe) Hsu found at https://caltechy.org.