dimensions volume 05 of particle physics symmetryA joint Fermilab/SLAC publication issue 03 august 08 volume 05 | issue 03 | august 08 2 Editorial: Positive News for Particle Physics With a new plan and the backing of the Department of Energy and Congress, the future of high-energy physics in the United States is now looking much more positive than it did in the first half of 2008. 3 Commentary: Seth Zenz “As a physics graduate student and Wikipedia editor and administrator, I argue that Wikipedia’s rules for reliable sourcing of articles are stronger than is often believed, and that academics can play a very positive role in improving and expanding Wikipedia.” symmetryA joint Fermilab/SLAC publication 4 Signal to Background Physicist turns bicycle pro; the fastest way to stuff an airplane; trashy hot rod steals the show; making dark matter sing; Faraday Cup cartoons; trumpets blast for GLAST; letters; where your symmetry magazines have been. On the cover 10 New Tools Forge New Frontiers Battered or shiny, personalized license plates are a US particle physics is pushing forward on three frontiers. whimsical part of physics culture. On one level they’re Each has a unique approach to making discoveries, inside jokes, told with a wink to those in the know; on and only by pursuing all three can scientists address key another, an invitation to approach and learn more. In questions about the laws of nature and the cosmos. response to a call from symmetry, readers sent dozens of their favorites. “It’s a memento from one of the 16 Bonnie and the ArgoNeuTs most intense times I’ve been through,” one wrote. “It’s Inspired by heroes of Greek mythology, physicists are on a treasure from that great time.” a quest to find a cheaper, more efficient way to capture neutrinos—one of the strangest and most fascinating par- Inside front cover ticles in the universe. Liquid-argon detectors may hold According to Greek mythology, the Argonauts sailed the key to discovering whether neutrinos are the reason across the Mediterranean Sea to retrieve the Golden that stars, planets, and people exist. Fleece. Scientists of the ArgoNeuT project use an argon-filled particle detector to explore the interactions 22 A Bumper Crop of Physics Plates of the neutrino, one of the most abundant particles in In our October/November issue, we asked readers to the universe [see story, p. 16]. share stories and photographs of physics-related license plates. Here are the responses. 28 Day in the Life: Mr. Freeze His mind drifts to freezing fog, explosions shooting a ball 16 stories high, and children gasping in awe. A mischie- vous twinkle enters his eye. The studious physicist and computer expert has morphed into a charismatic showman. 32 Deconstruction: COUPP Bubble Chamber Scientists retool a classic technology for a modern quest: In March 2008 we launched our blog, symmetrybreaking. the search for dark matter. Here are some highlights of the stories we have posted to date. You can read more at www.symmetrymagazine.org/breaking/. 34 Essay: Elizabeth Wade “The cyclotron was an artifact of an age before the atomic Physicists discover the bottom-most “bottomonium” bomb when excitement, wonder, and hope outweighed the July 9, 2008, 4:30 pm: Bottomoniums are particles that contain fear that is so familiar today. It was an artifact of decades both a bottom quark and an anti-bottom quark but are bound of tunnel spelunking, Columbia’s most public secret. It was together with different energies. Now researchers have an artifact of my college experience, bringing me closer detected and measured the lowest-energy particle of the family. to the people who shared my first Columbia adventure and setting the tone for all the rest that followed.” Code crackers wanted! May 15, 2008, 5:12 pm: A little over a year ago, the Fermilab C3 Logbook: Z Boson Office of Public Affairs received a curious letter in code. In May 1983, physicists working on the UA1 detector You can read partial solutions of the top and bottom sections in for the Super Proton Synchrotron accelerator at CERN the comments. However, the middle section remains unsolved. made the first definitive observations of the Z boson. Are the laws of physics the same throughout C4 Explain it in 60 Seconds: Z Boson the universe? The Z boson is a heavy particle that is one of the carriers June 19, 2008, 6:32 pm: Observations of a quasar about 6 of the weak force. Its discovery completed the Standard billion light years away have shown that one of the funda- Model of particle physics and allowed physicists to probe mental properties of physics is the same there as here: the characters and interactions of many of the other protons there are 1836.15 more massive than electrons. fundamental particles. Mariah Carey vs. Albert Einstein April 1, 2008, 12:01 am: On April 15, pop star Mariah Carey will release her new album, E=MC2. Here is a quick look at how Carey compares to the master of E=MC2, Albert Einstein. ANTARES neutrino telescope complete July 14, 2008, 5:59 pm: The latest generation of neutrino telescopes uses vast bodies of water or ice as the medium for detecting neutrinos. The ANTARES experiment, at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, is a real engineering accomplishment. The cosmic quantum bounce (APS April 2008) April 12, 2008, 2:57 pm: Plenty of theories suggest there was something before the big bang. This morning I heard more about an interesting addition that involves a “quantum bounce.” Office of Science U.S. Department of Energy Illustration: Sandbox Studio from the editor The high-energy physics community suffered a battering in 2008. The Positive omnibus bill passed by Congress in late 2007 sharply reduced funding, news for causing layoffs at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and furloughs at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Various projects were put on ice particle for the year, or closed prematurely. Those cuts hit hard and left physi- physics cists reeling. During those most difficult times, however, the community continued to make the case for particle physics research. Through the P5 process (see page 10), it worked with the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation to develop a strategic plan for the future, designed to provide options for funding agencies under four potential funding scenarios. Panel members needed to make some tough decisions but ultimately developed a compelling road map for US particle physics to make significant scientific advances with a balanced and sustainable program of research. Then, just as Fermilab was preparing to lay off workers, Congress stepped in. Lawmakers appropriated an additional $32 million for high-energy physics, directed to prevent the imminent layoffs at Fermilab, allow the NOvA neutrino experiment to proceed, and preserve critical accelerator R&D and computing at SLAC. Notably, the House Appropriation Committee’s language in its draft budget documents for FY09 reads: “The Committee commends the Department [of Energy] for its efforts to engage the high energy physics scientific community to provide a bold vision for the future of the Nation’s efforts in this area that is both realistic and scientifically compelling, particularly given the difficult budget constraints faced by the field in fiscal year 2008. “...the Committee believes that a balanced effort that addresses oppor- tunities at the energy, luminosity, and cosmic frontiers by leveraging existing physical capital and facilities to the maximum extent possible and by engag- Photo: Reidar Hahn, Fermilab ing in international scientific cooperation is critical for the future of this field.” In early July, Fermilab celebrated the news at an event with Congressional, DOE, and laboratory representatives and a newly uplifted Fermilab staff. Budget challenges remain, but with a new plan and the backing of the Department of Energy and Congress, the future of high-energy physics in the United States is now looking much more positive than it did in the first half of 2008. David Harris, Editor-in-chief Symmetry Editor-in-Chief Publisher Print Design and Production PO Box 500 David Harris Judy Jackson, FNAL Sandbox Studio MS 206 650 926 8580 Chicago, Illinois Contributing Editors Batavia Illinois 60510 Deputy Editor Art Director USA Roberta Antolini, LNGS Glennda Chui Peter Barratt, STFC Michael Branigan 630 840 3351 telephone Managing Editor Romeo Bassoli, INFN Design Assistant 630 840 8780 fax Kurt Riesselmann Stefano Bianco, LNF Jared Grodt www.symmetrymagazine.org Kandice Carter, JLab [email protected] Senior Editor Illustrator Tona Kunz Lynn Yarris, LBNL Aaron Grant (c) 2008 symmetry All rights James Gillies, CERN reserved Staff Writers Silvia Giromini, LNF Web Design and Production Elizabeth Clements Xeno Media symmetry (ISSN 1931-8367) Youhei Morita, KEK Kelen Tuttle Tim Meyer, TRIUMF Hinsdale, Illinois is published 6 times per Rhianna Wisniewski year by Fermi National Perrine Royole-Degieux, IN2P3 Web Architect symmetry | volume 05 issue 03 august 08 Accelerator Laboratory and Copy Editor Yuri Ryabov, IHEP Protvino Kevin Munday Stanford Linear Accelerator Melinda Lee Yves Sacquin, CEA-Saclay Web Design Center, funded by the Interns Kendra Snyder, BNL Karen Acklin US Department of Energy Calla Cofield Boris Starchenko, JINR Maury Tigner, LEPP Web Programmer Office of Science. Matt Cunningham Mike Acklin Jennifer Johnson Ute Wilhelmsen, DESY Zoë Macintosh Tongzhou Xu, IHEP Beijing Photographic Services Gabby Zegers, NIKHEF Fermilab Visual Media symmetry Services 2 commentary: seth zenz persistently adding unsourced nonsense to Wikipedia Wikipedia and harassing other users; he responded needs by sending a letter to one of the high-level admin- istrators on my real-life experiment to complain that more I was suppressing The Truth about how Relativity physicists is false.