Friday Flyer - February 14, 2020
Spotlight on the Texas Tech QuarkNet Center
Sung-Won Lee is lead mentor at this center located in Lubbock on the plains of northwestern Texas. Three physics teachers gathered here in June of 2019 for a five-day workshop that focused on a range of particle physics topics. Early in the week, the teachers worked on assembling and troubleshooting a cosmic ray detector, along with some other "hands-on" time in the Advanced Particle Detector Lab at Texas Tech. The final two days consisted of a CMS data workshop where teachers went through both the CMS W2D2 and masterclass measurements.
News from QuarkNet Central
Center leads (mentors and lead teachers): If someone from your center has not already done so, please complete the 2020 RFP form ASAP to request support for center activities in 2020. Contact your QuarkNet staff with any questions.
The latest IMC circular is out today with a focus on CMS and ATLAS measurements. Since the CMS measurement is new this year, any center or institute planning a CMS masterclass needs at least an orientation update. There is also a CMS masterclass webcast on Thursday, February 20, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. U.S. Central Time. Register for it! And check out the CMS masterclass documentation as well!
If your group is not yet registered for International Masterclasses, please contact Ken as soon as possible. Check the videoconference schedule.
Physics Experiment Roundup
The collaborators on the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) have finalized the blueprints for the ambitious project, laying out details for the construction of the gigantic far detector. On the other side of the Pacific, news that the Hyper-Kamiokande project has been approved, aiming to build a detector much larger than its predecessor, Super-Kamiokande. Back in the U.S., MicroBooNE scientists devise a way to search for a possible heavier type of neutrino. Over at CERN, the Long Shutdown 2 (LS2) continues. Learn about some of the upgrades to the PS (Proton Synchrotron) Booster during LS2.
Resources
Don Lincoln has a new video out on quantum entanglement, which according to Don is one of the most mind-blowing theories of modern physics. There's a lot we don't know about dark matter, but physicists aren't completely "in the dark." In this article, symmetry shares some of what is known about dark matter. Nearly everyone has participated in or at least heard of a science fair. But how about a reverse science fair? And finally, the ATLAS collaboration announces the release of 13 TeV open data for science education.
Just for Fun
A recent Twitter photo shows what's REALLY at the end of a rainbow. Speaking of rainbows, have you ever seen a white rainbow? Find out more about these "colorless" rainbows from Physics Girl. And lastly, consider what a rainbow might look like if Earth had two suns, like the fictitious desert planet Tatooine.
QuarkNet Staff:
Mark Adams: adams@fnal.gov
Ken Cecire: kcecire@nd.edu
Spencer Pasero: spasero@fnal.gov
Shane Wood: swood5@nd.edu