Work Products
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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Annual Report 2017
July 13, 2017
Mentor: Tony Spadafora
Workshop Coordinator: Laurie Kerrigan
Co- Organizer: Ken Cecire (QuarkNet)
The LBNL Physics Division hosted its eleventh “Physics in and Through Cosmology” workshop for QuarkNet Leadership teachers and high school students. The five-day workshop from June 26 to June 30, 2017 was held at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Twelve science teachers participated. Six of the teachers have been active members of QuarkNet for five or more years. Two new teachers joined the group this year and two from previous years returned. There were 34 students with approximately equal number of boys and girls. The teachers & students represented public and private high schools in the greaterSan Francisco Bay Area.
The first day focused on getting all participants familiar with concepts & terms in particle physics & cosmology. This was accomplished through “mini” lectures given by returning QuarkNet teachers. This day also included a discussion by Spencer Klien, an LBNL researcher, entitled “Natural radiation, from cosmic-rays to neutrinos?” The LBNL 88” cyclotron was also toured.
The other days consisted of hands-on warm-up activities, morning & afternoon scientist talks.. Between talks, groups worked on hands-on experiments (e.g. QuarkNet activities lead by Ken Cecire using data from ATLAS). Groups consisted of four students and a teacher. Groups also discussed the lectures and designed & carried out experiments with Cosmic Ray Detectors. . There was a virtual tour of the ATLAS Control Room at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. There were also tours of the ALS (Advanced Light Source) and Molecular Foundry research facilities at LBNL.
Teachers meet with Ken Cecire over dinner the first night for Master Class training, and over lunch on the second day to discuss QuarkNet. On the last day we had a Panel Discussion with the following presenters: Darcy Barron, Heather Gray, Spencer Klein & Vetri Velan.
Formal presentations included:
*Tony Spadafora Welcome to the Lab
*Spencer Klien “Natural radiation, from cosmic-rays to neutrinos?”
* Heather Gray Introduction to ATLAS & Particle Physics
* Saul Perlmutter Nobel Prize and scientific discovery
* Ken Cecire ATLAS Masterclass measurement
* Kyle Boone Cosmology / Dark Energy
* Parker Anne Fagrelius DESI
*Lucie Tvrznikova Dark Matter
*Alex Krolewski "Growth of Structure and the Cosmic Web"
*Vetri Velan Dark Matter
* Darcy Barron CMB
*Natalie Roe Lawrence Berkeley Lab
On the last day students completed a self- evaluation of how much they learned about science concepts during the workshop.
They used a scale of 1 (nothing) to 5 (a lot).
The overall average was 3.68 and standard deviation of .449
Those with over 4.5 include:
The Cosmic Microwave background is the baby picture of the Universe when matter
& energy decoupled. (4.59)
The Red Shift is the stretching of wavelengths revealing time and distance. (4.56)
Supernovae are the explosions of dying stars, and certain types can serve as a
standard candle. (4.59)
The Universe’s expansion is accelerating due to Dark Energy. (4.72)
The Universe is approximately 5% atomic matter, 20% dark matter,
and 75% dark energy. (4.56)
There are four fundamental forces, most interact through carrier particles shaping
the Universe. (4.53)
Quantum fluctuations during inflation lead to stars & galaxies. (4.56)
Some comments by the students and teachers include:
“I learned a lot about basic concepts in particle physics and cosmology like dark matter, dark energy, and the different types of particles. I liked that it taught more advanced topics that aren’t in a high school curriculum.”
“The workshop opened my view for the experimental side of cosmology and particle physics and helped me in rethinking what I want to pursue later in life.”
“I learned a ton about particle physics, cosmology, different types of detectors, their uses. Etc.”
“Masterclass simulation of ATLAS was brilliant.”
“ATLAS presentation was great & insightful. Loved looking at events & analyzing them.”
“The data analysis of ATLAS was great.”
“The virtual tour at ATLAS was very entertaining and gave me a clear perspective of how much effort is put into running large machines/experiments.”
“The detectors were really cool.”
“Thank you for the opportunity to come to this workshop. This workshop really broadened my horizons and view on the field of science. I’m glad I got the opportunity to come to this workshop. I hope you keep it going for years to come.”
Participating Teachers:
Adams
Ray retired
Becker
Philip Freedom H.S.
Eldred
Craig Terra Linda H.S.
Galloway
Erin Alameda H.S.
Guthrie
Laura Acalanes H.S.
Kerrigan
Laurie Mercy, S.F.
Louie
Justin Novato H.S.
Marten
Bryan Lowell H.S.
Melnik
Glen Piedmont H.S.
Noblejas
Jeffrey St. Ignatius H.S.
Piccioni
Richard The Bay School
Risk
Valerie Albany H.S.
Posted Tuesday, August 8, 2017 - 13:24 by LaurieKerrigan -
Purpose –This experiment gave hands-on experience collecting & interpreting data from muon detectors. These detectors were supplied by Howard Matis of LBL. Students had had no previous experience with the detectors.
Methods –Before working with the detectors, students viewed a video about special relativity & muon decay on their own. The two hour formal session started with a 30 min power point presentation on what cosmic rays are and how we detect them. Then, students were shown a high voltage gas detector. Followed by a discussion, students were trained on how to use the detectors. There were 9 groups comprised of 4 students and 1 teacher. Each group had its own detector. Each group designed a brief experiment. These experiments ranged from tilting the detectors to get a different count to shielding experiments using different floors in a building. The experiment that most groups did was going to different levels of the building to see if the counts change due to shielding.
Results - Each group recorded their data and presented their findings informally. Because of time constraints, there was no formally written data shared with the entire group. Some groups did mention specific numbers of muon counts. There was a discussion covering the causes of the difference in counts. Their counts in the upper floors of the building were more than the lower floors.
There was also a discussion on why the two detectors had different counts which lead to an explanation which covered the role voltage plays in the sensitivity of the paddles. Too high of a voltage gives a runaway count, too low of a voltage gives no count.
Meaning & future investigations - Cosmic rays have played a large role in the development of Particle Physics. The muon as well as antimatter were first detected by cosmic ray investigations. Students had also had a presentation on Cosmic Rays & the ICE Cube experiment. This activity gave the students a first-hand experience in understanding & working with particles and helped them make connections with larger research experiments. Further investigations could include continuing to study the different shielding materials, different elevations of detection, & the effects of magnetic fields on the detector as well as the earth’s magnetic field.
Participating Teachers:
Adams
Ray retired
Becker
Philip Freedom H.S.
Eldred
Craig Terra Linda H.S.
Galloway
Erin Alameda H.S.
Guthrie
Laura Acalanes H.S.
Kerrigan
Laurie Mercy, S.F.
Louie
Justin Novato H.S.
Marten
Bryan Lowell H.S.
Melnik
Glen Piedmont H.S.
Noblejas
Jeffrey St. Ignatius H.S.
Piccioni
Richard The Bay School
Risk
Valerie Albany H.S.
Participating Students
Alvarado
Natasha
Ben-Ora
Kelden
Brunell
Geoffrey
Chen
Kevin
DaSilva
Rakesh
Dellert
Maeve
Fang-Horvath
Hallie
Fang-Horvath
Sierra
Fuentes
Jose (Tripp)
Gallardo
Robert
Garcia Vilchis
Monica
Gerson
Jessica
Guerrero
Neo
Guinasso
Danielle
Hahn
Beatrice
Ho
Nathan
Iwata
Mana
Jagabattuni
Sakuntala
King
Miles
Lyons
Christian
McClellan
Jack
Morrell
Bryant
Ngai
Audrey
Potter
Emma
Riley
Jack
Scottland
Dominic
Sharpe
Katherine
Tierney
Mary (Amelia)
To
Vivian
Vallat
Morgan
Wang
Rosetta
Wu
Danny
Zhang
Arthur
Posted Tuesday, August 8, 2017 - 13:14 by LaurieKerrigan -
again?
Posted Monday, December 22, 2014 - 12:46 by kcecireGroup: LHC Fellows Workspace -
Quarknet 2014 Report - University of Iowa
Preston Ross (Bettendorf High School)
William Fawcett (Bettendorf High School)
Archie Weindruch (Bettendorf High School)
Mr. Bruecken and Ms. Truesdell (Bettendorf High School)
Mr. Wetzel (University of Iowa)
Purpose:
The purpose of this project is to create an easily replicable, interactive, 3D scale model of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) at CERN. The model implements two current technologies: an Afinia 3D printer1 and Arduino Uno2 for its construction and functions. Once completed, the 3D design can easily be shared and printed throughout the world by anyone with a 3D printer, while other components of the model can be bought and assembled based on the finished model. The actual functions of CMS are simulated by lights controlled by the Arduino electronics boards . An interface with a Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM)3 allows the model to use cosmic muons to mimic a particle collision, with LEDs lighting up the model correspondingly, all of which can be controlled via an application available to an iPad or iPhone. The model is meant to be used for educational purposes, providing a cheaper way to closely examine the construction and functioning of the Compact Muon Solenoid.
Method:
The design of the 3D model of the CMS4 was accomplished by viewing schematics of the CMS and replicating it at a 1:60 scale5. Rather than producing one large piece of plastic in the general shape of the CMS, each major component of the CMS was printed and fitted together. The solenoid, being the largest singular piece of the CMS, limited the size of the 3D model, and thus the scale was based off the maximum allotted size of the model solenoid (12.7cm x 12.7cm). Additional parts, included to represent the functionality of the CMS, include the pixel detector, the preshower detector, the Forward Hadron Calorimeter, the silicon tracker, the Electromagnetic Calorimeter (ECAL), the Hadron Calorimeter (HCAL), and the Muon Detector, complete with its iron plates. The model’s parts are designed to be self-contained. A very minimal amount of glue is required for the pieces to hold together, as most parts interlock and wedge together, with an additional cradle holding up the structure itself.
The custom programmed Arduino Uno was used to control LEDs for display purposes6. The LEDs are capable of being turned on/off for each of the aforementioned parts of the model. A Silicon Photomultiplier Module (SiPM) is used to detect an actual cosmic ray muon which triggers the model to light up its components. This is meant to give a visualization of the muon stations in the CMS which help to track the muons given off from the high energy particle collisions. Compatibility with the iPad/iPhone was worked on using the iOS Developer software.
Results and Further Work:
A 3D printed, scale model of the CMS7 at CERN was successfully designed and printed8. However, while the code and capability of the LED display implementing a Silicon Photomultiplier and controlled by an iPad app exists, each part of the project has yet to be combined. The scale model has been successfully designed, the code for LED compatibility has been written, and code for an iPad/iPhone application has been written, but these components, due to time constraints, have not been combined for the final idealized product. For future work on this project, adhesive LEDs--such as those offered by superbrightleds.com9--must be purchased and connected to an Arduino, and an interface, preferably wireless using the Arduino Wifi Shield10--must be made between an iPad/iPhone and the Arduino in order to control the model.
Beyond the further work for this project alone, it may be beneficial, due to the increasingly useful nature of 3D printing, to pursue the creation of a working 3D model of CERN itself, as well as many other scientific experiments that, due to their uniqueness and size, could benefit from a smaller model useful for the education and training of its use and purposes. And the general populace may find more interest and understanding in science if an otherwise inaccessible and abstract experiment became a tangible object which they could access and control simply via an iPad/iPhone.
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http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoWiFiShield
Posted Monday, September 15, 2014 - 06:14 by PeterBrueckenGroup: Iowa QuarkNet Center -
Introduction
CMS Data Express is a short particle physics masterclass investigation that can be used as part of a workshop or as a short class project. The e-Lab Edition is specifically for use with the CMS e-Lab. Participants examine static displays of a limited number of events. The main goal is to separate Z candidate events other events by visual inspection and then create mass plot for the Z boson.
The Z boson is important in LHC discovery science and as a marker for calibration of LHC detectors: it is a well-known particle, so the location and width of the mass plot give physicists a good idea of how the detector is performing. The Z candidate events are "dimuon" events; the Z can decay into a muon pair. Z candidates are identified by 2 long muon tracks. Participants will search for Z candidates in the data.
Instructions
Individual or pair:
- Participate in analysis prep seminar
- Open the event display file
- Go to set of events assigned
- Determine whether each event is a Z candidate (2 distinct muon tracks)
- If the event is a Z candidate, note the mass, round to nearest odd number, record
- When finished, count how many instances of each odd number you have recorded
Group:
- Combine numbers of "odd masses" in all groups. (Download xls.)
- Create a histogram for whole group to observe.
Discussion
The histogram created by the group is a mass plot. Since the mass of any one type of particle is uncertain by nature and due to experimental uncertainty, it will have a distribution the peak of which is the experimental determination of the mass. Creation of mass plots and other histograms are the central measurements made in the CMS e-Lab but with many more events than used in this exercise.
Resources
Posted Thursday, June 20, 2013 - 17:12 by kcecireGroup: LHC Fellows Workspace -
test
Posted Friday, October 26, 2012 - 16:49 by xeno -
This is a first draft.
This is being added by Senem
Posted Monday, October 8, 2012 - 15:09 by spasero -
this is a test work product. There are many like it but this one is mine
Posted Wednesday, October 3, 2012 - 14:15 by Anonymous (not verified)