Friday Flyer - June 11, 2021
This Friday Flyer will be on hiatus until Septemeber 2021. This is the last issue of the 2020-21 academic year.
Spotlight on Summer 2021
Summer is upon us! (On June 20, that is.) Like so many things, we see signs of recovery from the pandemic in our QuarkNet centers, with many returning, cautiously and following proper protocols, to in-person workshops. Others are using the lessons of 2020 to present great online workshops and Coding Camp is back, also online, in lieu of Data Camp. Actually, it is the summer of coding in QuarkNet, as many centers are offering workshops using Jupyter notebooks or Google Colaboratory, usually facilitated by the new coding fellows. The Neutrino fellows, also a new group, are offering their own workshops to centers. There are lots of choices for QuarkNet national workshops, and we are even working on some new prototypes like the proposed quantum workshop.
For any sort of center workshop, please do not forget to attend to our QuarkNet workshop must do items.
Has your center planned a workshop yet? If not, contact your center leadership and the QuarkNet staff member and get the ball rolling!
News from QuarkNet Central
As many of you know, our e-Labs have recently been down due to technical issues. QuarkNet IT staff is making progress. Currently, users can log into the Cosmic Ray and CMS e-Labs but Cosmic Ray studies do not work. FF checked out CMS studies, and they seem to work as far as we can tell. We will continue to post updates on this page until the e-Lab issues are fully resolved.
Are you interested in learning about the latest doings in particle physics education and outreach from the International Particle Physics Outreach Group (IPPOG)? Then register to join the IPPOG forum e-group.
Looking to learn more and deeper physics? The Brookhaven National Laboratory Physics Department is launching its second Summer Lecture Series. Learn more from the announcement text. (H/T Mary Bishai)
Physics Experiment Roundup
We have a trifecta of news from CERN Bulletin. LHCb has discovered a really small mass difference (about 10-38 g!) between two particles that enables their combined state to oscillate between matter and antimatter. Not kidding: read about it. The FASER experiment, forward of ATLAS, is up, running, and detecting LHC-produced candidate neutrinos. Speaking of ATLAS forward, the new ATLAS small wheel is nearing completion as part of the LHC upgrade.
Beyond CERN, APS Physics reports that the DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) has found a bump in the cosmic ray spectrum: not for a new particle but maybe for a new supernova. And g-2 is still in the news with one article from Physics Today and another, by masterclass moderator Mike Albrow, in Fermi News.
Resources
Videos first! Don Lincoln explains g-2 and Kirsty Duffy samples neutrino flavors in another edition of Even Bananas.
Next, advanced computing! APS Physics explores machine learning to classify data and describes computer memory from cold atoms and light.
Last but intriguing: from symmetry, we learn how the LIGO gravitational wave discovery was translated into a Native American language.
Just for Fun
Fermilab. Fun. It is a natural alliteration. Can the two be related? Well, judge for yourself after you take in the FNAL 2021 Golden Particle Awards and Physics Slam. And APS Physics looks at science fiction that sometimes comes true (but not always). For this, though, we should go to the authority on both science fiction tech and advanced computing: Star Trek IV.
Have a great summer!
QuarkNet Staff:
Mark Adams: adams@fnal.gov
Ken Cecire: kcecire@nd.edu
Spencer Pasero: spasero@fnal.gov
Shane Wood: swood5@nd.edu