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Fermilab — Excursions Into Matter, Space and Time

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the lots-of-good-work dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Fermilab is one of the great physics research facilities in the U.S. It is mainly known for its Tevatron proton/anti-proton accelerator to help physicists understand how materials interact with each other. TG Daily has a extensive article detailing Fermilab's accelerator chain and the work that is being done there. It's an interesting read, especially since many of us won't have a chance to visit Fermilab and the fact that the Tevatron accelerator is scheduled to be shut down next year."

7 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. No matter... by mastermemorex · · Score: 4, Funny

    All we have to know about mater-space-time is in the series documental Star-Trek.

    1. Re:No matter... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Of course english isn't his first language. He's a Thermian in search of a captain for their starship.

  2. Re:Fermilab Bison by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Femilab bison have to be fine breeding studs; travelling at half light speed and crashing into a matter sample in under a millisecond doesn't leave much time for foreplay.

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
  3. Bigots! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    "Fermilab is one of the great physics research facilities in the U.S. It is mainly known for its Tevatron proton/anti-proton accelerator"

    I am dismayed that Fermilab is so anti-proton, and they are accelerating anti-protonism.

  4. The Ring of Fire by ExE122 · · Score: 4, Funny

    The company I work for is involved with the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in England just outside of Abingdon. They also have a synchotron facility and gave us a demonstration on how they accelerate particles within a beam by bending it with magnets to form a giant ring (I think the one in RAL is about 3 miles in circumference). They use very complex sensors to study the "scattering" of particles colliding with various materials to determine various characteristics and properties.

    It was a very neat and interesting presentation... Unfortunately, having some of the finer details explained by scientists who live and breath the stuff put it just ever so slightly above my level of understanding (I was lost in the first 30 seconds)... At one point, I could've sworn they just broke out some random Star Trek technobabble just to get a laugh out of me later =P.

    I agree with the author, the article is indeed a very interesting read. And yes, while Tevatron is shutting down, US still leads the world in similar facilities, including one not too far from Fermilab at Argonne.

    --
    Capitalism: When it uses the carrot, it's called democracy. When it uses the stick, it's called fascism.
  5. Re:Fermilab Bison by martyb · · Score: 5, Funny

    However, while Argonne merely allows the deer to roam freely on its land, Fermilab Bison are actively cultivated by the lab, creating some really fine breeding studs, and acting as a sustainable way of preserving one aspect of the natural "Prairie" that is part of North American history.

    And let me guess... they named the first calf a "Higgs Bison"? <grin>

  6. Higgs Bison? by HiggsBison · · Score: 2, Funny

    And let me guess... they named the first calf a "Higgs Bison"? <grin>

    Actually, the Higgs Bison would be the ones grazing in the Higgs Field.

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    My other car is a 1984 Nark Avenger.