Representatives from the ATF International Collaboration inspect the new power supplies provided by SLAC for the ATF2 project. From left to right, they are: Andrei Seryi, Toshiaki Tauchi, Sakae Araki, Briant Lam, Junji Urakawa and Nobuhiro Terunuma.

Helping to Power the Future

by Madolyn Rogers

SLAC made a key contribution to the next generation of linear accelerators this month with the delivery of 38 innovative power supplies to KEK in Japan. The power supplies will be installed in the Accelerator Test Facility 2 (ATF2) now under construction there. The ATF2 is a test facility to demonstrate a novel design for focusing a beam down to the very small size needed at the collision point of a linear collider. The goal for the ATF2 is to squeeze the beam to a size of tens of nanometers, about 0.1 percent of the diameter of a human hair.

Because the ATF2 is a stepping stone toward the planned International Linear Collider (ILC), the power supplies must satisfy not only ATF2 requirements, but also those of the ILC. The High Availability Power Supplies (HAPS) are designed to meet the unique challenges of this future accelerator by providing highly reliable power to the magnets that control the electron beam.

"The High Availability Power Supplies are extremely stable and you can control them very precisely with small steps," said Andrei Seryi, deputy of ATF Spokesperson and the SLAC leader for the ATF2 project. This level of performance is crucial, Seryi said, because the ATF2 will attempt to produce a highly focused electron beam only several tens of nanometers high and also keep the small size for a long time. It's never been done before and will require an unprecedented level of control of the magnets. The results from ATF2 will provide a solid foundation for the final focus system design of ILC, and will also be useful for other future single pass beamlines. Read more...

Reaching for the Sky with SDSS and LSST

(LSST & SDSS)
The proposed LSST (top) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey telescope (bottom). (Images courtesy of LSST and the SDSS Team/Fermilab, respectively.)

Astronomers have been surveying the sky for several thousand years, but right now their efforts are yielding a bonanza of results as detectors, telescopes and computers become ever more powerful. In this afternoon's colloquium, Zeljko Ivesic of the University of Washington will discuss how data from the optical Sloan Digital Sky Survey have recently enabled numerous exciting discoveries. Focusing on asteroids, quasar variability and mapping of the Milky Way stellar distribution, Ivesic will give a preview of what to expect from the upcoming next-generation surveys, such as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). He will also describe the LSST's potential for studying the properties of dark matter and dark energy.

The colloquium takes place this afternoon at 4:15 p.m. in SLAC's Panofsky Auditorium. All are invited to attend.

Learn more...

LCLS and Facilities to Host Car Show, BBQ

by Kelen Tuttle

Save the date! The Linac Coherent Light Source Project and SLAC Facilities will host the second annual Classic Rides Show and BBQ this Friday, May 9, at 12:00 p.m. The event, which will include barbeque and sides as well as classic and unusual cars, will take place under the oak trees outside Building 280B. All are invited to attend. If you would like to enjoy the barbeque lunch, please contact Lee Anne De Wan at x4400 to purchase an $8.00 meal ticket.

Do you have a classic or unusual car or bike you would like to show off? Consider bringing it to the event! De Wan can provide more information and register your vehicle for the event.

U.S. Postal Service Rate Increase May 12th

by Doug Kreitz

Effective May 12, 2008, U.S. postage rates will increase. The change that will affect the majority of us is the increase of the First Class postage stamp from $0.41 to $0.42. There will also be rate changes for Priority Mail, Express Mail and International rates as well. For complete rate information, please visit the United States Postal Service website.

Events

May 6: (12:30 p.m.) Experimental Seminar: Muon Identification in ATLAS

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Has the Heaviest Element Been Found? New Scientist
Erich and the KAON Factory CBC News

<% Response.AddHeader "Last-modified", getArticleDate() 'Response.AddHeader "Last-modified","Mon, 01 Sep 1997 01:03:33 GMT" 'Monday, December 06, 2010 %>

View online at http://today.slac.stanford.edu/.

Representatives from the ATF International Collaboration inspect the new power supplies provided by SLAC for the ATF2 project. From left to right, they are: Andrei Seryi, Toshiaki Tauchi, Sakae Araki, Briant Lam, Junji Urakawa and Nobuhiro Terunuma. Helping to Power the Future by Madolyn Rogers SLAC made a key contribution to the next generation of linear accelerators this month with the delivery of 38 innovative power supplies to KEK in Japan. The power supplies will be installed in the Accelerator Test Facility 2 (ATF2) now under construction there. The ATF2 is a test facility to demonstrate a novel design for focusing a beam down to the very small size needed at the collision point of a linear collider. The goal for the ATF2 is to squeeze the beam to a size of tens of nanometers, about 0.1 percent of the diameter of a human hair. Because the ATF2 is a stepping stone toward the planned International Linear Collider (ILC), the power supplies must satisfy not only ATF2 requirements, but also those of the ILC. The High Availability Power Supplies (HAPS) are designed to meet the unique challenges of this future accelerator by providing highly reliable power to the magnets that control the electron beam. "The High Availability Power Supplies are extremely stable and you can control them very precisely with small steps," said Andrei Seryi, deputy of ATF Spokesperson and the SLAC leader for the ATF2 project. This level of performance is crucial, Seryi said, because the ATF2 will attempt to produce a highly focused electron beam only several tens of nanometers high and also keep the small size for a long time. It's never been done before and will require an unprecedented level of control of the magnets. The results from ATF2 will provide a solid foundation for the final focus system design of ILC, and will also be useful for other future single pass beamlines. Read more...

Reaching for the Sky with SDSS and LSST The proposed LSST (top) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey telescope (bottom). (Images courtesy of LSST and the SDSS Team/Fermilab, respectively.) Astronomers have been surveying the sky for several thousand years, but right now their efforts are yielding a bonanza of results as detectors, telescopes and computers become ever more powerful. In this afternoon's colloquium, Zeljko Ivesic of the University of Washington will discuss how data from the optical Sloan Digital Sky Survey have recently enabled numerous exciting discoveries. Focusing on asteroids, quasar variability and mapping of the Milky Way stellar distribution, Ivesic will give a preview of what to expect from the upcoming next-generation surveys, such as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). He will also describe the LSST's potential for studying the properties of dark matter and dark energy. The colloquium takes place this afternoon at 4:15 p.m. in SLAC's Panofsky Auditorium. All are invited to attend. Learn more...	LCLS and Facilities to Host Car Show, BBQ by Kelen Tuttle Save the date! The Linac Coherent Light Source Project and SLAC Facilities will host the second annual Classic Rides Show and BBQ this Friday, May 9, at 12:00 p.m. The event, which will include barbeque and sides as well as classic and unusual cars, will take place under the oak trees outside Building 280B. All are invited to attend. If you would like to enjoy the barbeque lunch, please contact Lee Anne De Wan at x4400 to purchase an $8.00 meal ticket. Do you have a classic or unusual car or bike you would like to show off? Consider bringing it to the event! De Wan can provide more information and register your vehicle for the event. U.S. Postal Service Rate Increase May 12th by Doug Kreitz Effective May 12, 2008, U.S. postage rates will increase. The change that will affect the majority of us is the increase of the First Class postage stamp from $0.41 to $0.42. There will also be rate changes for Priority Mail, Express Mail and International rates as well. For complete rate information, please visit the United States Postal Service website.	Events May 6: (12:30 p.m.) Experimental Seminar: Muon Identification in ATLAS Access (see all) Loop Road traffic restrictions and partial closure Alpine Gate & PEP Ring Road closed Gates 17 & 30 open 24-7 Research Yard bisected Announcements (see all \| submit) Lab Announcements 2008 Employee Recognition Awards Tech Briefing - May 9: Matlab L&D's Spring Quarter Courses Community Bulletin Board Help Center Workshop: Anger Management Groups SLAC's Second Annual Classic Rides Show and BBQ - May 9 NASA to Hold Future Forum in San Jose - May 14 Faculty Staff Help Center Workshop - May 15 News (see all \| submit) Has the Heaviest Element Been Found? New Scientist Erich and the KAON Factory CBC News
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<% Response.AddHeader "Last-modified", getArticleDate() 'Response.AddHeader "Last-modified","Mon, 01 Sep 1997 01:03:33 GMT" 'Monday, December 06, 2010 %> View online at http://today.slac.stanford.edu/.