W Boson Squeezes Higgs Particle

(Photo - W bozon plush toy puts the Higgs in a vice)

Photographer Robert Tilden, a software engineer at Northwestern University, caught the W boson squeezing the Higgs. Artist Julie Peasley created the plush toys for The Particle Zoo. (Photo by Robert Tilden. Click for larger image.)

by Kurt Riesselmann, Symmetry Breaking

The DZero collaboration at the Department of Energy's Fermilab has achieved the world's most precise measurement of the mass of the W boson by a single experiment. Combined with other measurements, the reduced uncertainty of the W boson mass will lead to stricter bounds on the mass of the elusive Higgs boson.

The W boson is a carrier of the weak nuclear force and a key element of the Standard Model of elementary particles and forces. The particle, which is about 85 times heavier than a proton, enables radioactive beta decay and makes the sun shine. The Standard Model also predicts the existence of the Higgs boson, the origin of mass for all elementary particles. Read more in Symmetry Breaking...

See also the Fermilab news release on Interactions and "'God Particle' Not a Heavyweight" in New Scientist.

FGST Collaboration Meets in Hiroshima

(Photo - FGST collaboration in Hiroshima)

The FGST collaboration met in Hiroshima, Japan, last week. This group photo was taken at the Cenotaph in Peace Park. (Photo courtesy of the FGST collaboration. Click for larger image.)

by Kelen Tuttle

Last week, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope collaborators from around the world—including 21 from SLAC and the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology—gathered in Hiroshima, Japan, for five days of extensive discussion on a very broad range of topics.

"Our recent results are excellent, and there was a great feeling at the meeting," said KIPAC physicist Elliot Bloom. "We often hold these meetings in California or Washington DC, but because we have a lot of collaborators around the world we sometimes have these meetings abroad. This one was particularly nice because our Japanese collaborators and the city of Hiroshima really went out of their way to accommodate us."

Held in the conference center adjacent to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the meeting included general sessions on recently completed analyses, tutorials on various parts of the data analysis process, and science working group splinter sessions covering the astrophysics gamut from dark matter and new physics to supernova remnants and pulsar wind nebula.

KIPAC physicist Richard Dubois said that in addition to the information covered in the scheduled sessions, the meeting was quite useful because he could work with his collaborators face-to-face. "We have a lot of teleconferences, but it's really handy to get all the experts together to work on problems in person," he said. "Things get done much more quickly when you're together in a room."

(Photo - volleyball on the SLAC Green March 10, 2009)

Around SLAC: Spring is Coming

by Lauren Schenkman

With the recent sunny days and the vernal equinox just over a week away, spring is in the air, and certainly in the step of these SLACers. This group from the Linac Coherent Light Source practice their spikes, sets and serves on sunny afternoons twice a week. New players are welcome—the game starts at noon, Tuesdays on the SLAC green and Thursdays behind Building 40.

Events

Mar 18 (1:30 p.m.) Theory Seminar: Dark Matter Meets the SUSY Flavor Problem
Mar 19 (12:30 p.m.) Experimental Seminar: Unitarity and Universality with Kaon Physics at KLOE
Mar 19 (3:30 p.m.) The Use of Synchrotron Radiation in Cultural Heritage (Art and Archeology)

Access (see all)

iDoc Down for Maintenance/Upgrades Mar 9‑17

Announcements
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Community Bulletin Board

Stanford Center for Professional Development—Spring Quarter Enrollment

Training (see all | register)

Mar 18 (8:00 a.m.) Forklift Operator Training
Mar 18 (9:00 a.m.) Radiological Worker Practical
Mar 18 (10:00 a.m.) Hazardous Waste Management Refresher

News (submit)

Eric Isaacs Named Director of Argonne National Laboratory ANL news release
Scientists Discover the First Fossil Brain European Synchrotron Radiation Facility news release on Lightsources
Physicists on Wall Street New York Times

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W Boson Squeezes Higgs Particle Photographer Robert Tilden, a software engineer at Northwestern University, caught the W boson squeezing the Higgs. Artist Julie Peasley created the plush toys for The Particle Zoo. (Photo by Robert Tilden. Click for larger image.) by Kurt Riesselmann, Symmetry Breaking The DZero collaboration at the Department of Energy's Fermilab has achieved the world's most precise measurement of the mass of the W boson by a single experiment. Combined with other measurements, the reduced uncertainty of the W boson mass will lead to stricter bounds on the mass of the elusive Higgs boson. The W boson is a carrier of the weak nuclear force and a key element of the Standard Model of elementary particles and forces. The particle, which is about 85 times heavier than a proton, enables radioactive beta decay and makes the sun shine. The Standard Model also predicts the existence of the Higgs boson, the origin of mass for all elementary particles. Read more in Symmetry Breaking... See also the Fermilab news release on Interactions and "'God Particle' Not a Heavyweight" in New Scientist. FGST Collaboration Meets in Hiroshima The FGST collaboration met in Hiroshima, Japan, last week. This group photo was taken at the Cenotaph in Peace Park. (Photo courtesy of the FGST collaboration. Click for larger image.) by Kelen Tuttle Last week, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope collaborators from around the world—including 21 from SLAC and the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology—gathered in Hiroshima, Japan, for five days of extensive discussion on a very broad range of topics. "Our recent results are excellent, and there was a great feeling at the meeting," said KIPAC physicist Elliot Bloom. "We often hold these meetings in California or Washington DC, but because we have a lot of collaborators around the world we sometimes have these meetings abroad. This one was particularly nice because our Japanese collaborators and the city of Hiroshima really went out of their way to accommodate us." Held in the conference center adjacent to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the meeting included general sessions on recently completed analyses, tutorials on various parts of the data analysis process, and science working group splinter sessions covering the astrophysics gamut from dark matter and new physics to supernova remnants and pulsar wind nebula. KIPAC physicist Richard Dubois said that in addition to the information covered in the scheduled sessions, the meeting was quite useful because he could work with his collaborators face-to-face. "We have a lot of teleconferences, but it's really handy to get all the experts together to work on problems in person," he said. "Things get done much more quickly when you're together in a room." Around SLAC: Spring is Coming by Lauren Schenkman With the recent sunny days and the vernal equinox just over a week away, spring is in the air, and certainly in the step of these SLACers. This group from the Linac Coherent Light Source practice their spikes, sets and serves on sunny afternoons twice a week. New players are welcome—the game starts at noon, Tuesdays on the SLAC green and Thursdays behind Building 40.	Events Mar 18 (1:30 p.m.) Theory Seminar: Dark Matter Meets the SUSY Flavor Problem Mar 19 (12:30 p.m.) Experimental Seminar: Unitarity and Universality with Kaon Physics at KLOE Mar 19 (3:30 p.m.) The Use of Synchrotron Radiation in Cultural Heritage (Art and Archeology) Access (see all) iDoc Down for Maintenance/Upgrades Mar 9‑17 Announcements (see all \| submit) Community Bulletin Board Stanford Center for Professional Development—Spring Quarter Enrollment Training (see all \| register) Mar 18 (8:00 a.m.) Forklift Operator Training Mar 18 (9:00 a.m.) Radiological Worker Practical Mar 18 (10:00 a.m.) Hazardous Waste Management Refresher News (submit) Eric Isaacs Named Director of Argonne National Laboratory ANL news release Scientists Discover the First Fossil Brain European Synchrotron Radiation Facility news release on Lightsources Physicists on Wall Street New York Times
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	Thursday - March 12, 2009