Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility Scientific
Achievements for 1999
- A recent experiment at the Department of Energy's Jefferson Lab has announced
results that could prove among the decade's most important in the field of nuclear
physics: strange quarks are suprisingly scarce in ordinary nuclear matter. This
finding, and expected follow-on results, should enlarge our understanding of proton
structure, leading to a more complete understanding of the nuclear material that
makes up most of the world around us. The research team partially credits the
experiment's success to the quality of the beam from Jefferson Lab's accelerator,
which has unprecedented resolution and extraordinary stability, eliminating effects
that could destroy the interpretability of the experimental data.
- The DOE's Jefferson Lab's Free Electron Laser (FEL) exceeded its design goal of
1,000 watts (a million times more powerful than the laser in a supermarket scanner)
by producing 1,720 watts of infrared light in July. At kilowatt levels, the
Jefferson Lab FEL offers researchers a unique tool for science and industrial
processing with light. The FEL may have a wide range of applications in
manufacturing, including processing of plastics, more durable synthetic fibers,
corrosion resistant metals and advanced materials and components for electronics and
microtechnologies. Initial industrial experiments are investigating roughening
plastics, creating hardened and corrosion-resistant metal surfaces, and machining
miniature structures in ceramics.
- Inventors at DOE's Jefferson Lab have patented a new type of fire detection system
that detects the early start of a fire using infrared light to detect combustion
products before visible flame and smoke appear. The new system can be used in many
different applications. For example, if dissimilar materials that have different
extinguishing requirements are stored in the same location, this system could detect
which material is burning and expel the correct agent to extinguish the fire. Other
applications include those where the protection of high-value or mission critical
facilities such as in a museum is a priority.
- The DOE's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility's polarized electron beam
is delighting researchers with high levels of polarization and current, and with
exceptionally high polarized source operational "up" time. Polarization refers to
the state of electrons in the beam - getting millions of electrons rotating the
same way as they move through the accelerator to the target material. Polarized
beam allows physicists to add another parameter during an experiment - providing
more control or more defined data. Beam has been running with high average current
and ~40% polarization and more recently has been delivering polarizations above 70%
with lower beam currents. This facility is delivering more polarized electrons
than any other facility in the world.
- A new diagnostic tool has been developed by a spin-off company that helps detect
breast cancer using licensed technology developed at DOE's Jefferson Lab for its
nuclear physics mission. This tool will use nuclear medical imaging known as
scintimammography to pinpoint cancerous breast tissue. Tumors can be detected with
this technology of five times smaller volume than with standard mammography x-rays.
This technology will be used when x-rays mammograms show an abnormality and will
prevent some breast biopsies. Clinical trials were conducted at the University of
Virginia and John Hopkins University. The device is currently being marketed by
Dilon Technologies.
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