JLab Weekly Briefs
is an ongoing publication providing information on the status of safety, accelerator operations, experiments, free-electron laser, reviews, upcoming activities and special events. Deadline for submission is every Tuesday by 10 a.m. Submit new items to: Public Affairs or contact Kandice Carter at x7263.

Jefferson Lab Weekly Briefs
October 7, 2009

12 GeV Upgrade

The contract for the fabrication and installation of the 4.5K coldbox for the expanded Central Helium Liquefier was awarded. Teams from JLab held contract kick-off meetings with the vendor for the accelerating cavities, as well as the vendors for the following accelerator magnets: quadrupoles, 4-meter dipoles and septa. The construction vendor for the 4-meter arc dipole magnets for the beam transport system has ordered the low-carbon iron for the fabrication. The vendor for the accelerating cavities has ordered the high RRR niobium needed for the fabrication. The extraction, instrumentation & controls/safety systems (I&C/S) and accelerator commissioning planning teams achieved 100 percent completion of their Project Engineering & Design scope.

Physics

Experiment E05-109 (HAPPEX-III) continues taking data with an uptime of ~90 percent in Hall A, although the experiment's high luminosity and low spectrometer angles (12.5 deg) are conducive to equipment failure due to radiation. So far, the experiment has accumulated 106 Coulombs out of the 250-Coulomb goal.

APS April Meeting Abstract Submission Deadline is Oct. 23
The 2010 APS April Meeting will take place at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. Because the April Meeting will be held in conjunction with the annual winter meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), it has been moved to February. The deadline for receipt of abstracts is Friday, Oct. 23, at 5 p.m. EDT (2 p.m. PDT).

AIP State Department Fellowship Application Deadline is Nov. 1
This fellowship is intended to enhance the S&T capacity of the State Department by enabling at least one scientist to work at the Department’s Washington, D.C. headquarters for a one-year term. This is a unique opportunity for a scientist to contribute scientific and technical expertise to the department and raise awareness of the value of scientific input. In turn, scientists broaden their experience by interacting with policymakers in the federal government and learning about the foreign policy process. For more information and to apply, visit the AIP website.

Accelerator

Operations personnel delivered beam to the halls with some down times. Last Tuesday, about 10 hours were spent to commission cryomodule 1L04; six cavities had been turned on. The accelerator energy was adjusted three times to meet Hall C experimental requirements; the energy shifts for Hall C were -1, +1 and +20MeV. On Friday the north linac local oscillator 1427 amplifier failed, which tripped off the radiofrequency system in the north linac; the faulty amplifier was replaced. Over the weekend, there were capture cooling problems, a water leak in zone 2L21 and issues with the personnel safety system; all the faulty parts were replaced. Additonally, a vacuum valve in the 4T region would not open due to a split air hose; the hose was repaired.

Free-Electron Laser

The FEL team has the streak camera operating again and has found this diagnostic extremely useful in helping to characterize the tunable pulses from the new drive laser. Modifications aimed at making fast shutdown more reliable have been completed, and this enables continuous wave operations again at 4.8 MHz. A new gun ceramic with built-in resistivity has passed two bake cycles under vacuum at 250 C without leaks.

Theory Center

The 12 GeV Upgrade will allow researchers to probe the structure of the proton and nuclei at much shorter distances and higher excitation energies with more precision than previously possible. The Institute of Nuclear Theory (INT) at the University of Washington in Seattle is presently conducting a 10-week program of workshops and informal meetings in order to further develop and expand JLab's 12 GeV physics program and discuss exciting new applications of the upgraded facility. In the first week, the workshop focused on studies of the 3-dimensional quark/gluon structure of the proton and brought together more than 40 international experts in experimental and theoretical nuclear physics.

JLab's Safety Numbers

84 Days since Last Recordable Accident (JLab record: 331)
392 Days since Last Lost Workday Accident (JLab record: 676)

JLab Calendar of Events

Oct. 8: Farewell Reception for Chief Scientist Tony Thomas
Oct. 9: All-Hands Meetings in CC auditorium
Oct. 15: Safety Shoe Vendor onsite
Oct. 20: Science Series Lecture - The Founders of Modern Astronomy
Oct. 28: William F. Brinkman, Director of DOE's Office of Science, visits JLab
Nov. 12: Safety Shoe Vendor onsite
Nov. 16: Women in Science and Engineering Workshop
Nov. 24-25: Thanksgiving holidays - JLab closed

Environment, Safety, Health & Quality

October 4-10 is Fire Prevention Week, established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The fire killed more than 250 people and left 100,000 homeless. It began on Oct. 8, 1871. It was not the worst in history - only the most remembered. The Peshtigo Fire, the most devastating forest fire in American history, also occurred on Oct. 8, 1871. It roared through Northeast Wisconsin and burned down 16 towns, killed 1,152 people and scorched 1.2 million acres before it ended. Those fires changed the way firefighters and public officials thought about fire safety.

Fire Prevention Week 2009 focuses on burn awareness and prevention, as well as keeping homes safe from the leading causes of home fires. Simple actions, such as testing the water before putting a child in the bath or wearing short or close-fitting sleeves when cooking on the stovetop, may be all it takes to prevent devastating burns. More info is available at the Fire Prevention Week website.

ES&H Manual Revision Update and New Content
ES&H Manual Chapter 6200 Jefferson Lab Electrical Safety Program and its associated Appendix T1 Electrical Safety Inspection Procedure; Appendix T2 Electrical Equipment Safety Inspection Checklist; and Appendix T3 Electrical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Selection Procedure were approved Oct. 1. These documents were rewritten to comply with JLab's current laboratory operation, to clarify safety inspection requirements and to provide guidance to ensure proper electrical PPE is selected and used during the performance of electrical work.

Computing and Networking Infrastructure

Pager System Update
Contract coverage for the current, 158 MHz pager vendor will end this year; there will be no pager coverage in the tunnel or halls after Dec. 31. Everyone with a pager will be moved to either a new 900 MHz pager for above-ground paging or a Sprint texting device before the end of the year. Sprint's texting, push-to-talk and cell phones already work in the halls, and CNI staffers are working to get Sprint coverage in the tunnel as soon as possible without impacting the accelerator schedule. Until Sprint is operating in the tunnel, the accelerator public address system will be used to contact workers in the tunnel. More information on the transition will be posted as the changeout nears.

Announcements

All-Hands Meetings Set for Friday, Oct. 9 in the CEBAF Center Auditorium
All JLab staff are requested to attend one of the two sessions, schedules permitting. The first meeting will be at 9 a.m. for members of the Chief Financial Officer Division, Chief Operating Officer Division, Engineering Division, ESH&Q, Facilities Management, Information Technology and Project Management. The second meeting will be at 10 a.m. for members of the Accelerator Division, the Directorate, Experimental Physics, FEL, 12 GeV, Theory Center and the Chief Scientist Office.

Change in Main Phone Number for SURA Residence Facility
Effective immediately, the main phone number for the SURA Residence Facility is 757-223-1167. The fax number, 757-223-5430, remains unchanged. Users of the old number, x7460, will be transferred to the current Residence Facility phone number until Dec. 31. The Residence Facility offers overnight room accommodations for the JLab user community, visitors and guests. For information regarding room reservations, visit the facility's website.

American Red Cross Blood Drive Results
A total of 36 people signed up to donate blood, falling short of the lab's goal of 56. Several people were deferred for various reasons, still, the Red Cross still collected 31 pints of whole blood and six donations of red cells using the Double Red process. Jefferson Lab donors made a significant contribution to the American Red Cross. Occupational Medicine staffers extend a sincere thank you to drive participants and congratulate everyone on a job well done!

CAD Design and Engineering Experts Needed
For the second consecutive year, JLab will support NASA Knight Team 122 in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition. A few expert CAD Design and Engineering volunteers are needed for the program. The CAD systems will be Autodesk Inventor (and maybe some PRO-E). The group will meet for a couple of hours per week between now and the end of the year. The contest kicks off at the Virginia Air and Space Center on Jan. 9. The team will have until Feb. 23 to complete the robot and prepare for competition. The JLab CAD group will help the team develop models, drawings, pictures, etc for the robot being constructed. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Jim Henry at x7718.

Performance Appraisals
The appraisal process has begun. The timeline is posted; the labwide goal is to have all appraisals completed by Dec. 16. The online appraisal system is composed of a predetermined sequence of events and is user friendly. However, if you are new to the system or need a refresher, there is a tutorial slideshow and a frequently asked questions document. In addition, formal classes can be added by request. If you have specific questions, call Bruce Ullman at x7170 or Cassandra Andrews at x7068.

Jefferson Lab Weekly Briefs October 7, 2009