CEBAF Strives in '95

There were several milestones throughout 1995 that foreshadowed the historic event. On May 10, for the first time, the accelerator accomplished its design energy of 4 billion electron volts or 4 GeV. The beam traveled five times around the accelerator and was ready to transport to a target in Hall C. Later, May 25, a 4 GeV pulsed beam was delivered to a beryllium oxide target in Hall C. On November 4, the accelerator achieved a stable five-pass 100 kW continuous 4 GeV beam, a high average current beam which CEBAF was designed to deliver. Each event drew accolades from the physics community around the world.

The experimental halls had successes as well. Hall C was successfully commissioned, and Halls A and B are close behind. In March, the toroidal magnet in Hall B reached full design current with a maximum magnetic field of 2.5 Tesla. This achievement represents a major milestone on the road to completion of Hall B equipment. One of Hall A's magnets, the electron dipole, has also tested successfully, meeting its design goals.

The Central Helium Liquefier (CHL), necessary for the successful operation of the accelerator, had its own series of accomplishments. A continuous run of 82 days marked the longest continuous run for the cold compressors which are necessary to produce liquid helium at a super cold temperature of 2 Kelvin (negative 456 degrees Fahrenheit). A stand-by refrigerator was initiated this year to maintain the accelerator at 4.5 K when the CHL is shut down for regular maintenance. And the End Station Refrigerator sustained runs for extended periods, successfully cooling the magnets in Halls A and B.

The Free Electron Laser program made a few strides in 1995. It was the subject of a successful review by the Department of Energy in May. The U.S. Navy has shown a real interest in the project.

More people in the community and the state learned what CEBAF is all about. For the first time, CEBAF participated in the Virginia State Fair, which attracted more than a million visitors from Virginia and neighboring states. The historic year was also the first time the laboratory showcased its technology at the Internet Fair, EXPOTECH and Virginia Peninsula Total Quality Institute events. The annual CEBAF Open House in April, tagged this year as the Festival of Science, attracted more than 3,000 visitors.

Personal accomplishments by CEBAF staff were many and varied. Henry Whitehead of the Accelerator Division, was honored by the African-American History Month Planning Committee in February for his 26 years of service and his dedication to science and the African-American community. In October, Whitehead received a CEBAF 10-year service award, along with 33 others, including Donald and Estelle Seeley, Roy Whitney, Anne Stewart, and Sandra Holmes.

CEBAF received three new patents in 1995, bringing the total to six. The CEBAF scientists and their new inventions include: Javier Gomez, Stanislaw Majewski and Andrew Weisenberger for the invention of a Non Cross-Talk Multi-Channel Photomultiplier Using Guided Electron Multipliers; Ganapati Myneni for a High Sensitivity Leak Detection Method and apparatus; and Myneni and Peter Kneisel for the invention of a Metal Sponge for Cryosorption Pumping Applications.

There were physical changes made to the site in 1995. Onnes Road was completed and a CEBAF sign was added to mark the new entrance to CEBAF. The Machine Control Center Annex was built to provide additional office space, and the plans were finalized for the Applied Research Center which will provide space for CEBAF and local universities.

The bond between CEBAF and universities tightened this year with the celebration of existing programs and the creation of new ones. Partnerships with universities increased with the addition of three in 1995-the University of Texas at El Paso, New Mexico State University, and the University of Connecticut. One of CEBAF's first university programs celebrated a decade of hands-on physics education in 1995. Hampton University Graduate Studies (HUGS) program immerses second- and third-year graduate students in a friendly, rigorous regimen of lectures, research and presentations aimed at acquainting them with the physics that will be done at the laboratory over the next decade.

The newest program is CEBAF's Outstanding Undergraduate Physics Researchship which was implemented to provide a collaborative learning/working experience for outstanding physics majors. Four students were invited to work with CEBAF scientists and physics researchers for 10 to 14 weeks. The program will continue in the summer of 1996 with at least ten students.

For the fourth time, SURA was selected as a recipient of the Secretary of Energy's "M&O Contractor of the Year" award, for its small business achievements during Fiscal Year 1994. During a ceremony on March 31, 1995, in Washington, D.C., Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary presented the award to Danny Lloyd, CEBAF's Small Business Representative.