Jefferson Lab Weekly Briefs August 8, 2012

Jefferson Lab Weekly Briefs
August 8, 2012

12 GeV Upgrade

The fit-out of the Hall D complex with services and beamline items continues, with the cryogenics and solenoid magnet service module progressing well. The tagger magnet coils are being insulated and tested, with delivery expected in late summer. Wiring of the end-caps for the straw tubes for the Central Drift Chamber is well underway at Carnegie Mellon University. Construction of the fourth Forward Drift Chamber package (of four total) is underway onsite. The final Cockcroft-Walton high-voltage bases for the Forward Calorimeter are being assembled at Indiana University. The various readout boards for the Barrel Calorimeter are under production. Electronics procurements continue with the manufacturing contract awarded for several hundred FADC-125 read-out modules, and the contract for the F1TDCs is out for bid.

Long Shutdown

One of the critical activities for the Long Shutdown, the warm-up of the Central Helium Liquefier-1 and the CEBAF Linacs, began on Aug. 1. Things are progressing as planned, and the liquid helium has been transferred to storage to allow shutting down of the cold box. The Linacs are being warmed up in a controlled way to minimize the possible risks due to uncontrolled transients, such as the insulating vacuum pressure. So far, the linacs have been warming up in a controlled way.

Lots of activity is in progress in the tunnel enclosures and service buildings. The concerted effort by many groups necessary to undertake such a wide-scope shutdown should not be underestimated. Beyond the most visible components, such as cryomodules and magnets, there is an enormous scope of work in installation, survey and alignment, cabling, moving of stands, girders and equipment that is planned, coordinated and executed on a daily basis. CEBAF operations and the upgrade would not be possible without the expert and dedicated work of the support groups.

Free-Electron Laser

The FEL team concluded operations of the FEL for the calendar year on Aug. 1. This week, the team tested orbit lock software scripts from Colorado State University, performed some extended Terahertz experiments, and did more testing of the high dynamic range diagnostics.  Substantial work is underway in reviewing the load lock and prep chamber design of the new gun. Two summer interns presented the results of their studies on the predicted vacuum level in the new gun and on PARMELA optimization of the new injector beamline layout.

Center for Theoretical and Computational Physics

The Collins effect contribution to the transverse single-spin asymmetry observed in the inclusive production of a single hadron in proton-proton interactions at large transverse momenta has been estimated using information from semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering and electron-positron data. The authors found that a sizable part of the asymmetry can be associated with the Collins effect, namely, a transversity function convoluted with the Collins fragmentation function. Future measurements at JLab with 12 GeV will pin down this contribution to high precision.

Facilities Management and Logistics

Electronic Forms Now Available for Property Storage Requests
The Property Office now has a new, interactive storage request form and database available. The link for the new form and database is located on the Property homepage, in the left-hand menu under Property Forms, titled Property Storage Request. Included in this new form is the ability for the end user to search the database for their storage items and request a withdrawal of items. The office requests that you discontinue use of the paper form and use the new electronic form. If you have questions, contact the Property Office at x6270.

JLab Calendar of Events

Aug. 6-10: 7th International Workshop on Chiral Dynamics
Aug. 20: Safety Shoe vendor onsite
Aug. 21: American Red Cross Blood Drive
Aug. 22: Colloquium and Public Lecture - Studying the Quark-Gluon Plasma
Aug. 27-28: Zimbra Training Sessions Offered
Sept. 3: Labor Day holiday, JLab closed
 

Environment, Safety, Health and Quality

Distracted Walking
We have all heard of distracted driving that has resulted in accidents with severe injuries and even deaths. The same phenomenon is happening with people while walking and either talking on the cell phone or looking at a device. Since they have their visual attention directed at a small screen or other distraction, people have walked into open utility holes in sidewalks or crosswalks, walked into moving traffic at an intersection or into immobile objects, such as signs, poles and even other people.

While one may joke about not being able to walk and chew gum at the same time, being a distracted walker can have significant consequences. A number of JLab people have been observed in near-miss situations. While the walker may have the right of way on JLab streets, it does not prevent a person from being struck by a vehicle. Walk across JLab as you would drive on a highway – being especially careful in parking lots and crosswalks – and don’t become a distracted walker statistic.

Computing and Networking Infrastructure

Zimbra Calendar Testing
The CNI group is planning to open up the Zimbra calendar to the site for testing starting on Monday, Aug. 20. During the test phase, all entries in the calendar will be considered "test entries" and will be deleted prior to the actual cutover during the weekend of Sept. 1. During the cutover, all meetings from Jan. 1, 2011 through Dec. 31, 2014 will be migrated from the Oracle calendar into Zimbra. To access the new Zimbra calendar, once it has been opened for testing, just bring up the Zimbra web interface, log in, and click on the Calendar tab. Some frequently asked questions and answers to help you get started are documented online. Frequent calendar users are encouraged to take advantage of the calendar testing period to generate any questions they want answered in the Zimbra training seminar (next brief).

Zimbra Training Offered in August
To smooth the transition to the new system, the CNI group will be offering training seminars on the use of the Zimbra calendar and email system on Monday, Aug. 27 and Tuesday, Aug. 28 in the CEBAF Center auditorium. Two sessions will be offered each day: 9:30-11 a.m. and 2-3:30 p.m.

Announcements

Public Affairs Seeks Your Feedback on Newsletter
JLab Public Affairs is conducting a survey about the OnTarget newsletter and is seeking your participation by Aug. 17. The survey is 10 questions long and should take five minutes or less to complete. This is an anonymous survey – no personal data will be collected. Results from the newsletter survey will help Public Affairs better determine readers' interests and information needs. The survey is hosted by SurveyMonkey.

Ends Thursday: Last Chance to Order 2012 JLab T-Shirts or Sweatshirt
JAG is ordering one more round of apparel items featuring this year’s winning T-shirt design, which was unveiled at the Run-A-Round. The design will be available on short sleeve T-shirts, long sleeve T-Shirts and hooded, pullover sweatshirts.
Sweatshirts are only available by preorder. To ensure you get your favorite style in the right size, place your order at the CEBAF Center front desk or by calling Dave Abbott at x7190 or Bridget Paul at x7306, by close of business Thursday, Aug. 9. Prices are:

  • Short Sleeve T-Shirts $7
  • Long Sleeve T-Shirts – $10
  • Sweatshirts (available by preorder only) – $20

Quantities are limited, so be sure to order yours today!

Onsite TIAA-CREF Counseling Offered
TIAA-CREF will offer individual counseling sessions onsite in the Support Service Center (formerly VARC) room 53A on Tuesday, August 21. In these sessions, employees can discuss their personal financial situation with a TIAA-CREF consultant on a confidential basis. To discuss your plan and options for managing your retirement savings or to schedule an appointment with a TIAA-CREF individual consultant, call TIAA-CREF at (800) 732-8353, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

Operational Safety Procedure Process Goes Electronic on Sept. 15
JLab's Operational Safety Procedure (OSP) process will go electronic on Sept. 15. The new electronic format will allow easier electronic distribution and enable faster electronic signature authority. OSPs or Temporary OSPs (TOSPs) currently documented in the system will not be affected and will remain in use until their assigned expiration date. Any TOSP/OSPs generated before Sept. 15 will be accepted into the current system up until Sept. 30. (Exceptions after Sept. 30 will be handled on a case-by-case basis.) Any new TOSP/OSP generated after Sept. 15 must be submitted in the new electronic format for formal review and electronic signature processing. Online directions for the new electronic OSP forms (which are similar to the current format) will be published Sept. 15 in the ES&H Manual, Chapter 3310.

Department of Energy Sponsors Food Drive at JLab, Aug. 6-16
The DOE, including the Thomas Jefferson Site Office staff, is again participating in the Feds Feed Families food drive campaign. Food-donation barrels are available near the entrance of CEBAF Center through Aug. 16. Lab staff contributions to this food drive are welcome, with the understanding that participation is strictly voluntary. Anyone wishing to participate may place non-perishable donations (non-glass items) in the marked barrels. For more information on the program, contact Steve Neilson at x7215. This Virginia Peninsula Foodbank poster includes a list of most-needed items.

Onsite Blood Drive Set for Aug. 21
The next American Red Cross Blood Drive is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in CEBAF Center Room F113. New and repeat donors are encouraged to attend. Appointments and walk-ins are welcome. To schedule an appointment, contact Johnie Banks, x7539.

Studying the Quark-Gluon Plasma - Colloquium and Public Lecture
Johanna Stachel, Physikalisches Institut der Universitaet Heidelberg, will present "Studying the Quark-Gluon-Plasma in Nuclear Collisions at the LHC" in a colloquium on Wednesday, Aug. 22 in the CEBAF Center auditorium at 2 p.m. The theory of the strong interaction, quantum-chromodynamics, predicts for high temperature and density a new state of matter in which the confinement of quarks and gluons is lifted. This state, the quark-gluon plasma, existed in the early universe after the electroweak phase transition up to about 10 microseconds. In the past 25 years, accelerator-based experiments have been conducted in order to recreate this state of matter for a short time. In this talk, selected first results from the ALICE experiment, conducted
at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, will be presented and discussed in the context of results at lower beam energies and theoretical interpretation.

Tracking Thomas at JLab
Little Thomas is visiting all corners of the JLab campus. If you can identify his location this week, email Kandice Carter with your guess. Guesses are accepted through Friday.

Congratulations this week go to Saptarshi Mandal, who was the first to correctly identify the location for Aug. 1. Honorable mentions go to Michelle Shinn and Harry Fanning. Check out the Tracking Thomas webpage for a better view of his last location and this week's new mystery photo.