12 GeV Upgrade

Rain has slowed progress at the Hall D construction site. A little over half of the mud slab has been placed, and the contractor has started forming the floor slab over this portion of the mud slab.  The remaining portion of the mud slab should be placed by the end of this week. During the holiday shutdown, there will be an electrical outage at the northeast end of the accelerator site to facilitate two electrical connections for Hall D. One connection is the new 15 kilovolt switch at the existing unit substation north of the Free-Electron Laser Trailers to provide permanent power to the Hall D Complex, and the other is a temporary connection at Building 49 for construction operations power.

Physics

In Hall C, removal of the hypernuclear spectroscopy experiment, E05-115, equipment has been completed, and Q-weak installation is in full swing. The frame for the Q-weak toroidal magnet has been assembled and installation of the copper coils is starting. The Hall C users meeting will be held Jan. 22 and 23, 2010.

JSA/JLab Graduate Fellowship Program
Jefferson Science Associates, LLC, is now accepting applications for the 2010-2011 academic year JSA/JLab Graduate Fellowship Program. The application deadline is Jan. 22, 2010.

JSA/JLab Sabbatical Support Program
JSA is now accepting applications for the 2010-2011 academic year JSA/JLab Sabbatical Support Program. The application deadline is Jan. 22, 2010.

Accelerator

Overall, the accelerator has been running well with high current and low trip rates. The injector laser spot was moved to boost the quantum efficiency. There were some repair activities. Last Wednesday, shunt adder MAN5R04 tripped off; on Friday, VBV2L17A would not open; and on Saturday, magnet RSEP9A tripped off and VBV2L17B would not open. All the faulty parts were replaced.

Free-Electron Laser

The FEL team made significant progress in a number of areas this week. The team successfully got H. Freund's Genesis/OPC (optical propagation code) running on a local machine and reproducing previous results. Genesis is simulation code for calculating the performance of FELs; this code was augmented with Freund's OPC. The team had a successful user run in pulsed laser deposition, the NASA/JLab boron nitride nanotube effort was cited in ScienceNow, the JLAMP proposal was finalized, and the team set up for a light pseudoscalar/scalar search run over the weekend before the machine shut down for two months for cryogenics work at the Central Helium Liquefier and installation of a new cryomodule.

Theory Center

In a new study by Theory Center staff and collaborators from Italy <arxiv:0911.1744 [hep-ph]>, the inclusive pion production reactions l p^↑ → h X and l p^↑ → jet + X are proposed as a test of factorization of transverse momentum dependent parton distributions (TMD) in processes with one hard scale. Predictions for the transverse single spin asymmetry, A_N, are given for current and future experiments. Measurements at JLab and at a future electron-ion collider could be used to test the validity of this approach and of TMD factorization.

JLab's Safety Numbers

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

JLab Calendar of Events

Dec. 16: Colloquium and Public Lecture, 3 p.m., CC auditorium
Dec. 24 - Jan. 1: Winter holidays/Shutdown days - JLab closed
Jan. 6: Tidewater Regional Fire Academy Graduation Ceremony
Jan. 18: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday - JLab closed
Jan. 22: American Red Cross Blood Drive
Jan. 25-29: PAC 35

Environment, Safety, Health & Quality

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, holiday season fires kill more than 400 people, injure 1,650 and cause more than $990 M in damage. The USFA offers several simple life-saving steps you can take to ensure a safe and happy holiday. The tips address holiday greenery, lights, decorations, candles and smoke detectors. Here are some highlights from the steps and some additional safety tips:

• Needles on fresh trees should be green and hard to pull from the branches, and the needle should not break if the tree has been freshly cut. The trunk should be sticky to the touch. Old trees can be identified by bouncing the tree trunk on the ground. If many needles fall off, the tree has dried out and is a fire hazard.
• Do not place your tree close to a heat source, including a fireplace or heat vent; the heat will dry out the tree, causing it to be more easily ignited. Keep the tree stand filled with water at all times.
• Use only nonflammable decorations. All decorations should be nonflammable or flame-retardant and placed away from heat vents.
• Avoid using lit candles. If you do use them, make sure they are in stable holders and place them where they cannot be easily knocked down. Never leave the house with candles burning, and never put lit candles on a tree.
• Use outlets equipped with a ground fault interrupter for exterior light displays.
• Be sure all electrical items are in good condition and have U.L. labels.
• Take decorations down after the holidays and dispose of them properly or safely store them.

Computing and Networking Infrastructure

During the first week of January, JLab's existing photocopiers will be replaced with new Xerox machines. The account codes used to access these systems will remain the same; however, it may be necessary to update your drivers to print to these devices. For a schedule of when the photocopiers will be relocated, as well as instructions on how to update your drivers, see the document posted online.

Announcements

End-of-Year Dosimeter (Radiation Badge) Change-Out
The semi-annual dosimeter change-out will take place in the late afternoon on Tuesday, Dec. 22. Everyone with a personal dosimeter is asked to place it in its assigned rack before leaving for the day and/or for Christmas break. If you have questions, call Becky Mosbrucker, x7236 or page 584-7236.

Last Day for Key Validation
The validation of all JLab-issued keys ends today. To begin the validation process, follow the link and complete the audit as directed. If you have any questions about the validation, e-mail Dennis Merritt

Last Day to Enter the Door and Cubicle Decorating Contest
Prizes will be awarded for the Best Decorated, Most Original Decoration and the Silliest. To enter, e-mail JAG Chair Dave Williams by 5 p.m. Dec. 16. Rules can be found on the JAG webpage.

Quark Cafe Hosts Holiday Bake Sale on Dec. 17
Just in time for the holidays, Quark Cafe will host its annual Holiday Bake Sale on Thursday, Dec. 17 from 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in the CEBAF Center lobby. Stop in and pick up a special dessert, bread or gift item.

Quark Cafe Holiday Pie Orders Taken Through Dec. 18
Cafeteria staff members are also accepting pie orders. Place your order for cranberry cheesecake, pecan pie, wild berry blast pie, apple high pie or pumpkin pie by Friday, Dec. 18. Orders must be picked up on Tuesday, Dec. 22 or Wednesday, Dec. 23. Dessert order forms may be picked up and turned in at Quark Cafe. Prices are listed on the order form.


JLab Open House Set for May 1, 2010
The 2010 Open House will highlight the latest physics research and technology developments at JLab. Lab staff will be on hand to discuss their work, answer questions and provide scientific demonstrations throughout the day.