Contact Us
EIC2@JLab Director:
Douglas Higinbotham
(757) 269-7851
Media Contact:
Lauren Hansen
Communications Manager
(757) 269-7689
lhansen@jlab.org
https://www.jlab.org/pressroom
EIC2@JLab Director:
Douglas Higinbotham
(757) 269-7851
Media Contact:
Lauren Hansen
Communications Manager
(757) 269-7689
lhansen@jlab.org
https://www.jlab.org/pressroom
The Electron-Ion Collider Center at Jefferson Lab (EIC2@JLab) is an organization to advance and promote the science program at a future electron-ion collider (EIC) facility. Particular emphasis is on the close connection of EIC science to the current Jefferson Lab 12 GeV CEBAF science program.
EIC2@JLab consolidates and connects the EIC physics and detector development activities in and around Jefferson Lab. These activities include:
Further, EIC2 coordinates with the following activities:
In addition, EIC2 establishes the following new activities:
The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is located at 12000 Jefferson Avenue in Newport News, Virginia.
More information about the status of an electron-ion collider can be found in the documents linked below. In 2018, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine issued a report, “An Assessment of U.S.-Based Electron-Ion Collider Science.” Following the report, the directors of Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and Brookhaven National Laboratory issued a joint statement of support. More information about the impetus for building an electron-ion collider can be found in the 2015 Long-Range Plan, issued by the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee..
Beyond sparking scientific discoveries in a new frontier of fundamental physics, an Electron-Ion Collider will trigger technological breakthroughs that have broad-ranging impacts on human health and national challenges. Research on the technologies needed to make this machine a reality is already pushing the evolution of magnets and other particle accelerator components.
Some of these advances could lead to energy-efficient accelerators, thereby dramatically shrinking the size and operating costs of accelerators used across science and industry for example, to make and test computer chips; to deliver energetic particle beams to zap cancer cells; to study and design improved sustainable energy technologies such as solar cells, batteries, and catalysts; and to develop new kinds of drugs and other medical treatments. New methods of particle detection developed for an EIC could also lead to advances in medical imaging and national security.
In truth, it’s nearly impossible to predict what will come from the knowledge gained from an EIC. History shows that applications springing from a deeper understanding of matter and fundamental forces things like GPS, microelectronics, and radiological techniques for diagnosing and treating disease often emerge many years after the foundational physics discoveries that make them possible.
But one thing is certain: Building the experiments that inspire and train the next generation of scientific explorers is essential for maintaining U.S. leadership in nuclear science and for developing the high-tech workforce needed to address some of our nation’s deepest challenges.
The Electron-Ion Collider would consist of two intersecting accelerators, one producing an intense beam of electrons, the other a beam of either protons or heavier atomic nuclei, which are then steered into head-on collisions.
The accelerators will be designed so that both beams can be polarized to around 70 percent for electrons, protons and light nuclei. Electrons will be able to probe particles from protons to the heaviest stable nuclei at a very wide range of energies, starting from 20–100 billion electron-volts (GeV), upgradable to approximately 140 GeV, to produce images of the particles’ interiors at higher and higher resolution. At least one detector and possibly more would analyze thousands of particle collisions per second, amassing the data required to tease out the smallest effects required for significant discoveries.
Building the EIC will require the same core expertise that led to the versatility of the polarized proton and heavy ion beams at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the unique polarized electron beam properties of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. These two Department of Energy laboratories have been collaborating on initial studies and developing designs that make use of key existing infrastructure and capitalize on investments in science and technology. Each design approach would require the development of innovative accelerator and detector technologies to answer the questions described in this brochure.
There are many scientific questions that researchers expect an Electron-Ion Collider will allow them to answer. Among them are four main topics of study.
The Electron-Ion Collider is a proposed machine for delving deeper than ever before into the building blocks of matter, so that we may better understand the matter within us and its role in the universe around us.
Learn more about this first-of-its-kind machine in the documents linked below.
Accelerate your career with a new role at the nation's newest national laboratory. Here you can be part of a team exploring the building blocks of matter and lay the ground work for scientific discoveries that will reshape our understanding of the atomic nucleus. Join a community with a common purpose of solving the most challenging scientific and engineering problems of our time.
A career at Jefferson Lab is more than a job. You will be part of “big science” and work alongside top scientists and engineers from around the world unlocking the secrets of our visible universe. Managed by Jefferson Science Associates, LLC; Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is entering an exciting period of mission growth and is seeking new team members ready to apply their skills and passion to have an impact. You could call it work, or you could call it a mission. We call it a challenge. We do things that will change the world.
At Jefferson Lab we believe in giving back to our community and encouraging the next generation of scientists and engineers. Our staff reaches out to students to advance awareness and appreciation of the range of research carried out within the DOE national laboratory system, to increase interest in STEM careers for women and minorities, and to encourage everyone to become a part of the next-generation STEM workforce. We are recognized for our innovative programs like:
1,500 students from 15 Title I schools engage in the Becoming Enthusiastic About Math and Science (BEAMS) program at the lab each school year.
60 teachers are enrolled in the Jefferson Science Associates Activities for Teachers (JSAT) program at the lab inspiring 9,000 students annually.
24 high school students have internships and 34 college students have mentorships at the lab.
Searching for a hill to climb on a flat peninsula
As the head of Jefferson Lab’s new Data Science department, Malachi Schram, prepares to move across the country from his mountainside home in Washington state to the lab’s headquarters in Newport News, he has more than just simple adjustments to make. Schram, a competitive ultra-runner, needs to figure out where to find the big hills.
“I like to start my day with a training run up the mountain by my house in Washington,” Schram says. “It’s a 4,000-foot mountain trail run and a really good workout that keeps me in shape for longer races. Newport News is quite flat, so I may have to switch to triathlons to make sure I get a challenge.”
Schram likens his interest in taking on athletic challenges to the long-view data science goals he has at the lab.
“My interest is in trying to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to enhance technology,” he says. “We’re trying to leverage both of them in order to accelerate scientific discovery and try to improve the operations of the accelerator.”
Just as Schram collects data on his body’s performance over years of training so that it can perform optimally during a race, he creates technologies that can respond to a changing environment and set of circumstances in order to perform optimally at a given task.
We are constantly asking of the technologies, “How do we improve? How do we make it more intelligent—more productive and efficient?” Schram says. “We have to have technology that can adapt to the conditions. If I want the accelerator or detector to perform better, the AI needs to learn what ‘better’ means. It has to determine what is the right performance and what is the best move. Having our technology actually learn what to do next is what we’re focusing on—in an optimal, quantifiable way.”
An example of this endeavor is with robotic arms that may be used during an experiment.
“Elements of the accelerator stem can be controlled by some sort of intelligent algorithm.” Schram explains. “You don’t teach the system in terms of defined rule, you teach it by experiencing the system and learning the subtle dynamics of the system by repeatedly exploring small changes and adjustments so it can learn how to respond better next time.”
The process of training AI algorithm to learn a complex system to perform optimally requires countless training runs over a long period of time. Just like with training for a race, Schram teaches the technology to be able to predict movements and adapt based on circumstances and unplanned events.
“You have moments in a 50-mile race when your body gets depleted of glycogen and, unless you planned properly, you’re gonna bonk,” Schram says. “You know that and can expect that, because of all of the training you’ve done. It’s predictable, even though it’s hard to go through. We’re all going to have low moments in the process—of the race and of creating this technology—and you wonder what you’re doing. You have to anticipate those lows as a scientist and as a racer and realize you’re going to punch through.”
For Schram, success comes from repetition and training in the lab and on the mountainside. He also recognizes that, while the process of achieving a goal may be long and fraught with constant analysis and adjustments, the first step is getting involved.
“You can be gifted and do great things, and if you work hard, nobody can take that hard work away from you,” Schram say. “Still, you might not be the best. Hard work doesn’t guarantee success. But, you can guarantee failure if you don’t work hard.”
By Carrie Rogers
The Jefferson Lab campus is located in southeastern Virginia amidst a vibrant and growing technology community with deep historical roots that date back to the founding of our nation. Staff members can live on or near the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay region or find peace in the deeply wooded coastal plain. You will have easy access to nearby beaches, mountains, and all major metropolitan centers along the United States east coast.
To learn more about the region and its museums, wineries, parks, zoos and more, visit the Virginia tourism page, Virginia is for Lovers.
To learn more about life at Jefferson Lab, click here.
We support our inventors! The lab provides resources to employees for the development of patented technology -- with over 180 awarded to date! Those looking to obtain patent coverage for their newly developed technologies and inventions while working at the lab are supported and mentored by technology experts, from its discovery to its applied commercialization, including opportunities for monetary awards and royalty sharing. Learn more about our patents and technologies here.
"Everybody in the chain is working towards the same goal: to ensure that everything is built safe and to the code specifications"
"There is world-class research going on here. Any given day you can be in the room with genius physicists and that’s just amazing.”
“Chemistry is the art of science and art; you’re manipulating and creating things. We have lots of different recipes to work with.”
"When I’m 95 years old, I hope I will be one of those people who worked in the background to affect other people’s lives for the better."
"Today, we use a lot of those same teamwork traits [learned from the military] on a daily basis as we're all working toward similar goals here at the lab in better understanding nuclei!"
Jefferson Science Associates, LLC manages and operates the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Jefferson Science Associates/Jefferson Lab is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, or veteran status or on any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law.
If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to recruiting @jlab.org or call (757) 269-7100 between 8 am – 5 pm EST to provide the nature of your request.
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JSA/Jefferson Lab values the skills, experience and expertise veterans can offer due to the myriad of experiences, skill sets and knowledge service members achieve during their years of service. The organization is committed to recruiting, hiring, training and retaining veterans, and its ongoing efforts has earned JSA/Jefferson Lab the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) certification, awarded by the Commonwealth of Virginia.