As of Oct. 7, the Jefferson Lab Science Series lecture scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 15 has been canceled. The Nov. 12 lecture was canceled as of Oct. 11.
On Oct. 15, Michelle Shinn, chief optics scientist for Jefferson Lab’s Free-Electron Laser, will present “Exploring the Nature of Matter Along the High-Intensity Frontier.”
NEWPORT NEWS, VA. - The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility will host two Fall Science Series Lectures this season. The first is set for Tuesday, Oct. 15 and will feature a Jefferson Lab scientist discussing the exploration of dark matter using accelerators like those at Jefferson Lab. Then on Nov. 12, an astronomer from the University of Virginia (U.Va.) will discuss the beginnings of our universe.
On Oct. 15, Michelle Shinn, chief optics scientist for Jefferson Lab’s Free-Electron Laser (FEL), will present “Exploring the Nature of Matter Along the High-Intensity Frontier.” Her talk will address how accelerator-based experiments, using machines like the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) and the FEL, could be used to find particles responsible for the effects scientists attribute to dark matter.
“There are a number of hypothesized Beyond Standard Model particles with masses that put them in the range of accelerators doing medium-energy physics,” she explains. Her presentation will introduce the concept of superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) acceleration, specifically as it is used at Jefferson Lab, to produce beams of particles with high (many 10’s to 100’s of MHz) repetition rate. These properties of the electron accelerators at Jefferson Lab and the three – and soon to be four – experimental halls provide an ideal platform for conducting these experiments at the Intensity Frontier, according to Shinn.
She will then discuss experiments being planned and proposed that will attempt to detect two classes of particles.
Mark Whittle, with the Department of Astronomy at U.Va., will give the Nov. 12 lecture, titled “The Birth of Our Universe: Evidence for the Big Bang.”
“Throughout history and across all cultures, humans have wondered how their World came into being,” Whittle observes. “In the past few decades the fields of cosmology and its parent subject astronomy have made enormous strides in answering that question.”
His talk will review the multiple lines of evidence that indicate that the universe was born in a "Big Bang" – an exceedingly hot, dense expanding fireball of gas and light. “Today, the story of the birth of the universe can be told with considerable detail and confidence,” Whittle says, “and is a story as rich and inspiring as we could have hoped for.”
Both lectures are free and open to students and adults. Both lectures will begin at 7 p.m., in the CEBAF Center auditorium located at 12000 Jefferson Ave, Newport News, and will last about an hour. Seating in the auditorium and overflow area is available on a first-come, first-served basis and is limited to about 300 people. People arriving once capacity has been reached will be turned away.
All those under age 16 must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult. Everyone over 16 is asked to carry a valid photo ID. Security guards may perform ID, parcel and vehicle checks.
For directions and additional information about Jefferson Lab public lectures, visit: http://education.jlab.org/scienceseries/index.php or contact Christine Wheeler, email at wheelerc@jlab.org or call 757-269-7560.
A live video stream is available for those not able to attend the event. Lectures are added to the video archive for on-demand viewing upon approval from the presenter.
As of Oct. 7, the Jefferson Lab Science Series lecture scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 15 has been canceled.