12 GeV Upgrade

The 12 GeV installation activities for the long shutdown scheduled to begin in May are under development. A weekly Long-Shutdown Planning meeting is being held to integrate the lab-wide installation schedule. With Beneficial Occupancy awarded for the Hall D Complex, ongoing installation work is being coordinated through the Hall D work coordinator.

Physics

The Hall A g2p/gep installation continued. The target work is proceeding rather smoothly. The experiment did find that the field in the septum magnets was much smaller then expected; fortunately, this problem could be mitigated by adding iron to reduce the gap size, and the work is already in the machine shop. This, in addition other items that are coming in at the last second, will likely delay the start of the experiment by several days. In other items, the Hall A Moller magnet remapping has been completed, and the power supplies needed for the upcoming run are all up and running.

Hall C continues to take Q-weak production data on the LH2 target with 180 microamp beams, punctuated by occasional runs on an aluminum target to measure the background contribution from the LH2 target walls. Q-weak will hold a collaboration meeting Feb. 12-14 at JLab.

School on Radiation Technologies Application Deadline Extended
The World Nuclear University School on Radiation Technologies has extended its application deadline to the end of February. The program description and application form can be found online.

Accelerator

The week began with smoothly running beam to Halls B and C with only small issues interrupting beam delivery. On Wednesday, beam delivery was interrupted for approximately 12 hours to characterize the radiation levels surrounding the new C100 zones. Opportunistically, Accelerator Operations staff used this time to work on hardware issues in other areas of the machine. Late Saturday night, a radiofrequency cavity in the injector developed a problem staying in tune. Replacing the tuner control hardware card grew into a control system communication problem, resulting in almost four hours of lost beam time. On Sunday during the Super Bowl, a handful of power supplies for the major dipoles all tripped off at the same time. Restoring power, cycling these large magnets through hysteresis and checking orbits resulted in an hour of lost beam time. Overall, other than the tuner card issue and the power supplies tripping off over the weekend, the machine ran nicely all week.

Free-Electron Laser

The FEL is starting operations after a four month shutdown. During the shutdown, the gun electrodes were re-furbished and a semi-loadlock system was added to enable cathode replacement without venting the entire gun. This week. FEL staffers completed high-voltage conditioning, prepared for the installation of a new cathode and energized and tested power supplies.

JLab Calendar of Events

Feb. 15: Colloquium and Public Lecture
Feb. 27: Safety Shoe vendor onsite
Feb. 28: Advanced Materials Forum, CC auditorium
March 3: Virginia Regional Middle School Science Bowl
March 5-9: International ICFA Workshop on Future Light Sources

Environment, Safety, Health and Quality

Driver Safety in Parking Lots
Here are a few safety tips from West Virginia University that can help keep drivers safe while traversing parking lots:

• Park further away, where there is less pedestrian and vehicle traffic;
• Use extra caution when the vehicle is in reverse;
• Drivers of motorcycles and bicycles are to follow the same traffic rules as drivers of vehicles;
• Observe the speed limit, which is 10 mph in most parking lots;
• Reduce speed in bad weather to prevent skidding;
• Be extra cautious in parking garages, where tight spaces and low clearance often limit visibility and maneuverability.

Announcements

New Experimental Hall Posters Now Available
The experimental hall posters have been updated and new versions are now available. Pick up all four in the CEBAF Center lobby. For more information and bulk requests, contact Kandice Carter, x7263.

There and Back Again: Adventures in Tanzania
This Friday, Feb. 10, Leigh Harwood will provide a recap of his three-week trip to Tanzania, featuring a Serengeti safari, treks in and around the Ngorongoro crater, and encounters with chimps at Gombe Stream Park. Bring your own lunch for this multimedia event in CEBAF Center room F113, noon-1 p.m.

Golf League Forming for Season
JLab golfers, and those who would like to be, are invited to join the JLab Golf League for the 2012 season. A meeting will be held in ARC room 231/233 on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at noon to discuss plans. Bring your own lunch to this informal meeting. Questions may be directed to Mike Zarecky, x7609. For more information, visit the JAG webpage.

New Bike Club Jersey in the Works
The JLab Bike Club, in coordination with the Jefferson Activities Group, is preparing to order new bike jerseys. Pre-order requests must be received by Feb. 19. The current estimated price is roughly $43 each for a unisex, short sleeve, club cut jersey with a hidden zipper and three stretch pockets. For more information, visit the JAG webpage.

Calling All Design Fashionistas!
The Jefferson Activities Group is seeking entries for the annual Jefferson Lab T-shirt design contest. The JAG will accept T-shirt design entries Feb. 15 - March 12. For more information, visit the JAG webpage.

Come Out and Play on the JLab Softball Team!
The JLab co-ed softball team is now forming for the 2012 spring/summer season. All are invited to try their hand with a bat and glove. To express an interest in joining the team, send an email to Casey Heck by Wednesday, Feb. 8. The team would play in the Co-Ed Industrial League on Friday nights, April through July, in York County.

JLab's 2012 Benefits Open Enrollment Begins Feb. 14
The Benefits Open Enrollment will be offered via the Employee Self Service System (ESS) to all Regular and Term staff employees beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 14 and closing on Feb. 29. Click here for important details about changes to medical benefits.

Take Time to Tango - Part Two
The JLab Tango Club is again organizing free group tango lessons at Port Warwick. Beginner lessons will be held on Tuesday evenings, with intermediate lessons followed by a Tango dance party (all skill levels are welcome) on Fridays. The lessons are free, and no prior experience is necessary. For more information, send an email with your name and contact information to Alexandre Camsonne, Francois-Xavier Girod or Taisiya Mineeva.

Onsite TIAA-CREF Counseling Offered
TIAA-CREF will offer individual counseling sessions onsite in VARC 53A on Feb. 24, March 22, April 6 and May 4. 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.

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 Samika Hawkins and Casey Heck, who were the first to correctly identify the Feb. 1 location. Honorable mentions go to Dan Moore, David Lawrence, Stephanie Vermeire, Josh Foyles and David Anderson. Check out the Tracking Thomas webpage for a better view of his last location and this week's new mystery photo.