Jefferson Lab Weekly Briefs February 1, 2012

Jefferson Lab Weekly Briefs
February 1, 2012

12 GeV Upgrade

Beneficial occupancy of the Hall D Counting House, Service Building, and Tagger Area was established Tuesday. JLab Facilities Management & Logistics has completed various tasks related to safety, including verification of proper operation of the emergency lighting systems. The construction contractor is working on the remaining punchlist items.

Physics

In Hall A, the g2p experiment is making progress on installation, with the aim of starting data taking on Feb 15. A problem was found with calculations of the magnetic field in the septum magnet; in reality it is a factor of about 1.5 lower than calculated (the error was found in the meantime). This will result in either eliminating some higher Q2 points from the run plan, or adding shim material to the magnet.

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

Problems with Hall B beam last week required that some magnet shunt modules be replaced and optics be optimized in the injector. This also cleared up beam current limitation being experienced by Hall C. C100 zone 2L24 was recovered during beam studies; thanks to advances made by the engineers working on its control system, it is running without introducing beam instabilities to the halls. During an accelerator maintenance period on Thursday, an additional C100 zone was moved from the Test Lab to the accelerator tunnel. PEPPo installation continues in preparation for running in the summer. Beam ran well throughout the weekend.

Center for Theoretical and Computational Physics

A new Theory Center paper reports the first attempt at a global analysis of spin asymmetries in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) and proton-proton collisions, using the transverse momentum dependent (TMD) and twist-3 formalisms for the SIDIS and pp reactions, respectively. Contributions from the so-called Sivers effect (gluon pole matrix element) are considered, and additional missing contributions to the normal asymmetry AN in pp collisions from twist-3 fragmentation are identified. A future, more complete analysis is planned in order to study the contribution from twist-3 fragmentation functions.

JLab Calendar of Events

Feb. 4: Va. Regional High School Science Bowl
Feb. 6: Safety Shoe vendor onsite
Feb. 7: Science Series Lecture: Living and Working in the Freezer

Feb. 15: Colloquium and Public Lecture
Feb. 28: Advanced Materials Forum, CC auditorium

Environment, Safety, Health and Quality

Parking Lot Safety
The JLab campus has been a busy place recently, with ongoing construction activities and vehicles onsite, as well as employees, visiting scientists, subcontractors and students. Everyone should be extra cautious in all lab parking lots and anywhere pedestrian and vehicular traffic meet. Here are a few safety tips from West Virginia University that can help keep pedestrians out of harm's way while traversing parking lots:

  • Be cautious and aware of your surroundings;
  • Do not assume that drivers can see you when you can see them - in many cases, the pedestrian sees and hears a vehicle before a driver can see the pedestrian due to blind spots in vehicles;
  • Treat the parking lot like a street by looking both ways before crossing and using crosswalks and sidewalks whenever possible;
  • Walk down parking lot aisles and not in-between vehicles when walking to and from your vehicle;
  • Try to avoid areas where it would be hard for a driver to see you, such as loading dock areas;
  • In bad weather, such as snow, wear proper footwear to provide adequate traction to avoid slipping and falling.

Computing and Networking Infrastructure

PCs and Macs Available for Purchase
The CNI group has joined with the Stockroom to form the JLab PC Purchase Program. This program makes the purchasing of desktops, laptops and monitors easier and faster. The equipment is configured for the JLab CUE on your behalf and is ADP pre-approved. The Stockroom currently has a variety of machines available onsite, including iMacs, MacBook Pro laptops, Dell standard and developer desktops and laptops and monitors. For more information on the program, visit the PC Purchase Program webpage.

Announcements

Big Game Tailgate Lunch in Quark Cafe on Friday, Feb. 3
Support your team and enjoy tailgate favorites at lunch in the Quark Cafe, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tailgate specials will include a New York Deli-Style Hot Pastrami and Swiss sandwich, a New England Submarine sandwich and the always super Wing It! Buffalo Chicken Wings. The cafeteria will also offer additional lunch fare; for details, see the weekly menu.

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.

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 Narciso Gomez, who was the first person to correctly identify the Jan. 25 location. Honorable mentions go to Samika Hawkins, Doug Higinbotham, Michael Haddox-Schatz, Stephanie Vermeire, Maurizio Ungaro, Annie Tran and Joe Arango. Check out the Tracking Thomas webpage for a better view of his last location and this week's new mystery photo.