After a short time incognito (due to the stresses of AP exams), the Lincoln CERN team is back! And this time, with a video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP8xky_UPsA
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Pictures!
Finally, some pictures from our trip! We now have a flickr account:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lhscernteam/
There are also pictures from our 2 days in Paris, so feel free to check those out.
-Kaitlin
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lhscernteam/
There are also pictures from our 2 days in Paris, so feel free to check those out.
-Kaitlin
Sunday, April 6, 2008
ATLAS and CMS articles, by Nathaniel
The race is on.
Two experiments at the LHC are currently moving at a lightning pace to produce the same event. They are immensely competitive and they each employ similar plans of achieving their goals. Their designs and methods, however, are completely different.
ATLAS (A Toroidal Lhc ApparatuS) and CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) are designed to explore the origins of matter via the interactions and collisions of very massive particles, such as protons. When these collisions blast through the center of the detectors, their debris will be sent hurdling in the form of various exotic particles, whose energy is deposited in the detectors and their calorimeters, meaning "energy-measurers." This debris often decays into other, even more fascinating and uncommon particles, whose trajectories are measured and calculated by the computer systems, thus indicating their momenta and other useful data.
This is where the similarities between these two detectors definitively ends. Though ATLAS utilizes a solenoidal magnet (a loop of wire wrapped around a metallic core, producing a controlled magnetic field) among its inner components, it implements a far more radical design around the outside. This outer magnetic field is produced by ATLAS's eight massive superconducting barrel loops and its two end caps.
CMS opted for a drastically different magnetic design, using one large solenoid magnet. Due to CMS's attempt to reduce wasted space (hence the name "compact"), it was able to construct a highly effective and competitive particle detector to compete and check ATLAS at only 60% of the size. Some of CMS's components are in place with an accuracy of 5 microns in space.
Thus, these two detectors have a naturally competitive nature and their approaches are entirely different for finding the legendary Higgs Boson predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics. However, upon touring each facility, one must note the sense of camaraderie and respect among the employees and scientists associated with both experiments. It is truly a golden age for physics when this type of relationship is possible.
Greetings from CERN!
I'm here in the CERN video editing room, updating the blog. We've been taking tons of video footage for the visual team back at Lincoln to manipulate and mold into a final, finished, and polished project. Additionally, we'll be using voice-overs for some of the videos, since we managed to get zilch audio the first day of the interviews. (Very depressing, especially since the physicists' comments on the food in the cafeteria were lost.) We've been to ATLAS, CMS, and the LHC tunnel, and learned plenty of information to use in future articles and for videos.
ALSO:
WE FOUND THE HIGGS.
Actually, Peter Higgs. I even shook his hand, haven't washed it yet. (Just kidding, Mom)
Although finding the particle would have been fantastic, this is trés exciting, as they might say here in Switzerland.
So long for now, I'm off to do some work, and then at 4:30 PM (16:30) I have an interview with a physicist who, get this, won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2003!!! What an exciting weekend, Higgs yesterday, Sir Anthony James Leggett today. There's no place like CERN, end of story.
Good bye!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Questions!
So we'd love for people to send in questions while we're at CERN so we can answer them in videos/on the web. However, we don't really have any place for people to pose questions, so please leave them as comments to this blog post.
Thanks so much,
Kaitlin
Thanks so much,
Kaitlin
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Website!
Check out the new website:
cern.tk
Everyone has been working very hard the past couple of weeks, and it's really shown; we have a theme song, a game, a video, a website, and a few articles. The next time this blog is updated, we'll probably be at CERN!
cern.tk
Everyone has been working very hard the past couple of weeks, and it's really shown; we have a theme song, a game, a video, a website, and a few articles. The next time this blog is updated, we'll probably be at CERN!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
How the LHC Works: an Article
In order for our project to be used by a larger audience, some concepts have to be watered down a bit in order for the uninformed masses to gain knowledge from our publications. I wrote a few paragraphs on how the LHC works and why we would want to collide particles in the first place, to be posted on our website.
Here it is:
Picture this: You’re 100 meters underground, on the Franco-Swiss border. You’re in some sort of a tunnel, and it seems to be circular; about 27 kilometers long. You notice the temperature is extremely cold, if you had to guess, you’d estimate -271 degrees Celsius. All of a sudden, you feel a very strong pull, like a magnet is tugging on you. You start to accelerate through the tunnel, getting faster and faster until you’ve nearly reached the speed of light! With every lap, you feel yourself gain more energy. You see something quickly approaching you. What is it? Looks like a bunch of protons! BAM.
What just happened? Well, the process described above is the typical procedure for protons in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. Particles (protons and lead ions) are accelerated in the large tunnel, guided by superconducting magnets chilled by liquid helium. The particles gain energy with each lap around the accelerator ring, with protons each reaching an energy of 7 TeV, yielding a total collision energy of 14 TeV.
Sure, it all sounds exciting, but why would we collide particles in the first place? Well, the LHC was actually built to answer a few key unresolved questions. For example, physicists have been describing the fundamental particles over the past few decades via the Standard Model of particle physics. However, there are a few gaps in the Standard Model that can only be filled in with knowledge gained by experimental data, which will hopefully be provided by the LHC. Another vital task of the LHC is to recreate the conditions immediately following the Big Bang to investigate the properties of matter within the first second of our Universe’s life. Two experiments (ATLAS and CMS) will look for supersymmetric particles to test a likely hypothesis for the make-up of dark matter and dark energy that makes up 96% of our Universe. Additionally, the LHC will be searching for matter-antimatter differences which may help explain why matter prevailed over its opposite. The accelerator will also continue searching expanding on the knowledge provided by Newton and Einstein, searching for the elusive Higgs boson necessary to explain mass, as well as detecting evidence that additional spatial dimensions exist. Basically, we hope the LHC can solve billion-year-old mysteries with collisions lasting mere nanoseconds.
Let me know if anyone finds any problems with it, or thinks I need to be more clear with some concepts.
Thanks,
Kaitlin
Here it is:
Picture this: You’re 100 meters underground, on the Franco-Swiss border. You’re in some sort of a tunnel, and it seems to be circular; about 27 kilometers long. You notice the temperature is extremely cold, if you had to guess, you’d estimate -271 degrees Celsius. All of a sudden, you feel a very strong pull, like a magnet is tugging on you. You start to accelerate through the tunnel, getting faster and faster until you’ve nearly reached the speed of light! With every lap, you feel yourself gain more energy. You see something quickly approaching you. What is it? Looks like a bunch of protons! BAM.
What just happened? Well, the process described above is the typical procedure for protons in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. Particles (protons and lead ions) are accelerated in the large tunnel, guided by superconducting magnets chilled by liquid helium. The particles gain energy with each lap around the accelerator ring, with protons each reaching an energy of 7 TeV, yielding a total collision energy of 14 TeV.
Sure, it all sounds exciting, but why would we collide particles in the first place? Well, the LHC was actually built to answer a few key unresolved questions. For example, physicists have been describing the fundamental particles over the past few decades via the Standard Model of particle physics. However, there are a few gaps in the Standard Model that can only be filled in with knowledge gained by experimental data, which will hopefully be provided by the LHC. Another vital task of the LHC is to recreate the conditions immediately following the Big Bang to investigate the properties of matter within the first second of our Universe’s life. Two experiments (ATLAS and CMS) will look for supersymmetric particles to test a likely hypothesis for the make-up of dark matter and dark energy that makes up 96% of our Universe. Additionally, the LHC will be searching for matter-antimatter differences which may help explain why matter prevailed over its opposite. The accelerator will also continue searching expanding on the knowledge provided by Newton and Einstein, searching for the elusive Higgs boson necessary to explain mass, as well as detecting evidence that additional spatial dimensions exist. Basically, we hope the LHC can solve billion-year-old mysteries with collisions lasting mere nanoseconds.
Let me know if anyone finds any problems with it, or thinks I need to be more clear with some concepts.
Thanks,
Kaitlin
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Update
This blog has been a bit neglected over the past week, so it's time for an update on how things are going with the CERN project.
-We had our first official meeting last Tuesday, and the many undertakings of this project were delegated. We set up committees for each of the different facets of our project. If anybody would like to participate and was not able to attend the meeting, please see me or Joy so we can put you somewhere you'll enjoy yourself. :-)
-The website is still in progress, and more is being added to it weekly. Our web design committee is very talented and I am confident that our finished product will be superb thanks to their html prowess. The link to the website is posted a few posts down.
-We are working to put together a press packet, which will include pictures and articles about this project. We are working on a "CERN for Dummies"-esque blurb that can be given to newspapers and other publications that have an audience unfamiliar with CERN and its happenings. I'm so familiar with CERN (thanks to Mr. Lamee) that it sometimes baffles me when people who have taken physics don't know what it is. Guess us Lincoln physics students are spoiled.
Anyways, the project is well underway and will surely be spectacular when completed. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product. I'll update this blog weekly with the latest news on Lincoln's CERN project.
-Kaitlin
-We had our first official meeting last Tuesday, and the many undertakings of this project were delegated. We set up committees for each of the different facets of our project. If anybody would like to participate and was not able to attend the meeting, please see me or Joy so we can put you somewhere you'll enjoy yourself. :-)
-The website is still in progress, and more is being added to it weekly. Our web design committee is very talented and I am confident that our finished product will be superb thanks to their html prowess. The link to the website is posted a few posts down.
-We are working to put together a press packet, which will include pictures and articles about this project. We are working on a "CERN for Dummies"-esque blurb that can be given to newspapers and other publications that have an audience unfamiliar with CERN and its happenings. I'm so familiar with CERN (thanks to Mr. Lamee) that it sometimes baffles me when people who have taken physics don't know what it is. Guess us Lincoln physics students are spoiled.
Anyways, the project is well underway and will surely be spectacular when completed. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product. I'll update this blog weekly with the latest news on Lincoln's CERN project.
-Kaitlin
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Project Collaboration Forum
This is a forum set up so everyone can work together on this, in their respective areas and communicate efficiently. The forum is still under construction, but any suggestions are welcome.
Please use only your FIRST NAME as a username, and be patient as you are validated.
http://z15.invisionfree.com/LincolnCERN/index.php
Please use only your FIRST NAME as a username, and be patient as you are validated.
http://z15.invisionfree.com/LincolnCERN/index.php
The first official meeting
of the Lincoln-CERN team was a great success. Excellent progress! Meetings will be held di-weekly after school every Tuesday and Thursday until further notice. Rock on.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Nathaniel, Kaitlin, and Tyler
If you get this in time, bring passports tomorrow (those who have them). Also, last 4 digits of your social security #. Please do not post this info (duh).
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Sunday meeting
In order to get the project moving as quickly as possible, let's gather at the following coordinates at noon tomorrow. We'll discuss some pressing details pertinent to the three to fly to CERN as well as some delegation of project responsibilities. If you can't make it, Monday we'll bring you up to speed.
30°26'28.33"N
84°12'51.03"W
30°26'28.33"N
84°12'51.03"W
Friday, February 22, 2008
Meeting this weekend
I'd like to meet this weekend with any and all students interested in working on the project. Comment below if you can meet for lunch Saturday or Sunday.
-LaMee
-LaMee
The Lincoln group has been chosen to cover the LHC!
Due to an outstanding school-wide effort, the Lincoln team has been chosen to cover the CERN Open Days, April 2-7. Kudos go out, not only to the three students flying to CERN, but also to the many others who played vital roles in coordination, editing, image design, web design, French culture ideas, audio engineering, and anything else I can think of. You all should be proud.
Now, the real work begins!
Now, the real work begins!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Be patient ...
I just received an email stating that over 60 applications were submitted and the fine folks at Quarknet are still in deliberations. Think happy thoughts. Lamee, out.
P.S. Go to bed.
P.S. Go to bed.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Introductions
So this week has been quite hectic--the proposal was being prepared (we hit submit this afternoon...wish us luck!) and the University of Florida sent out its admissions decisions. Nathaniel and I both got accepted!
In all the chaos, we never really introduced the three people that would actually be making the trek over to Switzerland, so here's a rundown of their accomplishments/special skills:
Kaitlin:
Kaitlin is a senior who has loved physics since she first took the class. She wants to major in physics at the University of Florida, and pursue graduate studies later on. She would like to become a professor or a researcher (at CERN!) and is very interested in particle physics. One of her favorite hobbies is photography, and she will be documenting our entire trip in photos, if we're selected. Kaitlin took French from 5 years and would love to further her knowledge of the language in Switzerland. She is very creative and comes up with many ideas for ways to relay our CERN information back to the public. She has public speaking skills, and would be an excellent person to interview physicists. Kaitlin is fairly tech-savvy (she created/maintains this blog) and plans to utilize her knowledge of computers to make our CERN-related activities/articles/information widely accessible.
Nathaniel:
Like Kaitlin, Nathaniel has a passion for physics. He will attend the University of Florida in the fall and major in physics, with a minor in mathematics. A true renaissance man, Nathaniel has an affinity for writing and would play an intergral part in relaying our information via articles, this blog, etc. He has a keen interest in linguistics, and has been using the "Rosetta Stone" French language software religiously. Nathaniel is a great leader, and would be an excellent video director, as he is precise and realistic. So realistic, in fact, that he often takes Kaitlin's crazy ideas and molds them into something do-able.
Tyler:
Tyler is a future engineer who will be attending Florida State University in the fall. An avid musician, Tyler has already taken an active role in this project by composing an intro song for our videos. Tyler is skilled in web design and has a large network (no pun intended) of friends who are near-experts in that area. Tyler is a diligent worker and will stay on task to help produce astounding results. His contributions to the proposal foreshadow his future of diligent work on this project.
In all the chaos, we never really introduced the three people that would actually be making the trek over to Switzerland, so here's a rundown of their accomplishments/special skills:
Kaitlin:
Kaitlin is a senior who has loved physics since she first took the class. She wants to major in physics at the University of Florida, and pursue graduate studies later on. She would like to become a professor or a researcher (at CERN!) and is very interested in particle physics. One of her favorite hobbies is photography, and she will be documenting our entire trip in photos, if we're selected. Kaitlin took French from 5 years and would love to further her knowledge of the language in Switzerland. She is very creative and comes up with many ideas for ways to relay our CERN information back to the public. She has public speaking skills, and would be an excellent person to interview physicists. Kaitlin is fairly tech-savvy (she created/maintains this blog) and plans to utilize her knowledge of computers to make our CERN-related activities/articles/information widely accessible.
Nathaniel:
Like Kaitlin, Nathaniel has a passion for physics. He will attend the University of Florida in the fall and major in physics, with a minor in mathematics. A true renaissance man, Nathaniel has an affinity for writing and would play an intergral part in relaying our information via articles, this blog, etc. He has a keen interest in linguistics, and has been using the "Rosetta Stone" French language software religiously. Nathaniel is a great leader, and would be an excellent video director, as he is precise and realistic. So realistic, in fact, that he often takes Kaitlin's crazy ideas and molds them into something do-able.
Tyler:
Tyler is a future engineer who will be attending Florida State University in the fall. An avid musician, Tyler has already taken an active role in this project by composing an intro song for our videos. Tyler is skilled in web design and has a large network (no pun intended) of friends who are near-experts in that area. Tyler is a diligent worker and will stay on task to help produce astounding results. His contributions to the proposal foreshadow his future of diligent work on this project.
Goodnight, everyone!
-Kaitlin
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Fun!
Hello Again!
Our official website is in the making--we're working on it this very second. Hopefully there will be enough there so that it is fully presentable by Friday. If not...it's still a work in progress. If selected for the trip to CERN, it will be our team's hub; you'll find links to our videos, to this blog, fun activities, articles, webcams, and more.
Speaking of fun activities, Joy found this awesome CERN simulator:
http://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/masterclass/Acc_sim2/simulator.html
Not quite sure who made it, but they did a great job and if I find out who I can credit this to, I'll post the name.
EDIT: This game was found on the Particle Physics UK website.
A fun tidbit:
Today we found out that there are sheep at CERN, eating the grass above the detectors. Way to save on lawnmower fuel!
Speaking of farm animals...
Our official website is in the making--we're working on it this very second. Hopefully there will be enough there so that it is fully presentable by Friday. If not...it's still a work in progress. If selected for the trip to CERN, it will be our team's hub; you'll find links to our videos, to this blog, fun activities, articles, webcams, and more.
Speaking of fun activities, Joy found this awesome CERN simulator:
http://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/masterclass/Acc_sim2/simulator.html
Not quite sure who made it, but they did a great job and if I find out who I can credit this to, I'll post the name.
EDIT: This game was found on the Particle Physics UK website.
A fun tidbit:
Today we found out that there are sheep at CERN, eating the grass above the detectors. Way to save on lawnmower fuel!
Speaking of farm animals...
Check out more cartoons like this one at http://th.physik.uni-frankfurt.de/~jr/cartoon.html
--Kaitlin
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Testing, Testing, 123.
Hi, Kaitlin here.
I just set up this blog, and I'm testing it out.
A little background information:QuarkNet has decided to present the wonderful opportunity for a few teams from the United States (consisting of 3 students and a teacher) to travel to Switzerland to explore CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) and report on the coming start-up of the Large Hadron Collider. This information will be relayed back to students all across the United States through a variety of mediums. Our team, if selected, will act as news reporters and present the information through a series of videos targeted at all grade levels, podcasts, this blog, and a working website.
We'll be back later with more updates, but for now, enjoy a few physics jokes:
-A student recognizes Einstein in a train and asks: Excuse me, professor, but does New York stop by this train?
-Why did the chicken cross the road? Issac Newton: Chickens at rest tend to stay at rest, chickens in motion tend to cross roads.
-Heisenberg is out for a drive when he's stopped by a traffic cop. The cop says 'Do you know how fast you were going?' Heisenberg says 'No, but I know where I am.'
Until next time,
Kaitlin
I just set up this blog, and I'm testing it out.
A little background information:QuarkNet has decided to present the wonderful opportunity for a few teams from the United States (consisting of 3 students and a teacher) to travel to Switzerland to explore CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) and report on the coming start-up of the Large Hadron Collider. This information will be relayed back to students all across the United States through a variety of mediums. Our team, if selected, will act as news reporters and present the information through a series of videos targeted at all grade levels, podcasts, this blog, and a working website.
We'll be back later with more updates, but for now, enjoy a few physics jokes:
-A student recognizes Einstein in a train and asks: Excuse me, professor, but does New York stop by this train?
-Why did the chicken cross the road? Issac Newton: Chickens at rest tend to stay at rest, chickens in motion tend to cross roads.
-Heisenberg is out for a drive when he's stopped by a traffic cop. The cop says 'Do you know how fast you were going?' Heisenberg says 'No, but I know where I am.'
Until next time,
Kaitlin
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