HomeAbout symmetryContact UsPast IssuesSubscribeRSS
symmetry - dimensions of particle physics

September 2008 Issue Cover

On the cover:
This issue features the work of physicist and photographer David Kirkby, whose photographs of ordinary objects aim to give people insights into physics. Here, a Koosh ball—a jiggly, squishy rubber toy—represents dark energy, the invisible force that is accelerating the expansion of the universe.

September 2008:
Click here to view the pdf of this issue.
Contents
Editorial: Bring on the Protons
Rarely has there been so much media buzz for a science experiment that hasn't actually started. Interest in the LHC is at fever pitch.
Commentary: Monica Dunford
Blogging is a heaven-sent forum for physicists. Yet for those of us who belong to large experimental collaborations, the freeform style of blogging conflicts with procedures set in place for the careful review and publication of scientific results.
Signal to Background
Ping-pong champ gets a physics roast; diving blind through crusty pipes; cup biters of Fermilab; the strongwoman and the quark; cowed again; napkin contest; letters.
Life at the LHC Reaches Fever Pitch
As the big collider ramps up, four physicists talk about working late, finding time to play, and staying connected to family and friends.
Mapping the Digital Divide
Physicist Les Cottrell is the meteorologist of Internet weather. His project tests the strength of Internet connections around the world—and finds Africa lagging farther and farther behind.
JLab's New Director
For Hugh Montgomery, the leap from particle physics to nuclear physics is shorter than you might think.
Gallery: David Kirkby
It’s a snail shell! It's a Koosh ball! It’s physics! A physicist-photographer finds cosmic meaning in everyday things.
Day in the Life: the LHC Express
When scientists transformed two train cars into a mockup of the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider, thousands of people came along for the ride.
Essay: William S. Higgins
Like everyone in his profession, John W. Campbell, Jr., editor of Astounding Science Fiction magazine, kept a watchful eye on new developments in nuclear physics, astronomy, and other sciences. Any scientific news might provide an idea for a science fiction story. In 1941, antimatter caught his attention.
Logbook: Contraterrene Matter
"Collision Orbit," published in July 1942, was among the first science fiction stories to explore contraterrene matter, today better known as antimatter.
Explain it in 60 Seconds: Neutrino Masses
Neutrino masses are extremely difficult to measure. Physicists think the origins of neutrino masses are closely tied to subatomic processes that took place right after the big bang. Determining which neutrino types are heaviest and lightest— the neutrino mass ordering—is a first step toward revealing these processes.
Share this page with others! Submit to:
  |     |     |     |  

symmetry Breaking

Move over Britney, Lady Gaga’s in physics now
September 2, 2010
For years, the Britney Spears Guide to Semiconductor Physics has been floating around the Web intriguing, amusing, troubling, or infuriating different people. Doing one better, pop star Lady Gaga is now immortalized in the name of a published physics paper.
New print issue of symmetry: the many uses of accelerators
September 1, 2010
As of today you can see and download the latest print issue of symmetry. This issue looks at many of the varied uses of accelerators in society. Although accelerators were typically created for basic physics research, they are key components of many medical and industrial applications now.
First African School of Physics empowers students
August 30, 2010
Students from 17 African countries came together for the rare opportunity to learn about particle physics this month. Some African students have earned advanced science degrees but are looking for the specialized training in particle physics and its associated applications not usually offered on their own continent. The first African School of Fundamental Physics and its Applications in Stellenbosch, South Africa, provided that training and financially supported some African students.
Subscribe to symmetry

Email Update List

Receive email notifications of the release of future issues of symmetry:

more options
On the Cover
Issue Cover

This issue features the work of physicist and photographer David Kirkby, whose photographs of ordinary objects aim to give people insights into physics. Here, a Koosh ball—a jiggly, squishy rubber toy—represents dark energy, the invisible force that is accelerating the expansion of the universe.

PDF View Issue PDF

Logbook Archive
Photo - Logbook: Archive

SLAC Bluebook

May 2007
A 1169-page treatise documents the development and design of the two-mile-long accelerator operated by Stanford University...

View Logbook Archive

Explain it in 60 Seconds Archive
Photo - Explain it in 60 Seconds: Archive

Quarks

Mar 2006
Quarks are fundamental building blocks of matter. They are most commonly found inside protons and neutrons...

View 60 Seconds Archive
© 2007 symmetry  A joint Fermilab/SLAC publication.  PO Box 500 MS206  Batavia, IL 60510  USA