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Physics in the new age of the Large Hadron Collider
Public gathering, "Cracking Open the Universe," Sept. 12 at the UO to detail "new physics" being opened by the "First Beam"
EUGENE, Ore. -- (Aug. 28, 2008) -- In the wee West Coast hours of Sept. 10, a particle beam will be sent around a 17-mile-long circular underground facility near Geneva, Switzerland, for the first time, ushering in the age of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). At 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 12, at the University of Oregon, a group of physicists will address the public about the new physics to come.
The UO event, "Cracking Open the Universe," is free and open to the public. It will be in Columbia Hall, Room 150, 1215 E. 13th Ave. Speaking will be James E. Brau, the UO's Knight Professor of Natural Science and a particle physicist, Graham Kribs, professor of theoretical particle physics, and Eric Torrence, professor of experimental particle physics. All three of the UO scientists are, like many leading U.S. physicists, collaborators at the LHC, housed at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
The UO trio will explain the impact of the LHC on physics -- what researchers are looking for and how that fits into a deeper understanding of nature and the universe -- as well as what types of experiments will be done at the LHC, the world's newest particle accelerator. The accelerator, says Brau, director of the UO's Center for High Energy Physics, will open new frontiers in the field, but at the same time further shift the study of modern physics away from the United States.
Sept. 10's "First Beam" essentially signifies the massive machinery's official startup. It will occur at 9:30 a.m. in Geneva, or 12:30 a.m. in Eugene. The first injection of energy will attract international attention. At many U.S. labs, including Fermilab outside of Chicago, "pajama parties" are planned to let researchers and others watch and celebrate via a live satellite feed.
The UO event on Sept. 12 is designed to help the public understand what happened Sept. 10 and why it is important to science, as well as to generate public interest in the future of physics.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Media Contact: Jim Barlow, director of science and research communications, 541-346-3481, jebarlow@uoregon.edu
Source: James E. Brau, Knight Professor of Natural Science, department of physics, College of Arts and Sciences, 541-346-4766, jimbrau@uoregon.edu
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