D0 Project Example of big science

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D0 Project -- Example of big science
Frontline research requires large facilities
Fermilab Tevatron-- particles at 0.9999995 x
speed of light collide making microscope
allowing smallest scale study of matter. Can
see detail at 0.000,000,000,001 m. Make new
constituents of matter using E mc2.
Questions How are the forces of nature unified?
What are the characteristics of those
forces? Search for new particles, new phenomena
such as substructure. Why the different amounts
of matter and antimatter in universe? (Without
which we would not exist ! )
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D0 Experiment -- at one collision point
5500 tons 40x40x65 ft3 1 million separate
detection elements.
Original detector built 1986 - 91 (75M) for 4
year run. Now upgrading for next year (45M).
Special electronics sifts the information in real
time from 10 million collisions per second to
save the 10 or so of greatest interest.
500 physicists from 65 universities and labs in
the U.S. and 15 other countries.
Each group builds a part of the detector or
special-purpose software. Intercontinental
collaboration is common. Physicists commute
often to Fermilab and keep touch by Internet
and video conferencing.
1995 - D0 discovered the top quark last
expected constitutent of matter. Front page of
the NY Times and papers world-wide.
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How it works for Stony Brook
Apply for federal grants, awarded by peer review.
Stony Brook/D0 research now at 1.5M from
National Science Foundation and Dept. of Energy.
(Get 1M from NSF out of 25M national program,
due to excellence of the SB research!) Stony
Brook has provided the overall leadership of D0,
and has taken many major lead roles in building
the experiment and doing the physics analyses.
Grants support 5 faculty summer salaries, Sr.
researcher, Engineer, Technician,
students/postdocs, administrative assistance.
Supplies and equipment for research computing,
phones, travel costs.
Generate 370K indirect return to Stony Brook
from these grants - used to seed new initiatives
on campus, raise the (woefully low) teaching
assistant salaries to competitive levels.
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Life of faculty researchers (my week)
Monday - Wednesday on campus
Teach -- typically undergraduate lecture course
and recitation sections in introductory course
for engineers, bioscience majors. Fulfill
university/department responsibilities.
Constant contact by
e-mail/phone with research collaborators.
Thursday - Friday away
Usually to Fermilab for advising students,
meetings with colleagues, technical discussions.

Sometimes elsewhere for reviews, government
panels, advisory bodies etc.
Saturday - Sunday
Prepare lectures, problems for next weeks
classes.
Write technical documents.
Write letters of recommendation
(10/wk). Read scientific
literature.
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Why do this research?
The scientific questions motivate the
participants, and excite the interest of students
and general public. Fundamental research fuels
2/3 of U.S. economic base -- it is a crucial long
term investment. Spinoffs
World Wide Web invented for particle
physics. Superconducting magnets now used for
MRI, transportation (maglev trains) developed for
particle research. Accelerators from particle
physics now used for cancer treatment, study of
materials, lithography for computer chips.
Student training - Stony Brook/D0 has trained 25
grad. students, 30 postdocs. Many projects for
undergraduate research in our labs. Many go to
careers in industry, business, government,
enriching the State and nation.
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Benefits of big science research
Combining forces with researchers worldwide at
major facilities, we attack the most fundamental
questions, and offer our students the best
training possible.
Sociological benefits -- international
cooperation brings understanding of other
cultures. Particle physics collaboration with
Soviet Union preceded, by years, the fall of the
Iron Curtain and provided the framework for
U.S./Russian cooperation.
Visibility to the University. Our reputation
worldwide brings the best young minds to our
programs. We provide an exciting opportunity
for undergraduate research.
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Big science is increasing in the University
(Not just D0)
Stony Brook lead in PHENIX experiment at
Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at BNL seeks a
new phase of matter (quark-gluon plasma).
Brain imaging project (Psychiatry/BNL) maps brain
receptors for drugs and develops therapy for drug
addiction.
SuperKamiokande experiment -- 50,000 tons of pure
water deep underground in Japan. Discovered
that neutrinos have mass.
Engineering/Physics group leading industry
university consortium to revolutionize computer
tech with ultrafast superconducting circuits.
Center for High Pressure Research develops new
materials and studies earths internal
composition, with industrial partners.
Astronomers use Hubble Telescope to discover the
most distant objects in the Universe. Now
planning for largest telescope ever.
Big Science is here to stay -- A large benefit to
University