Physics

Radiological Worker Training

In order to be able to perform unescorted access to areas where ionizing radiations are present, and to work with and use radioactive materials, workers at Fermilab have to pass a specific training which enables them to recognize the dangers and work safe ...

Blog Post - Tommaso Dorigo - Sep 18 2009 - 10:02am

Ghost Writer Needed!

I was notified today that within three weeks I am due to write a proceedings article for the " Physics in Collision " conference I attended in Kobe two weeks ago. The task is not too stimulating for me, given that the material it has to cover jus ...

Article - Tommaso Dorigo - Sep 18 2009 - 2:19pm

Become A Fan Of The Tevatron!

I am spending my time in the CDF Control Room this week (seven days, from 4PM to midnight), as a Scientific Coordinator. My job is to work with my crew to ensure that the experiment collects good data as efficiently as possible. The data I am talking about ...

Article - Tommaso Dorigo - Sep 21 2009 - 12:15pm

The Next Discovery Of Fermilab

The question of what will the next discovery at Fermilab be was asked in the thread of a recent article, and I initially answered it there, but then thought that expanding my answer makes excellent material for an independent article. Therefore, below I ha ...

Article - Tommaso Dorigo - Sep 22 2009 - 1:39am

Do the Shot Setup Dance

"17.35 Shot setup begins. 18.07 Loading final protons. 18.20 Loading pbars. 18.48 Preparing to ramp. 18.50 Ramping. 18.52 Jacking. 18.53 Squeezing. 18.56 Initiating collisions. 18.57 Ramping." (From Fermilab's Main Control Room logbook today ...

Blog Post - Tommaso Dorigo - Sep 21 2009 - 7:11pm

In Control

Most of us like to be in control: of what happens around us, of our own feelings, of our actions, of the actions and well-being of our beloved ones. Being in control means feeling secure, unthreatened. It is the prevalence of order on chaos. And chaos, I h ...

Article - Tommaso Dorigo - Sep 22 2009 - 7:16pm

Mathematics is all around us

Mathematical functions are all around us. We may not realize it but they are there! Check it out on the pictures below. A blade of light, selected by the venetian blinds of my living room window, draws a curved, complicated, multiple-valued function on the ...

Blog Post - Tommaso Dorigo - Sep 27 2009 - 9:57am

Physicist by nature, Statistician by election

Well, it is now official, so I thought I would let my blog know about it too: I am honored to announce that I was chosen to serve in the CMS Statistics Committee. Along with eight highly distinguished colleagues, I will work for at least the next two years ...

Blog Post - Tommaso Dorigo - Sep 29 2009 - 12:31am

You, A Bayesian

Everyday use of a mathematical concept The concept of probability is not alien to even the least mathematically versed among us: even those who do not remember the basic math they had in primary schools use it currently in their daily reasoning. I find th ...

Article - Tommaso Dorigo - Nov 8 2009 - 6:12am

The Say of the Week- Martin Perl on his discovery

"An illustration of the confusion about the tau is provided by two editions of a popular book on particle physics by Nigel calder entitled The Key to the Universe. In the first edition Calder wrote: Martin Perl and his colleagues detected peculiar eve ...

Blog Post - Tommaso Dorigo - Oct 5 2009 - 1:58pm