12 GeV Upgrade

The Hall A upgrades within the 12 GeV Upgrade Project include improvements to the Compton and Moeller polarimeters to handle operation at 11 GeV and a remapping of the beamline dipoles and the reference dipole at the higher magnetic fields. The new quadrupole magnet required for the Moeller polarimeter has been designed and is being readied for procurement. The first components of the upgraded Compton polarimeter have been ordered.

Physics

After eight days of commissioning a new and complex beamline and target, as well as calibration of the magnetic optics for the spectrometer, Hall A started taking production data on the first kinematics point of the GEp experiment over the weekend. The experiment is now well underway.

In Hall C, the Q-weak experiment continued to take production data with 180 microAmp beam on the liquid hydrogen target.

Users Group Town Hall
All Users are invited to attend the Users Town Meeting on the JLab Long Range Plan on Friday, March 16 in the CEBAF Center auditorium. The program is now final. If you plan to attend, R.S.V.P. to Susan Brown. You can find more information on the CUGA wiki.

Minority Undergraduate Research Assistantship
JLab is seeking candidates for a research assistantship to provide an opportunity for a minority undergraduate student to work on projects that are part of the lab’s research program or directly related to the scientific or engineering aspects of the research program. This assistantship is funded by the JSA Initiatives Fund Program and will provide funds to support the student at the university during the 2012 - 2013 academic year. Nominations are due April 6 and must be submitted by the faculty sponsor before the student may apply. Faculty sponsors may obtain more information and submit their nomination online.

Accelerator

The beginning of the week saw work on beam position monitors and other beam diagnostic equipment getting Hall A ready for the commissioning of the g2p chicane. The initial attempt of steering the beam through the chicane was not fruitful. Investigation showed measured magnet currents to be slightly different than that indicated by the power supply. With that information in hand by midweek, accelerator operators had beam through the chicane, the target magnet and into the high power dump. Midweek also had Hall B coming back up from target work. Hall C continued high-current running throughout the week. On Thursday, a radiation monitor failed in Hall B, preventing beam delivery until it was replaced and certified. Separate instances of beam energy instability were attributed to work on the master oscillator driveline in one instance and to a loose connector in the other. The work on the driveline was stopped and the connector was tightened. The weekend saw smooth running to all three halls with no major interruptions.

Free-Electron Laser

The FEL team continued efforts to optimize operation of the infrared FEL in preparation for some new infrared mirror tests. The machine lased on several days with stable, high-current operation and excellent gun performance. Installation of the ultraviolet wiggler chamber encountered some difficulties due to the failure of welds on some internal supports, but a workaround was found to put the project back on track. JLab hosted the ICFA Future Light Source 2012 workshop focused on the science and technology of next generation X-ray user facilities, with around 150 international attendees for the week.

JLab Calendar of Events

March 15: JLab Colloquium and Public Lecture - Bob McKeown
March 16: Users Town Hall Meeting
March 12-19: Workshop on Confinement Physics
March 20: Statewide Tornado Drill, 9:45 a.m.
March 26: Safety Shoe Vendor onsite
March 29: Newport News Public Schools Business & Education STEM Summit
April 3: JLab Publications Refresher Seminar
April 11: JLab Colloquium and Public Lecture - Ani Aprahamian
April 11: Teachers Science Night at JLab
April 25: JAG Run-A-Round
April 30: FLUKA Training Course

Environment, Safety, Health and Quality

JLab to Participate in Statewide Tornado Drill on Tuesday, March 20
All Virginians need to practice taking cover from tornadoes; and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management is providing that opportunity for everyone during a Statewide Tornado Drill, set for Tuesday, March 20, at 9:45 a.m. JLab plans to participate in the tornado drill.

Members of the JLab community who aren't involved in critical activities are asked to participate in the drill by taking cover in a designated "take cover" location as soon as they are notified. The message will be conveyed via JLab email, page, voice and the lab's new Tornado Warning Siren. For more information about JLab's Tornado Response Procedure, visit ES&H Manual Chapter 3510, Appendix T-3.

Computing and Networking Infrastructure

CNI Maintenance Day Set for Tuesday, March 20, 5-7 p.m.
The CNI group is planning a maintenance period on Tuesday, March 20, 5-7 p.m. During this time, patches will be released for both Windows and Linux desktops. Plan to reboot your Windows or Linux desktop on Wednesday morning to finalize patch installations. If you have questions or concerns, or any time you experience a problem with your computer, contact the IT Division Helpdesk, x7155.

Information Technology Division

Planned CLASDB Upgrade
IT, in coordination with Hall B, is tentatively planning an upgrade of the CLASDB server for next week, to coincide with an expected 12-hour beam downtime for Hall B. The upgrade will migrate the version of the MySQL database from 4.0 to 5.5. During the upgrade, all connections to CLASDB will be disconnected, which may impact running farm jobs. To avoid this, prior to the upgrade, IT will limit job submission reservation times such that all CLAS jobs should be completed by the time the upgrade begins. As a reminder, CLASDB is used for CLAS calibration constant, RUN CONTROL, the wiki pages and the logbook.

A new version of the server already exists, with a copy of all the CLASDB tables. The name of the new server is CLASDB-1. CLAS users directly involved may test CLASDB-1 to report any problems, and so the transition will be transparent. Currently, a1c, gemc, the logbook and the wikis are successfully tested. At the time of the transition, the old CLASDB will be turned off and CLASDB-1 will be renamed CLASDB. For more information, visit the Computer Center web page.

Announcements

Vote for Your Favorite JLab 2012 T-Shirt Design Today!
Vote now to help select the design for JLab's 2012 T-shirt. The winning design will be unveiled at the lab's annual Run-A-Round. All JLab computer account holders are permitted one vote. Voting is open through March 23.

Volunteers Needed for May 19 JLab Open House
JLab's Open House is just around the corner, and this year's event, themed "Passport to Science," will be bigger than ever. Volunteers of all types provide the public with a safe, fun and educational experience. Sign up now through April 16. Hourly employees will be paid, with advance approval from his/her supervisor. Each volunteer will receive a T-shirt to wear for the Open House. When signing up, be prepared to provide your T-shirt size and your cell phone number. There will be mandatory volunteer briefings. Volunteers leading tours or staffing displays or activities for specific programs or locations should consult with that area's volunteer coordinator. Area volunteer coordinators are listed on the web sign-up page. Direct general-event volunteer questions to Tina Menefee, x5490, cell 768-4030.

Webinar on Tech Transfer Statement Writing Offered Thursday
The DOE Technology Transfer Working Group is offering a free webinar on "Statement of Work Drafting for CRADAs and WFOs." The seminar is scheduled for March 15 at 3 p.m. EDT. This webinar is offered by Idaho National Laboratory and will provide open forum training for researchers and managers on how to draft a quality statement of work for Cooperative Research and Development Agreements and Work for Others documents. Attendees will be encouraged to share their own experiences and suggestions on how to best draft statements of work. If you are interested in participating, email Jim Boyce by noon Thursday.

JLab Colloquium: Neutrino Oscillations
A colloquium on the new results from the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment will be presented by Bob McKeown in the CEBAF Center auditorium on March 15 at 4 p.m. The study of neutrino oscillations has established that neutrinos have finite mass and that there is substantial flavor mixing. Such experiments provide the only laboratory evidence for new physics beyond the standard model of particle physics. Recently, the last unknown mixing angle, Θ₁₃, was discovered at an experiment sited at the Daya Bay nuclear power plant in China. The results and prospects for new future experiments will be discussed.

12th FLUKA Course Offered at JLab April 30 - May 4
FLUKA is a fully integrated particle physics Monte-Carlo simulation package. It has many applications in high energy experimental physics and engineering, shielding, detector and telescope design, cosmic ray studies, dosimetry, medical physics and radiobiology. The course will help professionals working in the Monte Carlo radiation transport fields to understand the various functions and attributes of the code. For more information, visit the course website.

Shred-It Truck Stops at JLab on March 16
The Shred-It vendor truck will stop at JLab on Friday, March 16, to collect and shred JLab "business sensitive" documents. The truck will be at the VARC at 8:30 a.m. Small to moderate quantities of JLab business sensitive documentation may be deposited in the four locked containers in Room 71 in the VARC, Bldg. 28. Three-ring binders, metal clips and clasps, and plastic binding and cover materials must be removed from all documents before putting them into the holding containers. Staff from offices or work centers with large volumes of business sensitive documents should contact Mike Lewellen to make special Shred-It truck arrangements.

GTS-Welco Users Meeting Set for March 20
GTS-Welco offers a full range of welding supplies, specialty gas and equipment. A meeting for users of GTS-Welco products has been scheduled for March 20, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. in CEBAF Center, room F113. If you have questions or concerns about GTS-Welco products, make plans to attend this session.

JLab Publications Seminar
If you are an author who needs a refresher course on using JLab Pubs, the next one will take place on April 3, 9-10 a.m. in CEBAF Center room F226. If you plan to attend, R.S.V.P. by Friday, March 30. Topics that will be covered in this brief course iclude: What kinds of publications are submitted; How to submit and resubmit your paper into the signature queue; How to review and approve papers. Come with your questions and become a master of JLab publications. Refreshments will be provided.

Education Seeks Projects for Summer Honors Interns
JLab's Science Education team is seeking ideas and suggestions for projects, and project and mentor volunteers, for the lab's 2012 High School Summer Honors Program, June 25 to Aug. 3. Students chosen for the program will have a strong academic record and a strong desire to learn about the lab's science and technology. Lab scientists, engineers and other technical managers who are interested in serving as a mentor to these high-achieving high school students and have a project, or number of projects, to be accomplished this summer, are asked to send a description of the work to be assigned to Brita Hampton, x7633, by May 1.

Tracking Thomas at JLab
Little Thomas is visiting all corners of the JLab campus. If you can identify his location this week, email Kandice Carter with your guess. Guesses are accepted through Friday.

Congratulations this week go to Doug Higinbotham and Susan Brown, who were the first to correctly identify the March 7 location. Honorable mentions go to Marcy Stutzman, Michael Haddox-Schatz and Jim Boyce. Check out the Tracking Thomas webpage for a better view of his last location and this week's new mystery photo.