Fermilab

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
A satellite view of Fermilab. The two circular structures are the Main Injector Ring (smaller) and Tevatron (larger).
EstablishedNovember 21, 1967; 56 years ago (November 21, 1967) (as National Accelerator Laboratory)
Research typeAccelerator physics
Budget$739 million (2024)[1]
Field of research
Accelerator physics
DirectorLia Merminga
AddressP.O. Box 500
LocationWinfield Township, DuPage County, Illinois, United States
41°49′55″N 88°15′26″W / 41.83194°N 88.25722°W / 41.83194; -88.25722
NicknameFermilab
AffiliationsU.S. Department of Energy
University of Chicago
Universities Research Association
Leon Max Lederman
Websitefnal.gov
Map
Fermilab is located in Illinois
Fermilab
Location in Illinois

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), located in Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago, is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics.

Fermilab's Main Injector, two miles (3.3 km) in circumference, is the laboratory's most powerful particle accelerator.[2] The accelerator complex that feeds the Main Injector is under upgrade, and construction of the first building for the new PIP-II linear accelerator began in 2020.[3] Until 2011, Fermilab was the home of the 6.28 km (3.90 mi) circumference Tevatron accelerator. The ring-shaped tunnels of the Tevatron and the Main Injector are visible from the air and by satellite.

Fermilab aims to become a world center in neutrino physics. It is the host of the multi-billion dollar Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) now under construction.[4] The project has suffered delays and, in 2022, the journals Science and Scientific American each published articles describing the project as "troubled".[5][6] Ongoing neutrino experiments are ICARUS (Imaging Cosmic and Rare Underground Signals) and NOνA (NuMI Off-Axis νe Appearance). Completed neutrino experiments include MINOS (Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search), MINOS+, MiniBooNE and SciBooNE (SciBar Booster Neutrino Experiment) and MicroBooNE (Micro Booster Neutrino Experiment).

Since 2007, Fermilab has been operated by the Fermi Research Alliance (FRA), a joint venture of the University of Chicago, and the Universities Research Association (URA); although in 2023, the Department of Energy (DOE) opened bidding for a new contractor due to concerns about the FRA performance.[7] On July 15, 2024, during the bidding process for the new contract, "whistleblowers" published very serious allegations against FRA management on a public physics preprint server. [8] The detailed 108 page report accused the FRA of cover-up of cases of sexual harassment, attacks by employees, guns brought to site, and a major equipment failure. There has been no public response by the FRA or Fermilab Leadership since the appearance of the report.

On-site experiments outside of the neutrino program include the SeaQuest fixed-target experiment and Muon g-2. Fermilab continues to participate in the work at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC); it serves as a Tier 1 site in the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid.[9] Fermilab also pursues research in quantum information science.[10] It founded the Fermilab Quantum Institute in 2019.[11] Since 2020, it also is home to the SQMS (Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems) Center.[12]

Fermilab is a part of the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor.

Asteroid 11998 Fermilab is named in honor of the laboratory.

  1. ^ "DOE FY 2025 Congressional Justification" (PDF). p. 26. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  2. ^ Brown, Bruce. "Current and Future High Power Operation of Fermilab Main Injector". Researchgate. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  3. ^ Biron, Lauren (July 22, 2020). "Two construction projects reach major milestones at Fermilab". Fermilab. United States Government. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  4. ^ "HEP Project Status, Mike Procario" (PDF). High Energy Physics Advisory Panel November 1–2, 2021 Agenda.
  5. ^ Adrian Cho (March 29, 2022). "Trying to stay ahead of competition, U.S. pares down troubled $3 billion neutrino experiment". Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
  6. ^ Lewton, Thomas (April 13, 2022). "Troubled U.S. Neutrino Project Faces Uncertain Future–and Fresh Opportunities". Scientific American. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  7. ^ Cho, Adrian (March 22, 2023). "Major shake-up coming for Fermilab, the troubled U.S. particle physics center". Science. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  8. ^ A Group of Whistleblowers from Fermilab. "Preparing Fermilab to Carry Out the P5 Plan". arXiv Preprint Server. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  9. ^ National Science Foundation. "The US and LHC Computing". Archived from the original on January 10, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  10. ^ Caine, Paul (September 1, 2020). "Argonne, Fermilab at Forefront of 'Transformational' Quantum Research". WTTW. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  11. ^ Salles, Andre (November 18, 2019). "Fermilab launches new institute for quantum science". Fermilab. United States Government. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  12. ^ Biron, Lauren (August 26, 2020). "White House Office of Technology Policy, National Science Foundation and Department of Energy announce over $1 billion in awards for artificial intelligence and quantum information science research institutes". Fermilab. United States Government. Retrieved March 9, 2021.