Introduction - Oct 21 4:42PM
Dr. Syphers,
Hello. My Name is Josh, and I am a Junior at [...] High School. I'm currently taking physics to better prepare me for my hoped major in college. I plan to major in Atmospheric Science, and minor in Music and Theater. I find this an interesting pairing, as do most others. I am musically and theaterically inclined. I enjoy the sciences and maths, but not English.
Whats it like working with a Partical Accelerator? It sounds quite interesting.
Re: Introduction - Oct 25 12:29AM
Hi Josh,
I think it's great that you have a very diverse set of interests. You'll find that whatever you do in life you can draw from all of them. Keep it up!
Working on particle accelerators is really a lot of fun for me. I get to work on state-of-the-art equipment, tour the world, write papers (and books sometimes) and give talks, work with some of the best people on the planet -- including lots of students and younger scientists. I think it's a job that's hard to beat.
What are you guys studying in physics right now?
-Mike
Re: Re: Introduction - Oct 29 1:32PM
We have just transitioned from forces to energy, definately the easiest of the units we have covered so far. I rather enjoy the class, and all the labs that we do in it. I guess I should with my career choice.
It would seem that your job entails alot of chemistry as of physics. This is interesting, especially when it comes to creating new elements. How do the accelerators distribute the energy created from the collision of the heavy elements? Do you use both fission and fusion when you combind the atoms? I would say fusion, but I guess that both are plausible. Fission would result in two smaller elements than what you would want, so I guess I answered my own question. Anyway thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.
~Josh
Re: Re: Re: Introduction - Nov 01 12:22AM
Hi Josh,
Some might say that Chemistry is just a sub-set of Physics; in fact you can take courses in "Physical Chemistry" in college. So, yes, there is a lot of overlap. But, when we create new elements with the accelerators, we just get one or a few atoms at a time; not enough to stock up a chemistry lab, I guess…
And thanks for answering your question for me. ;-)
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Introduction - Nov 01 6:04PM
I would not have guessed that you only gain a few atoms at a time. I would have guessed from the size of the machine you get a good number of them. Have you actually created a new element yet? Now what are Rare Isotope Beams? I remember what an Isotope is, from my chemistry class last semester, but would the beams be of energy from the Isotope? It sounds rather interesting.
~Josh
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Introduction - Nov 02 12:26AM
Hi Josh,
I may have over stated that fact. Indeed, many of the experiments here actually do detect individual particles, one at a time, which is what I meant by my statement. But, "a time" could be a very small fraction of a second, and thus there can be many -- sometimes thousands or more -- every second. So, it's all kind of relative.
What we do at our facility here is take atoms -- either from a gas, or by heating up a solid until it emits atoms that can be captured -- and then we strip away some of the electrons by applying a high voltage to the gas. That yields an atom which has more positive charges than negative -- an ion. Since it has a net charge, it can be accelerated using other voltages, giving this ion kinetic energy. We keep doing this until the ion has been accelerated through millions of volts of electric potential. (You'll probably learn more about electricity and voltage, etc, later in the school year.) Anyway, charges can be accelerated by electric fields, so that's how we get very heavy atoms up to very high speed -- that's where their kinetic energy comes from. Then, we collide these high-speed atoms into metal targets (typically) so that they can interact with the atoms in the targets, and sometimes the two nuclei stick and make even heavier atoms and interesting isotopes.
I haven't been here at MSU all that long, so I'm not sure if they have actually discovered a brand new element; but we have been the first to discover various isotopes of already known elements, and we have the best complex in the nation for studying rare elements and isotopes in great detail.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Introduction - Nov 09 1:12PM
Dr. Syphers,
I thank you for all the help you have gave me. It sounds like you have quite the job, and your work has piqued my interest. Again on the behalf of my partners and myself, I would like to thank you for all the information that you have provided us.
Many thanks,
Josh
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Daily Grin
Introduction - Oct 21 4:09PM
Dr. Syphers,
Hello! My name is Katie and I am a senior at [...] high school. I am currently taking physics because the classes I would like to study in college (veterinary technition) said it was a good idea. In school I enjoy being on the girls varsity volleyball team, along with the marching and jazz band's.
Now, I would love to know something about you. Like, what kind of physics do you use on a daily basis?
Re: Introduction - Oct 25 12:28AM
Hi Katie,
I hope you are enjoying your physics class so far. It great to see that you, and so many of your classmates, and other students I see at other schools, are into sports and music and theater and all kinds of stuff. That's really great.
I probably use basic physics that I learned in high school and my first years of college really almost every single day. In my job we are constantly doing quick little calculations to estimate things that we want to study, and then once we have a "plan of attack," we will have to do much more detailed calculations which involve higher level math and computers and stuff like that. As you might learn, there are many areas of physics, like particle physics, astrophysics, solid state physics, etc. I mainly do Nuclear Physics these days, but have worked in particle physics and astrophysics a little bit in the past. What I do for each of these is called "accelerator physics" because I study how to build particle accelerators that can be used in order to do controlled experiments in all of these sub-disciplines of physics. I think it is really a lot of fun, and very rewarding.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Introduction - Nov 04 2:41PM
Dr. Syphers,
Your job sounds very interesting and slightly difficult! Which area of work did you find most interesting or exciting to work with so far?
-Katie
Re: Re: Re: Introduction - Nov 04 4:03PM
Hi Katie,
Another student at another school asked me the exact same question the other day; here's my reply:
"It's really hard to point to one thing in my career and call that the most interesting thing I've done. I continue to learn new things every day, and the excitement of learning and solving problems and figuring things out is always there. I thought I knew a lot about accelerators (and compared to most people, I guess I do), but I just took this new job at MSU this year and we are building an accelerator which has requirements on the beams and systems which I have never had to deal with before. But, rather than saying "I don't want to do that because I don't know how," I like to say, "I want to do that because I don't know how." Know what I mean?
"Right now I'm working with a team of scientists, engineers, and technicians and we are trying to design a system that will accelerate a large variety of different atomic isotopes, smash them into targets, collect the by-products (which will also be a very large range of different types of elements), slow them down and collect them, then re-accelerate them to well-defined known energies so that they can be systematically studied -- all before most of them radioactively decay away. And I only do the "accelerator" part; there's a whole other team that figures out how to actually DETECT these nuclei and determine their energies, masses, charges, lifetimes, and so on. Then, with that information, people can better deduce how stars are made and evolve and how the universe is put together. So, that's what I'm doing right now, and I'm just never sure how to make the job more interesting than that…"
Hope that helps answer your question, too.
All the best,
-Mike
Dr. Syphers,
Hello! My name is Katie and I am a senior at [...] high school. I am currently taking physics because the classes I would like to study in college (veterinary technition) said it was a good idea. In school I enjoy being on the girls varsity volleyball team, along with the marching and jazz band's.
Now, I would love to know something about you. Like, what kind of physics do you use on a daily basis?
Re: Introduction - Oct 25 12:28AM
Hi Katie,
I hope you are enjoying your physics class so far. It great to see that you, and so many of your classmates, and other students I see at other schools, are into sports and music and theater and all kinds of stuff. That's really great.
I probably use basic physics that I learned in high school and my first years of college really almost every single day. In my job we are constantly doing quick little calculations to estimate things that we want to study, and then once we have a "plan of attack," we will have to do much more detailed calculations which involve higher level math and computers and stuff like that. As you might learn, there are many areas of physics, like particle physics, astrophysics, solid state physics, etc. I mainly do Nuclear Physics these days, but have worked in particle physics and astrophysics a little bit in the past. What I do for each of these is called "accelerator physics" because I study how to build particle accelerators that can be used in order to do controlled experiments in all of these sub-disciplines of physics. I think it is really a lot of fun, and very rewarding.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Introduction - Nov 04 2:41PM
Dr. Syphers,
Your job sounds very interesting and slightly difficult! Which area of work did you find most interesting or exciting to work with so far?
-Katie
Re: Re: Re: Introduction - Nov 04 4:03PM
Hi Katie,
Another student at another school asked me the exact same question the other day; here's my reply:
"It's really hard to point to one thing in my career and call that the most interesting thing I've done. I continue to learn new things every day, and the excitement of learning and solving problems and figuring things out is always there. I thought I knew a lot about accelerators (and compared to most people, I guess I do), but I just took this new job at MSU this year and we are building an accelerator which has requirements on the beams and systems which I have never had to deal with before. But, rather than saying "I don't want to do that because I don't know how," I like to say, "I want to do that because I don't know how." Know what I mean?
"Right now I'm working with a team of scientists, engineers, and technicians and we are trying to design a system that will accelerate a large variety of different atomic isotopes, smash them into targets, collect the by-products (which will also be a very large range of different types of elements), slow them down and collect them, then re-accelerate them to well-defined known energies so that they can be systematically studied -- all before most of them radioactively decay away. And I only do the "accelerator" part; there's a whole other team that figures out how to actually DETECT these nuclei and determine their energies, masses, charges, lifetimes, and so on. Then, with that information, people can better deduce how stars are made and evolve and how the universe is put together. So, that's what I'm doing right now, and I'm just never sure how to make the job more interesting than that…"
Hope that helps answer your question, too.
All the best,
-Mike
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Choosing a career path...
Thanks - Oct 20 2:11PM
Dr. Syphers,
Our names are Brendan, Larry and George, and we are students at [...]. We all have enjoyed physics and mathmetics since we can remember and are very excited to learn more about physics.
Thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to help us learn and entering the Adopt-a-Physicist this year.
Re: Thanks - Oct 20 7:19PM
It's good to hear from you guys at [...]. I hope you are having fun in school. What year are you all in? Juniors? Seniors?
-Mike
Re: Re: Thanks - Oct 26 2:07PM
We are definetly having fun in school and expecially physics. All three of us are currently seniors and will graduate this year. We are looking forward to your response on our last posting!
Teaching Physics - Oct 22 1:50PM
Dr. Syphers,
What made you want to become a professor in Physics? Is there something about it more rewarding to you than any other physics occupation?
Thank you,
Brendan, Larry, and George
Re: Teaching Physics - Oct 26 2:17PM
Hi Brendan, Larry, and George:
Sorry my response didn't get posted earlier; I wrote it the other day, but must have forgotten to press "send".
That's an interesting question. I've worked mostly at large, National Laboratories, like Fermilab and Brookhaven Lab, and I found that what I really enjoy is not only doing the research and development of accelerators and such, but that I really enjoy sharing what I've learned and working with younger people to see them learn and excel. Maybe I'm just older now and I feel that I want to "give back" a little bit, but then I guess I've always liked teaching -- it always felt natural to me.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Teaching Physics - Nov 08 12:52PM
Dr. Syphers
What did you do before you became a teacher? I am very interested in physics and am considering majoring in a science.
Thanks,
Larry
Re: Re: Re: Teaching Physics - Nov 08 6:27PM
Hi Larry,
I actually studied to become a teacher while in college, and taught High School physics for one year after college. Then, I got a job at Fermilab, where I worked as an "operator" in their Main Control Room, learning how to operate the large particle accelerators there. That got me very interested in the physics of particle beams and how the accelerators actually work. So, I went back to school -- while I still worked at Fermilab -- and got my Master's and PhD degrees. So, I ended up mostly designing and helping to construct and implement new ideas for particle accelerators. I kept teaching once in a while, though at the college level by then. And so, eventually (very recently) got a job as a college professor here at MSU.
I think no matter what science you may find interesting to pursue, physics will be a strong part of your necessary background. There are even departments of "Biophysics" now days. It's a very fundamental science.
Cheers,
-Mike
Dr. Syphers,
Our names are Brendan, Larry and George, and we are students at [...]. We all have enjoyed physics and mathmetics since we can remember and are very excited to learn more about physics.
Thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to help us learn and entering the Adopt-a-Physicist this year.
Re: Thanks - Oct 20 7:19PM
It's good to hear from you guys at [...]. I hope you are having fun in school. What year are you all in? Juniors? Seniors?
-Mike
Re: Re: Thanks - Oct 26 2:07PM
We are definetly having fun in school and expecially physics. All three of us are currently seniors and will graduate this year. We are looking forward to your response on our last posting!
Teaching Physics - Oct 22 1:50PM
Dr. Syphers,
What made you want to become a professor in Physics? Is there something about it more rewarding to you than any other physics occupation?
Thank you,
Brendan, Larry, and George
Re: Teaching Physics - Oct 26 2:17PM
Hi Brendan, Larry, and George:
Sorry my response didn't get posted earlier; I wrote it the other day, but must have forgotten to press "send".
That's an interesting question. I've worked mostly at large, National Laboratories, like Fermilab and Brookhaven Lab, and I found that what I really enjoy is not only doing the research and development of accelerators and such, but that I really enjoy sharing what I've learned and working with younger people to see them learn and excel. Maybe I'm just older now and I feel that I want to "give back" a little bit, but then I guess I've always liked teaching -- it always felt natural to me.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Teaching Physics - Nov 08 12:52PM
Dr. Syphers
What did you do before you became a teacher? I am very interested in physics and am considering majoring in a science.
Thanks,
Larry
Re: Re: Re: Teaching Physics - Nov 08 6:27PM
Hi Larry,
I actually studied to become a teacher while in college, and taught High School physics for one year after college. Then, I got a job at Fermilab, where I worked as an "operator" in their Main Control Room, learning how to operate the large particle accelerators there. That got me very interested in the physics of particle beams and how the accelerators actually work. So, I went back to school -- while I still worked at Fermilab -- and got my Master's and PhD degrees. So, I ended up mostly designing and helping to construct and implement new ideas for particle accelerators. I kept teaching once in a while, though at the college level by then. And so, eventually (very recently) got a job as a college professor here at MSU.
I think no matter what science you may find interesting to pursue, physics will be a strong part of your necessary background. There are even departments of "Biophysics" now days. It's a very fundamental science.
Cheers,
-Mike
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Black Holes
Hello - Oct 19 10:43PM
Dr. Syphers,
I am Daniel and I am an Honors Physics student at […]. Though my favorite subjects in school are more in the areas of the arts and humanities, I like to think that I have a healthy appreciation for science and math. I was fascinated by your work with particle accelerators, especially because of how prominent they have been in the news in recently due to your project and the LHC project. I was wondering, did you consider any other fields or careers before pursuing your Ph. D. in particle accelerator physics? Thank you so much for participating in this program, and I am excited to have this opportunity to learn from you.
Thank you,
Daniel
Re: Hello - Oct 19 11:17PM
Hi Daniel,
Well, in all honesty, I think in my heart that I wanted to be a scientist ever since I was a very young kid (maybe 7 or 8 years old). But, at that time, I was very interested in astronomy. In fact, the Gemini and Apollo programs were going on, and men going to the moon, so that motivated me a lot. But, as I went through Jr and Sr High School, I did think about other fields -- most notably, architecture, mechanical drawing and graphic arts, and journalism. (I was editor of our high school newspaper, which was a very good paper at a big school in Indianapolis.) But, I finally decided against a career in journalism and follow my dream to learn more astronomy and ultimately physics.
It's nice to hear from all of you at [...]. How large is your physics class?
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Hello - Oct 25 11:29PM
I'm interested to hear more about your experience with astronomy. For me, I've always enjoyed marveling at the stars—and I do this quite often—but beyond this and the occasional use of a friend's telescope, I've never gone much deeper. Nevertheless, I would say that astronomy is probably my favorite topic in science. What fascinates me about it is the sheer beauty and vastness and magnificence of space. For example, to me, the photos from the Hubble telescope are just breathtaking, and I find it incredible to think of this massive expanse so filled with wonders and possibilities. What was it that drew you to astronomy, and in turn to physics?
Our school is pretty small—only about 100 students per grade—so my physics class only has 12 people in it.
Thanks!
Daniel
Re: Re: Re: Hello - Oct 25 11:49PM
Hi Daniel,
I think I liked astronomy for the very reasons that you do. When I was very young, the Gemini and Apollo space programs were in full swing. I would go outside and look at the stars and moon and think, "what would it look like from space"? And then I'd wonder about just what I was seeing when I looked at the stars. Finally, my parents got me a (very small) telescope, and I started trying to find star clusters and planets and such. This became a hobby from the time I was about 8 years old until well into adulthood. Anyway, when I got to high school and after studying the usual math courses and biology and chemistry, it was finally time for me to take a course called Physics. I had no idea what that was, but when I saw a chapter in the book entitled something like "Gravity and Planetary Motion", I suddenly knew that THIS was what I wanted to learn about -- REALLY learn about. And I've been hooked on physics ever since.
Now, even though I don't do astronomy much any more, I am helping to build an accelerator that is going to smash heavy elements together (like krypton and uranium atoms) to reproduce conditions that can only occur naturally in stars, and hence we will learn more about stellar formation and how nuclear fusion works inside of stars. Interesting how life "comes around" full circle, eh? …
I hope you enjoy your physics class. It can be an extremely powerful subject.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Oct 28 5:52PM
Dr. Syphers,
That sounds incredibly fascinating! I don't know very much about accelerators, but the knowledge we could gain from them sounds extremely useful. I remember how, on the day the LHC project began, several of my friends were saying things like "they're making a black hole that's going to suck the earth into it!" and things like that…
I guess it would be good (and possibly reassuring!) to hear from someone on the forefront of the technology: how do these accelerators work? And is there any real risk that a black hole large enough to envelop the earth could be created?
Thanks,
Daniel
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 01 12:18AM
Hi Daniel,
You'll likely talk about electricity and magnetism next semester in your physics class. The accelerators work by creating intense electric fields that "attract" charged particles and thus give them energy; then magnets are often used to steer them around corners or in circles so that they can be accelerated again by the electric fields until they reach very high speeds (near the speed of light). The most powerful accelerator in the world was, for the past 25 years or so, the accelerator at Fermilab where I used to work. Now, the LHC has taken that title over, though there is still work to be done there before it is at its full power.
As for black hole formation, I did study that a bit a year or so ago when everyone was talking about it. The concept of a black hole is very intriguing, and very likely does occur in stellar systems. And, in "theory", there can be very tiny black holes -- but, they wouldn't stick around very long. Black holes actually radiate away; and the time it would take for a black hole (again, in "theory" -- no one has ever definitively detected a black hole, of any size) created at the LHC to radiate away to nothing would be something like 10^-86 seconds (10 to the minus 86th power -- VERY short time!!!). That's one argument against anything happening with the LHC; before a black hole in the LHC could move over and start gobbling up other particles, it would be gone! The other argument is that particles come from the sun and galaxy with energies much much larger than the LHC can even produce. So, if black holes capable of eating up the earth could be formed through particle collisions, it would have happened by now and we wouldn't be here. So, I'm not afraid of anything like that occurring from the LHC or any other particle accelerator.
But, it's a good thing to discuss. Because black holes are all "theoretical", we cannot say for certainty that things absolutely cannot happen. We can only say that it's very, very unlikely, and try to make statistical arguments to convince people of this. But, some wise-guy who wants his name in the papers can always say "Then that means it COULD happen" and try to get everyone scared. That's what went on last year or so when it was all the buzz…
I was actually asked about this when I was on Modern Marvels (episode: "Collisions"), but they only gave me about 15 seconds on TV… But it was really cool being interviewed by them!
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 01 11:28PM
Dr. Syphers,
Thanks for the reply, that explanation was more than adequate! I now feel much more informed about particle accelerators! How much time do you think it will take for the LHC to reach its full power? Also what are the implications for our understanding of the universe if the LHC reached this point? In other words, do you have any predictions about the exactly how much we could learn from a fully powered accelerator?
I'm not familiar with the Modern Marvels show, but I'll definitely want to look into it! Do you get many opportunities to be interviewed for TV shows any other types of media?
Thanks,
Daniel
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 02 12:28AM
Hi Daniel,
The LHC has had a few technical difficulties, and they are operating at only one half of their top energy. So, they will shut the LHC off for about a year or so and make the repairs they need to make to get it to go to top energy. Since they're running right now, that means, it will be about 1.5 years from now before they get to top energy. Meanwhile, they still have a way to go until they reach the total number of particles in their particle beams that they want to have. So, to get to their ultimate numbers, it's probably about 2-3 years away. Meanwhile, the Tevatron collider at Fermilab near Chicago is operating right now at its peak performance. Even though it's only 1/7 the energy of the LHC's eventual top energy, it has lots more particle collisions per second and lots of data already taken and stored on computer disks for analysis. So, it will take the LHC about 3 years or more so to catch up to the Tevatron, and eventually pass it and go way beyond.
Some of the questions that the LHC will try to study when it gets all up to speed will be, "Why do particles (like electrons, protons, quarks, etc.) have the masses that they have?" "Are there other forces in the universe, and/or other dimensions to the universe that we can learn about at these new energies?" "Can we explain why there is more matter in the universe than there is antimatter? (Which is why we exist at all, and weren't just annihilated after the Big Bang)" And other things like that…
Modern Marvels is a show on the History Channel, if you have cable tv or satellite dish. I've been in a couple of newspaper articles, and a magazine article or two. I had the back of my head in a picture in TIME magazine once -- made it big time, eh?
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 04 11:07PM
Dr. Syphers,
Wow, it sounds like this research will teach us plenty about our universe, and probably revel more questions that we haven't even considered yet!
I'm interested to know—how did you get involved all of this particle accelerator work, especially the Tevatron project? Also, what would you consider to be your dream scientific project? Or, if you could be researching anything in the universe at this moment, what would it be?
And congratulations on having the back of your head featured in TIME magazine—I'd consider that to be quite the accomplishment!
Thanks,
Daniel
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 07 4:30PM
Hi Daniel,
When I got out of college I taught as a high school physics teacher for one year, and then found a job at Fermilab as an "accelerator operator." The job taught me how to control and operate the big accelerators at Fermilab, and after working at that for a couple of years I decided to go back to school to learn more physics so that I could better understand how these machines really worked, and how to help develop new ones. This was about the time that the Tevatron was being constructed, and so I got to help work on its final construction and commissioning. It was a very exciting time, much like the LHC project today.
Researching "anything"? I guess I still like the idea of studying the evolution of the universe, astrophysics, black holes, and so forth. To me, those topics incorporate some of the "ultimate" questions of the physical world.
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 07 10:55PM
Dr. Syphers,
I was reading an article today, and it mentioned that Albert Einstein didn't believe in the existence of black holes. Have you heard anything about this or do know why he might have believed this? Are there many physicists today who still don't believe in black holes?
Also, what would you say the "ultimate" questions of the physical world are? And do you think we'll ever find the answers to them?
Thanks,
Daniel
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 08 12:18AM
Hi Daniel,
I don't know about that fact regarding Einstein, but I do think that the idea of a Black Hole must have sounded pretty crazy to folks 100 years ago, even though solutions to his own equations suggested their existence. Sometimes scientists come up with crazy-sounding solutions to problems. Sometimes we make mistakes (often?), but we keep testing and checking our answers until we convince ourselves and others that we have good answers; then, we do experiments to verify our results, etc. Einstein probably thought it was going to be very hard to verify that Black Holes exist, and that would have been a correct assessment!
These days, I think most scientists who are up on the subject believe that black holes exist. There is very strong evidence that they exist at the center of galaxies, including our own Milky Way galaxy! But, they have not been "directly" seen; we can only detect the motion of stars that are circulating about the center of the galaxy whose motions are "consistent" with a Black Hole being there. Pretty cool! Check out:
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2002/21feb_mwbh/
As for the second part of your question, check out this web site:
http://www.interactions.org/quantumuniverse/qu/
This report lists many of today's "ultimate" questions that you are speaking about.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 09 12:13PM
Dr. Syphers,
Thank you so much for being my adopted physicist for these few weeks! I have learned so much from you and I definitely have a greater appreciation for the field of physics than when we began. It is truly inspirational to encounter a person who truly loves their work and followed their dreams! Hopefully later in life, I can say that I did the same.
It has been a pleasure learning from you!
Thanks,
Daniel
Dr. Syphers,
I am Daniel and I am an Honors Physics student at […]. Though my favorite subjects in school are more in the areas of the arts and humanities, I like to think that I have a healthy appreciation for science and math. I was fascinated by your work with particle accelerators, especially because of how prominent they have been in the news in recently due to your project and the LHC project. I was wondering, did you consider any other fields or careers before pursuing your Ph. D. in particle accelerator physics? Thank you so much for participating in this program, and I am excited to have this opportunity to learn from you.
Thank you,
Daniel
Re: Hello - Oct 19 11:17PM
Hi Daniel,
Well, in all honesty, I think in my heart that I wanted to be a scientist ever since I was a very young kid (maybe 7 or 8 years old). But, at that time, I was very interested in astronomy. In fact, the Gemini and Apollo programs were going on, and men going to the moon, so that motivated me a lot. But, as I went through Jr and Sr High School, I did think about other fields -- most notably, architecture, mechanical drawing and graphic arts, and journalism. (I was editor of our high school newspaper, which was a very good paper at a big school in Indianapolis.) But, I finally decided against a career in journalism and follow my dream to learn more astronomy and ultimately physics.
It's nice to hear from all of you at [...]. How large is your physics class?
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Hello - Oct 25 11:29PM
I'm interested to hear more about your experience with astronomy. For me, I've always enjoyed marveling at the stars—and I do this quite often—but beyond this and the occasional use of a friend's telescope, I've never gone much deeper. Nevertheless, I would say that astronomy is probably my favorite topic in science. What fascinates me about it is the sheer beauty and vastness and magnificence of space. For example, to me, the photos from the Hubble telescope are just breathtaking, and I find it incredible to think of this massive expanse so filled with wonders and possibilities. What was it that drew you to astronomy, and in turn to physics?
Our school is pretty small—only about 100 students per grade—so my physics class only has 12 people in it.
Thanks!
Daniel
Re: Re: Re: Hello - Oct 25 11:49PM
Hi Daniel,
I think I liked astronomy for the very reasons that you do. When I was very young, the Gemini and Apollo space programs were in full swing. I would go outside and look at the stars and moon and think, "what would it look like from space"? And then I'd wonder about just what I was seeing when I looked at the stars. Finally, my parents got me a (very small) telescope, and I started trying to find star clusters and planets and such. This became a hobby from the time I was about 8 years old until well into adulthood. Anyway, when I got to high school and after studying the usual math courses and biology and chemistry, it was finally time for me to take a course called Physics. I had no idea what that was, but when I saw a chapter in the book entitled something like "Gravity and Planetary Motion", I suddenly knew that THIS was what I wanted to learn about -- REALLY learn about. And I've been hooked on physics ever since.
Now, even though I don't do astronomy much any more, I am helping to build an accelerator that is going to smash heavy elements together (like krypton and uranium atoms) to reproduce conditions that can only occur naturally in stars, and hence we will learn more about stellar formation and how nuclear fusion works inside of stars. Interesting how life "comes around" full circle, eh? …
I hope you enjoy your physics class. It can be an extremely powerful subject.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Oct 28 5:52PM
Dr. Syphers,
That sounds incredibly fascinating! I don't know very much about accelerators, but the knowledge we could gain from them sounds extremely useful. I remember how, on the day the LHC project began, several of my friends were saying things like "they're making a black hole that's going to suck the earth into it!" and things like that…
I guess it would be good (and possibly reassuring!) to hear from someone on the forefront of the technology: how do these accelerators work? And is there any real risk that a black hole large enough to envelop the earth could be created?
Thanks,
Daniel
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 01 12:18AM
Hi Daniel,
You'll likely talk about electricity and magnetism next semester in your physics class. The accelerators work by creating intense electric fields that "attract" charged particles and thus give them energy; then magnets are often used to steer them around corners or in circles so that they can be accelerated again by the electric fields until they reach very high speeds (near the speed of light). The most powerful accelerator in the world was, for the past 25 years or so, the accelerator at Fermilab where I used to work. Now, the LHC has taken that title over, though there is still work to be done there before it is at its full power.
As for black hole formation, I did study that a bit a year or so ago when everyone was talking about it. The concept of a black hole is very intriguing, and very likely does occur in stellar systems. And, in "theory", there can be very tiny black holes -- but, they wouldn't stick around very long. Black holes actually radiate away; and the time it would take for a black hole (again, in "theory" -- no one has ever definitively detected a black hole, of any size) created at the LHC to radiate away to nothing would be something like 10^-86 seconds (10 to the minus 86th power -- VERY short time!!!). That's one argument against anything happening with the LHC; before a black hole in the LHC could move over and start gobbling up other particles, it would be gone! The other argument is that particles come from the sun and galaxy with energies much much larger than the LHC can even produce. So, if black holes capable of eating up the earth could be formed through particle collisions, it would have happened by now and we wouldn't be here. So, I'm not afraid of anything like that occurring from the LHC or any other particle accelerator.
But, it's a good thing to discuss. Because black holes are all "theoretical", we cannot say for certainty that things absolutely cannot happen. We can only say that it's very, very unlikely, and try to make statistical arguments to convince people of this. But, some wise-guy who wants his name in the papers can always say "Then that means it COULD happen" and try to get everyone scared. That's what went on last year or so when it was all the buzz…
I was actually asked about this when I was on Modern Marvels (episode: "Collisions"), but they only gave me about 15 seconds on TV… But it was really cool being interviewed by them!
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 01 11:28PM
Dr. Syphers,
Thanks for the reply, that explanation was more than adequate! I now feel much more informed about particle accelerators! How much time do you think it will take for the LHC to reach its full power? Also what are the implications for our understanding of the universe if the LHC reached this point? In other words, do you have any predictions about the exactly how much we could learn from a fully powered accelerator?
I'm not familiar with the Modern Marvels show, but I'll definitely want to look into it! Do you get many opportunities to be interviewed for TV shows any other types of media?
Thanks,
Daniel
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 02 12:28AM
Hi Daniel,
The LHC has had a few technical difficulties, and they are operating at only one half of their top energy. So, they will shut the LHC off for about a year or so and make the repairs they need to make to get it to go to top energy. Since they're running right now, that means, it will be about 1.5 years from now before they get to top energy. Meanwhile, they still have a way to go until they reach the total number of particles in their particle beams that they want to have. So, to get to their ultimate numbers, it's probably about 2-3 years away. Meanwhile, the Tevatron collider at Fermilab near Chicago is operating right now at its peak performance. Even though it's only 1/7 the energy of the LHC's eventual top energy, it has lots more particle collisions per second and lots of data already taken and stored on computer disks for analysis. So, it will take the LHC about 3 years or more so to catch up to the Tevatron, and eventually pass it and go way beyond.
Some of the questions that the LHC will try to study when it gets all up to speed will be, "Why do particles (like electrons, protons, quarks, etc.) have the masses that they have?" "Are there other forces in the universe, and/or other dimensions to the universe that we can learn about at these new energies?" "Can we explain why there is more matter in the universe than there is antimatter? (Which is why we exist at all, and weren't just annihilated after the Big Bang)" And other things like that…
Modern Marvels is a show on the History Channel, if you have cable tv or satellite dish. I've been in a couple of newspaper articles, and a magazine article or two. I had the back of my head in a picture in TIME magazine once -- made it big time, eh?
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 04 11:07PM
Dr. Syphers,
Wow, it sounds like this research will teach us plenty about our universe, and probably revel more questions that we haven't even considered yet!
I'm interested to know—how did you get involved all of this particle accelerator work, especially the Tevatron project? Also, what would you consider to be your dream scientific project? Or, if you could be researching anything in the universe at this moment, what would it be?
And congratulations on having the back of your head featured in TIME magazine—I'd consider that to be quite the accomplishment!
Thanks,
Daniel
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 07 4:30PM
Hi Daniel,
When I got out of college I taught as a high school physics teacher for one year, and then found a job at Fermilab as an "accelerator operator." The job taught me how to control and operate the big accelerators at Fermilab, and after working at that for a couple of years I decided to go back to school to learn more physics so that I could better understand how these machines really worked, and how to help develop new ones. This was about the time that the Tevatron was being constructed, and so I got to help work on its final construction and commissioning. It was a very exciting time, much like the LHC project today.
Researching "anything"? I guess I still like the idea of studying the evolution of the universe, astrophysics, black holes, and so forth. To me, those topics incorporate some of the "ultimate" questions of the physical world.
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 07 10:55PM
Dr. Syphers,
I was reading an article today, and it mentioned that Albert Einstein didn't believe in the existence of black holes. Have you heard anything about this or do know why he might have believed this? Are there many physicists today who still don't believe in black holes?
Also, what would you say the "ultimate" questions of the physical world are? And do you think we'll ever find the answers to them?
Thanks,
Daniel
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 08 12:18AM
Hi Daniel,
I don't know about that fact regarding Einstein, but I do think that the idea of a Black Hole must have sounded pretty crazy to folks 100 years ago, even though solutions to his own equations suggested their existence. Sometimes scientists come up with crazy-sounding solutions to problems. Sometimes we make mistakes (often?), but we keep testing and checking our answers until we convince ourselves and others that we have good answers; then, we do experiments to verify our results, etc. Einstein probably thought it was going to be very hard to verify that Black Holes exist, and that would have been a correct assessment!
These days, I think most scientists who are up on the subject believe that black holes exist. There is very strong evidence that they exist at the center of galaxies, including our own Milky Way galaxy! But, they have not been "directly" seen; we can only detect the motion of stars that are circulating about the center of the galaxy whose motions are "consistent" with a Black Hole being there. Pretty cool! Check out:
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2002/21feb_mwbh/
As for the second part of your question, check out this web site:
http://www.interactions.org/quantumuniverse/qu/
This report lists many of today's "ultimate" questions that you are speaking about.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello - Nov 09 12:13PM
Dr. Syphers,
Thank you so much for being my adopted physicist for these few weeks! I have learned so much from you and I definitely have a greater appreciation for the field of physics than when we began. It is truly inspirational to encounter a person who truly loves their work and followed their dreams! Hopefully later in life, I can say that I did the same.
It has been a pleasure learning from you!
Thanks,
Daniel
Friday, November 19, 2010
Accelerators and Technology Evolution
Benjamin from […], NC - Oct 19 6:24PM
Dr. Syphers,
Hello, my name is Benjamin and I am currently a Junior at […] in North Carolina. I have always had a strong interest in the mathematics and science. I plan to pursue my interest in these subjects by studying some sort of engineering while in college. I have found your work with particle accelerators very interesting. It is a topic I do not know much about but I cannot wait to learn more about it in the upcoming weeks. While you currently hold a PhD you originally graduated from Indiana many years prior. In your biography you state that you worked as a teacher and at Fermilab prior to receiving your Masters and then PhD. I was wondering if you ended up getting your PhD in the same topic that you majored in and why you felt it necessary to get a higher degree. I would like to thank you for participating in the Adopt-A-Physicist program, I am sure I am going to learn a lot over these next few weeks and so will everyone else in the program.
Thank you,
Benjamin
Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Oct 19 11:11PM
Hello, Benjamin,
Yes, all of my three degrees were in Physics, although the Bachelor's degree was in physics education (teaching). As for "why" I wanted the PhD, it was sort of two-fold. First of all, I enjoyed the job that I had at the time -- working at Fermilab in its Main Control Room -- and so I knew that if I went back to school I could work there (or other labs) and continue to get better positions and better pay. But, secondly (probably more importantly), I also just wanted to learn physics. I wanted to better understand how the physical world works and how it's all related. I probably would have wanted to study this subject, even if there were no degrees or jobs involved! But, it certainly helps when someone wants to pay me for it! ;-)
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Oct 27 10:44PM
Dr. Syphers,
Could you explain to me your work with the particle accelerators and how you feel your research has/will make the world a better place, or do you believe we are still in the early stages of just needing to understand the world before we can even begin to improve it?
Since I am rather interested in math and science, what classes do you suggest I take in my senior year? I also know however that classes are not everything, do you have any other advice for how I should go about my next few years?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Benjamin
Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Oct 28 12:15AM
Hi Benjamin,
Let me try to answer in a couple of ways. First off, I work on large particle accelerators that are used for basic research -- like trying to understand the basic building blocks of nature. However, there have been many, many "spin-offs" of accelerator research over the years. For instance, devices that are used in medicine, such as CAT scans, PET scans, and proton therapy cancer treatment utilize particle beams; accelerators are used in food sanitation and in such industrial applications such as making shrinkable plastics (like the plastic wrap that you find on all kinds of packages these days). And, in fact, the TV set you had in your home as a child (or maybe even still have) -- before "flat panel TV's" came out -- were particle accelerators! So, you can say that the results of the basic research may be decades away from influencing every day life (like, how do we use neutrinos in our home life?), but the development of accelerators and their associated systems have always found other applications that have had very big effects on our world.
Secondly, I do think that my efforts to help build and operate accelerators like, for instance, the Tevatron at Fermilab will end up in the long run having an impact on civilization and making the world a better place. It's hard right now to tell what that will be -- it may take many years for the results of our experiments to lead to new technologies, for instance. But, I played a role in it, so that's very satisfying to know. Of course, several thousand people have worked on the Tevatron over the years, so mine was just a small part of that. But we each have our role to play, and it took all of us to make it happen. Now, I get to do it again at MSU with our new accelerator here.
OK, as for your classes and advice… With your interest, I would try to take any/all science and math that the school offers. Is there a "second year" or AP physics course? Do you have calculus courses at your school? Take what you can. I think the MOST important thing is to find what you enjoy and are good at, and pursue that with all the passion you can muster up. Even if you're good at something, if you don't enjoy doing it it will always feel like "work". If, however, you love what you do, then you'll never have to "work" at all.
Do you have any special hobbies, sports, other interests?
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Oct 31 9:50AM
Dr. Syphers,
Wow, I never knew how particle accelerators are used in all aspects of today's life.
Yes I do plan on taking a second year of Physics, Advance Topics In Physics, I believe that course is called. I am currently taking Pre-Calculus and next year I plan to take AP Calc. I have to definitely agree with you that the most important thing is to do what you love to do.
I co-direct the school's morning news program. While it is pretty stressful to get the show ready every morning, it is a lot of fun and I am really learning how to run an "organization" and solve different problems that arise.
I have a big love for technology and I can explore my interest in the morning news program and in a class I am taking called "Computer and Network Essentials". Five years ago my school began a one-one tablet to student program. Each student has his/her own tablet PC. This gives me another outlet to explore with technology. In the Computer and Network Essentials class, we help the IT department with student computer problems. I also play on the Varsity Baseball team and play the violin.
While I can only imagine that you are rather busy, what other hobbies to you have?
Thank you.
Benjamin
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Nov 01 12:22AM
Hi Benjamin,
That's great to hear about what all you're involved in. When I was in high school I was the Managing Editor and then Editor-in-Chief of our school newspaper. I went to a large school, and our paper was written, typeset (pre-computer days, if you can imagine), laid-out, and printed in our school -- 8 page paper (standard newspaper size) every week. It was a lot of work, and I enjoyed it immensely. But, when it came time to chose a future direction, science won out for me. I, too, did sports -- cross country, basketball, and tennis.
And, I'll tell you too, that keeping active in lots of stuff keeps your body (including brain) in shape for doing the things you enjoy the most.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Nov 07 9:00AM
Dr. Syphers,
It sounds like you were quite busy when you were in high school.
Technology has/is really becoming a big part in our society, as a means of communication and such, besides for the actual particle accelerator, would you say you use technology such as computers and smart phones on a daily basis. How much has technology changed since you received your PhD in 1987?
Thanks!
Benjamin
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Nov 07 4:33PM
Hi Benjamin,
I use computers and smart phones and skype and internet and all of that on a daily basis. Probably, more of an "hourly" basis. I'm typing this on my Macbook Pro, over my wireless internet at my home while I watch a Netflix film being streamed over my home network to my HD TV. So yes, technology has changed a lot -- I mean, A LOT! -- since 1987. Back then, personal computers were relatively new. The computer that I had used 48KB of memory, compared to 4 GB (= 48,000,000 KB) today and ran more than 3000 times slower than today's computers. It wasn't a "windowing" type of computer; you had to type in commands line-by-line. Email was very new, and only accessible by people at National Labs and government agencies. The web hadn't been invented yet, so there were no such things as "web pages" and such. If I wanted to talk to someone by telephone and they lived outside of my community, I had to pay maybe about 50 cents a minute or more to talk to them (long distance telephone). Cell phones were nonexistent, except that a few extremely rich business people had them (from what I saw on TV and in the movies!). CD's had just become available to the masses in about 1986; before that we all had vinyl record albums and record players with diamond-tipped needles. No iPods; no GPS; no DVD or Blue Ray; no … I remember my sister and her husband had a garage door that could be opened by "remote control". That was pretty cool! The list of changes since 1987 is HUGE!
I must say, one of the best things about being in the physics work world, and working at national labs and universities, is that you often get to be the first to use such technology as it is developed. For example, by the time people started using AOL email accounts in the mid-1990's, I had already been using email for about 10 years at the National Labs to communicate with other scientists. And the web was invented by physicists at CERN in Europe in 1991. The two very first web sites in the U.S. were at SLAC and at Fermilab, two high energy physics labs, in 1991-2. (I guess they needed two, so that they could check out how to "link" them to each other!)
Never a dull moment!
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Nov 07 9:07AM
Dr. Syphers,
On Thursday my school was invited to the IMAPS (international microelectronics and packaging) symposium (http://www.imaps.org/imaps2010/index.htm). My school opened it up to 20 or so interested students and I went along with 12 others. It was rather interesting experience, I got to speak to many different companies involved in the business. Prior to the conference I really did not know much at all about the microelectronics packaging industry, but I learned a lot and really enjoyed it. For the businesses involved it was really a time to learn from the others in the industry.
Are there similar events in your line of work?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Benjamin
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Nov 07 4:34PM
Hi Benjamin,
Yes, we have lots of events like that. Physicists spend quite a bit of time communicating with each other at conferences and such events. I will be going to the U.S. Particle Accelerator Conference in New York City this Spring, for instance. About 2000 scientists and engineers who work on accelerators or in the field of accelerator science will gather for a week and have meetings and talks and discussions about their work with each other. This particular conference meets every two years, at different places around the country; but there are several other conferences too, that report on the results of experiments that use the accelerators, for instance. It is very important to reflect on your own work and share it with others, and to hear about what they have been doing. Conferences like this are very useful part of the job, and great things to participate in.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Nov 08 9:42PM
Dr. Syphers,
So it seems that the Adopt-a-Physicist program is about to come to an end. I would like to thank you for the your time and the interesting conversation we have had, I have really learned a lot about your field of work and how things have changed even for just the short time that you have been in your area of study.
I never realized how the work you are doing with the particle accelerators, will have such large effects on our world in the near future. I think its really cool how you have been on the leading edge of technology for the past couple of decades. I could go on with you for years about my love for technology and my opinions on the latest technologies but time doesn't allow it. I also appreciate your advice towards my future in college and beyond. I had a great experience communicating with you.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Benjamin
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Nov 08 11:06PM
Hi Benjamin,
I'm happy that I've had an opportunity to chat with you and all the other students. When I was your age I had no real opportunity to "talk" to scientists about their work day or their lives or things like that. I think it's a great thing to be able to do, and the internet makes it so easy.
Good luck with your school year, and -- when you're thinking about college -- check out MSU! ;-)
Cheers,
-Mike
Dr. Syphers,
Hello, my name is Benjamin and I am currently a Junior at […] in North Carolina. I have always had a strong interest in the mathematics and science. I plan to pursue my interest in these subjects by studying some sort of engineering while in college. I have found your work with particle accelerators very interesting. It is a topic I do not know much about but I cannot wait to learn more about it in the upcoming weeks. While you currently hold a PhD you originally graduated from Indiana many years prior. In your biography you state that you worked as a teacher and at Fermilab prior to receiving your Masters and then PhD. I was wondering if you ended up getting your PhD in the same topic that you majored in and why you felt it necessary to get a higher degree. I would like to thank you for participating in the Adopt-A-Physicist program, I am sure I am going to learn a lot over these next few weeks and so will everyone else in the program.
Thank you,
Benjamin
Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Oct 19 11:11PM
Hello, Benjamin,
Yes, all of my three degrees were in Physics, although the Bachelor's degree was in physics education (teaching). As for "why" I wanted the PhD, it was sort of two-fold. First of all, I enjoyed the job that I had at the time -- working at Fermilab in its Main Control Room -- and so I knew that if I went back to school I could work there (or other labs) and continue to get better positions and better pay. But, secondly (probably more importantly), I also just wanted to learn physics. I wanted to better understand how the physical world works and how it's all related. I probably would have wanted to study this subject, even if there were no degrees or jobs involved! But, it certainly helps when someone wants to pay me for it! ;-)
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Oct 27 10:44PM
Dr. Syphers,
Could you explain to me your work with the particle accelerators and how you feel your research has/will make the world a better place, or do you believe we are still in the early stages of just needing to understand the world before we can even begin to improve it?
Since I am rather interested in math and science, what classes do you suggest I take in my senior year? I also know however that classes are not everything, do you have any other advice for how I should go about my next few years?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Benjamin
Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Oct 28 12:15AM
Hi Benjamin,
Let me try to answer in a couple of ways. First off, I work on large particle accelerators that are used for basic research -- like trying to understand the basic building blocks of nature. However, there have been many, many "spin-offs" of accelerator research over the years. For instance, devices that are used in medicine, such as CAT scans, PET scans, and proton therapy cancer treatment utilize particle beams; accelerators are used in food sanitation and in such industrial applications such as making shrinkable plastics (like the plastic wrap that you find on all kinds of packages these days). And, in fact, the TV set you had in your home as a child (or maybe even still have) -- before "flat panel TV's" came out -- were particle accelerators! So, you can say that the results of the basic research may be decades away from influencing every day life (like, how do we use neutrinos in our home life?), but the development of accelerators and their associated systems have always found other applications that have had very big effects on our world.
Secondly, I do think that my efforts to help build and operate accelerators like, for instance, the Tevatron at Fermilab will end up in the long run having an impact on civilization and making the world a better place. It's hard right now to tell what that will be -- it may take many years for the results of our experiments to lead to new technologies, for instance. But, I played a role in it, so that's very satisfying to know. Of course, several thousand people have worked on the Tevatron over the years, so mine was just a small part of that. But we each have our role to play, and it took all of us to make it happen. Now, I get to do it again at MSU with our new accelerator here.
OK, as for your classes and advice… With your interest, I would try to take any/all science and math that the school offers. Is there a "second year" or AP physics course? Do you have calculus courses at your school? Take what you can. I think the MOST important thing is to find what you enjoy and are good at, and pursue that with all the passion you can muster up. Even if you're good at something, if you don't enjoy doing it it will always feel like "work". If, however, you love what you do, then you'll never have to "work" at all.
Do you have any special hobbies, sports, other interests?
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Oct 31 9:50AM
Dr. Syphers,
Wow, I never knew how particle accelerators are used in all aspects of today's life.
Yes I do plan on taking a second year of Physics, Advance Topics In Physics, I believe that course is called. I am currently taking Pre-Calculus and next year I plan to take AP Calc. I have to definitely agree with you that the most important thing is to do what you love to do.
I co-direct the school's morning news program. While it is pretty stressful to get the show ready every morning, it is a lot of fun and I am really learning how to run an "organization" and solve different problems that arise.
I have a big love for technology and I can explore my interest in the morning news program and in a class I am taking called "Computer and Network Essentials". Five years ago my school began a one-one tablet to student program. Each student has his/her own tablet PC. This gives me another outlet to explore with technology. In the Computer and Network Essentials class, we help the IT department with student computer problems. I also play on the Varsity Baseball team and play the violin.
While I can only imagine that you are rather busy, what other hobbies to you have?
Thank you.
Benjamin
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Nov 01 12:22AM
Hi Benjamin,
That's great to hear about what all you're involved in. When I was in high school I was the Managing Editor and then Editor-in-Chief of our school newspaper. I went to a large school, and our paper was written, typeset (pre-computer days, if you can imagine), laid-out, and printed in our school -- 8 page paper (standard newspaper size) every week. It was a lot of work, and I enjoyed it immensely. But, when it came time to chose a future direction, science won out for me. I, too, did sports -- cross country, basketball, and tennis.
And, I'll tell you too, that keeping active in lots of stuff keeps your body (including brain) in shape for doing the things you enjoy the most.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Nov 07 9:00AM
Dr. Syphers,
It sounds like you were quite busy when you were in high school.
Technology has/is really becoming a big part in our society, as a means of communication and such, besides for the actual particle accelerator, would you say you use technology such as computers and smart phones on a daily basis. How much has technology changed since you received your PhD in 1987?
Thanks!
Benjamin
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Nov 07 4:33PM
Hi Benjamin,
I use computers and smart phones and skype and internet and all of that on a daily basis. Probably, more of an "hourly" basis. I'm typing this on my Macbook Pro, over my wireless internet at my home while I watch a Netflix film being streamed over my home network to my HD TV. So yes, technology has changed a lot -- I mean, A LOT! -- since 1987. Back then, personal computers were relatively new. The computer that I had used 48KB of memory, compared to 4 GB (= 48,000,000 KB) today and ran more than 3000 times slower than today's computers. It wasn't a "windowing" type of computer; you had to type in commands line-by-line. Email was very new, and only accessible by people at National Labs and government agencies. The web hadn't been invented yet, so there were no such things as "web pages" and such. If I wanted to talk to someone by telephone and they lived outside of my community, I had to pay maybe about 50 cents a minute or more to talk to them (long distance telephone). Cell phones were nonexistent, except that a few extremely rich business people had them (from what I saw on TV and in the movies!). CD's had just become available to the masses in about 1986; before that we all had vinyl record albums and record players with diamond-tipped needles. No iPods; no GPS; no DVD or Blue Ray; no … I remember my sister and her husband had a garage door that could be opened by "remote control". That was pretty cool! The list of changes since 1987 is HUGE!
I must say, one of the best things about being in the physics work world, and working at national labs and universities, is that you often get to be the first to use such technology as it is developed. For example, by the time people started using AOL email accounts in the mid-1990's, I had already been using email for about 10 years at the National Labs to communicate with other scientists. And the web was invented by physicists at CERN in Europe in 1991. The two very first web sites in the U.S. were at SLAC and at Fermilab, two high energy physics labs, in 1991-2. (I guess they needed two, so that they could check out how to "link" them to each other!)
Never a dull moment!
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Nov 07 9:07AM
Dr. Syphers,
On Thursday my school was invited to the IMAPS (international microelectronics and packaging) symposium (http://www.imaps.org/imaps2010/index.htm). My school opened it up to 20 or so interested students and I went along with 12 others. It was rather interesting experience, I got to speak to many different companies involved in the business. Prior to the conference I really did not know much at all about the microelectronics packaging industry, but I learned a lot and really enjoyed it. For the businesses involved it was really a time to learn from the others in the industry.
Are there similar events in your line of work?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Benjamin
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Nov 07 4:34PM
Hi Benjamin,
Yes, we have lots of events like that. Physicists spend quite a bit of time communicating with each other at conferences and such events. I will be going to the U.S. Particle Accelerator Conference in New York City this Spring, for instance. About 2000 scientists and engineers who work on accelerators or in the field of accelerator science will gather for a week and have meetings and talks and discussions about their work with each other. This particular conference meets every two years, at different places around the country; but there are several other conferences too, that report on the results of experiments that use the accelerators, for instance. It is very important to reflect on your own work and share it with others, and to hear about what they have been doing. Conferences like this are very useful part of the job, and great things to participate in.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Nov 08 9:42PM
Dr. Syphers,
So it seems that the Adopt-a-Physicist program is about to come to an end. I would like to thank you for the your time and the interesting conversation we have had, I have really learned a lot about your field of work and how things have changed even for just the short time that you have been in your area of study.
I never realized how the work you are doing with the particle accelerators, will have such large effects on our world in the near future. I think its really cool how you have been on the leading edge of technology for the past couple of decades. I could go on with you for years about my love for technology and my opinions on the latest technologies but time doesn't allow it. I also appreciate your advice towards my future in college and beyond. I had a great experience communicating with you.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Benjamin
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Benjamin from [...], NC - Nov 08 11:06PM
Hi Benjamin,
I'm happy that I've had an opportunity to chat with you and all the other students. When I was your age I had no real opportunity to "talk" to scientists about their work day or their lives or things like that. I think it's a great thing to be able to do, and the internet makes it so easy.
Good luck with your school year, and -- when you're thinking about college -- check out MSU! ;-)
Cheers,
-Mike
Thursday, November 18, 2010
An Introduction
Introduction - Oct 19 1:57PM
Hello, thank you for adopting me in the Adopt-a-Physicist program.
To get an idea of who I am, you can view my profile.
-Mike Syphers
Hello from North Carolina - Oct 19 4:51PM
Mr. Syphers,
My name is Keenan and I am an Honors Physics student at […]. In school, my two favorite subjects are math and physics. I am also an all-Conference baseball player here in North Carolina. I am very interested in your field of accelerator physics because it seems to be one of the most specialized fields of study in the world. Particle accelerators seem to be gaining in popularity worldwide, and you seem like a foremost authority. I was wondering, what made you decide to enter this field of physical study? What do you find so unique about accelerator physics that made you chose this field for a career? I also just wanted to thank you for participating in the Adopt a Physicist program. I really appreciate it and I know that this will be a great experience for everyone who is involved.
Thank you,
Keenan
Re: Hello from North Carolina - Oct 19 11:10PM
Hi Keenan,
Good to hear from you. In a sense, I sort of "fell into" the field soon out of college. I had my Bachelor's degree, and a friend was working at Fermilab -- in the suburbs of Chicago -- and told me I should apply. It was a great opportunity, and a great job, but most of all I really enjoyed working on the large machines and learning about how they worked. I soon realized that I could (a) use the physics I learned in my 4 years of college, and (b) learn a lot of new physics and new generate new skills. I liked "turning knobs" in the control room, seeing things happen before my eyes, and then I wanted more to learn why it all happened. So, I had to go back to school to learn more physics so I could "speak the language" and go further in the subject. And, at that time, it allowed me to be connected to world-leading research while I studied, which is truly unique. The big accelerator labs are very exciting places.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Oct 26 8:39PM
Dr. Syphers,
Thank you for you post. It's so interesting the various ways that people like yourself end up in the field of study and profession that you did. But now that your official job has changed, is as much time as you would like spent doing research? I understand that you are a professor at Michigan State, and I can understand how educating young minds would be an exciting endeavor, but it seems to me that your true passion lies in researching accelerator physics and developing cutting edge technology for it.
-Keenan
Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Oct 27 3:22PM
Hi Keenan,
Very interesting line of questioning. Ever consider law? ;-)
Actually , yes I think it's a good mix for me right now. I am in a position now where I can do research, help manage a $0.6B project, and teach and mentor physics students all at the same time. And make a good living doing it! And, a big part of "managing" for me is directing efforts to solve very complex problems. So, in a technical sense, it is still very satisfying.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Oct 31 5:34PM
Dr. Syphers,
Happy Halloween! I hope the students up in East Lansing haven't been too wild in their festivities. I was wondering about your early interest in physics. Have you always known what field you wanted to be in and always worked towards that field (I guess in this case accelerator physics)? Or when you were in school did you ever contemplate different applications of physics like engineering or something to that effect.
Thanks,
Keenan
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 01 12:23AM
Hi Keenan,
Lots of students out roaming around, but behaving for the most part. ;-)
I really got interested in "science" at a young age. When I was growing up (10 years old, say), the Gemini and Apollo space programs were going on, and I loved learning about the stars, planets, sun and moon, etc. So, I started out wanting to be an astronomer or astrophysicist when I first went to college. However, I learned quickly that there weren't too many jobs in that field at that time (many more these days than back then), and so for a while I didn't know exactly what field of physics to go into. When I got the job at Fermilab after college, I found "accelerator physics" and really enjoyed the work. So, that's when I went on in that direction.
Also in high school, I did think a little about engineering and architecture, and many of my friends in science/math went those directions. I also thought about journalism, too.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 02 11:12AM
Dr. Syphers,
As an expert in you field, what has been the most interesting thing you have ever done? Have you learned anything or discovered something that has truly fascinated you or given you a new appreciation or love for your studies?
-Keenan
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 02 8:09PM
Hi Keenan,
It's really hard to point to one thing in my career and call that the most interesting thing I've done. I continue to learn new things every day, and the excitement of learning and solving problems and figuring things out is always there. I thought I knew a lot about accelerators (and compared to most people, I guess I do), but I just took this new job at MSU this year and we are building an accelerator which has requirements on the beams and systems which I have never had to deal with before. But, rather than saying "I don't want to do that because I don't know how," I like to say, "I want to do that because I don't know how." Know what I mean?
Right now I'm working with a team of scientists, engineers, and technicians and we are trying to design a system that will accelerate a large variety of different atomic isotopes, smash them into targets, collect the by-products (which will also be a very large range of different types of elements), slow them down and collect them, then re-accelerate them to well-defined known energies so that they can be systematically studied -- all before most of them radioactively decay away. And I only do the "accelerator" part; there's a whole other team that figures out how to actually DETECT these nuclei and determine their energies, masses, charges, lifetimes, and so on. Then, with that information, people can better deduce how stars are made and evolve and how the universe is put together. So, that's what I'm doing right now, and I'm just never sure how to make the job more interesting than that…
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 03 8:28PM
Dr. Syphers,
Wow. I get the feeling that you may be one of the minorities that really loves and has a passion for what they do. Those are really incredible experiments. I may not have be the most knowledgeable, but I at least know that life is better when you do something you enjoy. But I just have a quick clarification question. Do you work with developing the accelerator or accelerating the particles themselves? Or both? It seems like the only people that would understand how to build the accelerators must know how to accelerate the particles, and vice versa.
-Keenan
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 03 11:27PM
Hi Keenan,
I tend to work on all aspects of these accelerators. As you succinctly surmised, I started out learning how to accelerate particles in existing accelerators, which led me to learn how they work, and thus ultimately learned how to build new ones. And I still do a little of all of that.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 07 5:24PM
Dr. Syphers,
Do you have any recommendations about physics to a young student that is interested in the subject? I find it fascinating, but I know nothing about the professional field and even less about the depths of the subject itself.
-Keenan
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 08 12:15AM
Hi Keenan,
One good place to start might be to go to Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org) and look up physics, and then follow the various links to see if they lead you to interesting places. (I'll bet they will!) Also, the professional society for physicists is called The American Physical Society, and their web site has a section about Careers in Physics. (see: http://www.aps.org/careers/) Those two web sites should get you going!
Best of luck, and I hope you continue to enjoy your physics class this year!
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 09 10:12AM
Dr. Syphers,
I wanted to thank you for everything you have done with the Adopt-a-Physicist program. I have really appreciated it and have really enjoyed getting to speak with you about the world of physics. Thank you for everything.
Sincerely,
Keenan
Hello, thank you for adopting me in the Adopt-a-Physicist program.
To get an idea of who I am, you can view my profile.
-Mike Syphers
Hello from North Carolina - Oct 19 4:51PM
Mr. Syphers,
My name is Keenan and I am an Honors Physics student at […]. In school, my two favorite subjects are math and physics. I am also an all-Conference baseball player here in North Carolina. I am very interested in your field of accelerator physics because it seems to be one of the most specialized fields of study in the world. Particle accelerators seem to be gaining in popularity worldwide, and you seem like a foremost authority. I was wondering, what made you decide to enter this field of physical study? What do you find so unique about accelerator physics that made you chose this field for a career? I also just wanted to thank you for participating in the Adopt a Physicist program. I really appreciate it and I know that this will be a great experience for everyone who is involved.
Thank you,
Keenan
Re: Hello from North Carolina - Oct 19 11:10PM
Hi Keenan,
Good to hear from you. In a sense, I sort of "fell into" the field soon out of college. I had my Bachelor's degree, and a friend was working at Fermilab -- in the suburbs of Chicago -- and told me I should apply. It was a great opportunity, and a great job, but most of all I really enjoyed working on the large machines and learning about how they worked. I soon realized that I could (a) use the physics I learned in my 4 years of college, and (b) learn a lot of new physics and new generate new skills. I liked "turning knobs" in the control room, seeing things happen before my eyes, and then I wanted more to learn why it all happened. So, I had to go back to school to learn more physics so I could "speak the language" and go further in the subject. And, at that time, it allowed me to be connected to world-leading research while I studied, which is truly unique. The big accelerator labs are very exciting places.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Oct 26 8:39PM
Dr. Syphers,
Thank you for you post. It's so interesting the various ways that people like yourself end up in the field of study and profession that you did. But now that your official job has changed, is as much time as you would like spent doing research? I understand that you are a professor at Michigan State, and I can understand how educating young minds would be an exciting endeavor, but it seems to me that your true passion lies in researching accelerator physics and developing cutting edge technology for it.
-Keenan
Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Oct 27 3:22PM
Hi Keenan,
Very interesting line of questioning. Ever consider law? ;-)
Actually , yes I think it's a good mix for me right now. I am in a position now where I can do research, help manage a $0.6B project, and teach and mentor physics students all at the same time. And make a good living doing it! And, a big part of "managing" for me is directing efforts to solve very complex problems. So, in a technical sense, it is still very satisfying.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Oct 31 5:34PM
Dr. Syphers,
Happy Halloween! I hope the students up in East Lansing haven't been too wild in their festivities. I was wondering about your early interest in physics. Have you always known what field you wanted to be in and always worked towards that field (I guess in this case accelerator physics)? Or when you were in school did you ever contemplate different applications of physics like engineering or something to that effect.
Thanks,
Keenan
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 01 12:23AM
Hi Keenan,
Lots of students out roaming around, but behaving for the most part. ;-)
I really got interested in "science" at a young age. When I was growing up (10 years old, say), the Gemini and Apollo space programs were going on, and I loved learning about the stars, planets, sun and moon, etc. So, I started out wanting to be an astronomer or astrophysicist when I first went to college. However, I learned quickly that there weren't too many jobs in that field at that time (many more these days than back then), and so for a while I didn't know exactly what field of physics to go into. When I got the job at Fermilab after college, I found "accelerator physics" and really enjoyed the work. So, that's when I went on in that direction.
Also in high school, I did think a little about engineering and architecture, and many of my friends in science/math went those directions. I also thought about journalism, too.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 02 11:12AM
Dr. Syphers,
As an expert in you field, what has been the most interesting thing you have ever done? Have you learned anything or discovered something that has truly fascinated you or given you a new appreciation or love for your studies?
-Keenan
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 02 8:09PM
Hi Keenan,
It's really hard to point to one thing in my career and call that the most interesting thing I've done. I continue to learn new things every day, and the excitement of learning and solving problems and figuring things out is always there. I thought I knew a lot about accelerators (and compared to most people, I guess I do), but I just took this new job at MSU this year and we are building an accelerator which has requirements on the beams and systems which I have never had to deal with before. But, rather than saying "I don't want to do that because I don't know how," I like to say, "I want to do that because I don't know how." Know what I mean?
Right now I'm working with a team of scientists, engineers, and technicians and we are trying to design a system that will accelerate a large variety of different atomic isotopes, smash them into targets, collect the by-products (which will also be a very large range of different types of elements), slow them down and collect them, then re-accelerate them to well-defined known energies so that they can be systematically studied -- all before most of them radioactively decay away. And I only do the "accelerator" part; there's a whole other team that figures out how to actually DETECT these nuclei and determine their energies, masses, charges, lifetimes, and so on. Then, with that information, people can better deduce how stars are made and evolve and how the universe is put together. So, that's what I'm doing right now, and I'm just never sure how to make the job more interesting than that…
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 03 8:28PM
Dr. Syphers,
Wow. I get the feeling that you may be one of the minorities that really loves and has a passion for what they do. Those are really incredible experiments. I may not have be the most knowledgeable, but I at least know that life is better when you do something you enjoy. But I just have a quick clarification question. Do you work with developing the accelerator or accelerating the particles themselves? Or both? It seems like the only people that would understand how to build the accelerators must know how to accelerate the particles, and vice versa.
-Keenan
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 03 11:27PM
Hi Keenan,
I tend to work on all aspects of these accelerators. As you succinctly surmised, I started out learning how to accelerate particles in existing accelerators, which led me to learn how they work, and thus ultimately learned how to build new ones. And I still do a little of all of that.
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 07 5:24PM
Dr. Syphers,
Do you have any recommendations about physics to a young student that is interested in the subject? I find it fascinating, but I know nothing about the professional field and even less about the depths of the subject itself.
-Keenan
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 08 12:15AM
Hi Keenan,
One good place to start might be to go to Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org) and look up physics, and then follow the various links to see if they lead you to interesting places. (I'll bet they will!) Also, the professional society for physicists is called The American Physical Society, and their web site has a section about Careers in Physics. (see: http://www.aps.org/careers/) Those two web sites should get you going!
Best of luck, and I hope you continue to enjoy your physics class this year!
Cheers,
-Mike
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello from North Carolina - Nov 09 10:12AM
Dr. Syphers,
I wanted to thank you for everything you have done with the Adopt-a-Physicist program. I have really appreciated it and have really enjoyed getting to speak with you about the world of physics. Thank you for everything.
Sincerely,
Keenan
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Adopted yet again...
Another semester, another Adopt-A-Physicist session through the American Physical Society. This time, I was marked by three schools from Georgia, New Jersey, and North Carolina. There was quite a bit of discussion back and forth. Much of it was like the other sessions, but as always there were new questions and new takes on old subjects. Again, a great experience for me; I hope it was for the students! (I feel that it was.)
In the past when I have posted these discussions, I tried organizing posts by topics, or I have posted items in pure chronological order. This time, I have organized the entries by "threads" -- the threaded conversation between me and a particular student (or group of students) from beginning to end. Some of the threads are fairly long, especially the earliest ones. However, I will post each "thread" in its entirety to try to preserve the discussion. I'll be posting these over the next many days (probably for a couple of weeks or so). Hope you enjoy, too!
Note: for more information on Adopt-A-Physicist, visit...
http://www.adoptaphysicist.org/
-Mike
In the past when I have posted these discussions, I tried organizing posts by topics, or I have posted items in pure chronological order. This time, I have organized the entries by "threads" -- the threaded conversation between me and a particular student (or group of students) from beginning to end. Some of the threads are fairly long, especially the earliest ones. However, I will post each "thread" in its entirety to try to preserve the discussion. I'll be posting these over the next many days (probably for a couple of weeks or so). Hope you enjoy, too!
Note: for more information on Adopt-A-Physicist, visit...
http://www.adoptaphysicist.org/
-Mike
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