Fredrick Olness
Observed! SMU’s LHC physicists confirm new particle; Higgs ‘God particle’ opens new frontier of exploration
Physicists from SMU and around the globe were euphoric Wednesday with the historic revelation that a new particle consistent with the Higgs boson “God” particle has been observed.
Described as a great triumph for science, the observation is the biggest physics discovery of the last 50 years and opens up what SMU scientists say is a vast new frontier for more research. Continue reading
SMU physicists at CERN find hints of long sought after Higgs boson — dubbed the fundamental “God” particle
In a giant game of hide and seek, physicists say there are indications they finally may have found evidence of the long sought after fundamental particle called the Higgs boson.
Researchers at Switzerland-based CERN, the largest high-energy physics experiment in the world, have been seeking the Higgs boson since it was theorized in the 1960s. The so-called “God” particle is believed to play a fundamental role in solving the important mystery of why matter has mass. Continue reading
Theoretical universe: Olness to present at DESY premier research center
Fredrick Olness, a professor in SMU’s Physics Department, has been named the inaugural lecturer in a program launched by the DESY laboratory, Germany’s premier research center for particle physics.
DESY’s “Theorist of the Week” program will bring prominent theorists from around the globe to spend a week at the lab’s analysis center in Hamburg, Germany. Olness, who will visit the laboratory in March, is the program’s first guest physicist. Continue reading
Posted in Energy & Matter, Researcher news
Tagged CERN, Dedman College, Fredrick Olness, SMU Department of Physics
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Before God particle, scientists must learn soul of new machine
After a huge success in first testing, followed by a very public meltdown last September, the Large Hadron Collider may be ready for action again as early as June.
But before the science can proceed, the world’s scientists must come to terms with the complex organism they have created, says one project manager.
“We will have to understand the detector first,” says Ryszard Stroynowski, chair and professor of physics at SMU.
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Science morphs into science fiction in “Angels & Demons”
“Antimatter” is one of the big stars in the new Ron Howard film “Angels & Demons.” After seeing the movie, people may wonder how much of the science in the film is actually real.
SMU Physics Professor Fredrick Olness says the new action thriller exploits cutting-edge science to create an exciting tale of science fiction mystery and imagination. “Angels & Demons” takes key ideas that are based upon scientific fact, Olness comments, and then exaggerates the details for the purpose of storytelling — and that’s the transformation from “science” to “science fiction.”
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Posted in Energy & Matter, Researcher news
Tagged CERN, Dedman College, Fredrick Olness, SMU Department of Physics
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Proton-smasher’s awaited flood of data creates big job for SMU researchers
At 10 p.m. on a Saturday night in April, a handful of SMU scientists continue working at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, called by its acronym CERN, in Geneva, Switzerland. A scattering of lights illuminates the windows in several buildings along the Rue Einstein, where researchers from dozens of countries and hundreds of institutions are combining their expertise on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) — the biggest physics experiment in history.
Ryszard Stroynowski, chair and professor of physics at SMU, points out each building in succession to a group of visitors. “By October, every light in every one of these windows will be on all night,” he says. Continue reading