As many others have posted, today is the day that the Fermilab Tevatron collider will end its 28-year career. (See the front page of Quantum Diaries for many more details!) It’s important to understand that Fermilab itself is not shutting down – there are other projects still taking place there. The Tevatron has been a huge part of Fermilab’s scientific program over the last few decades, though, and we should celebrate all its successes!
I did my Ph.D. research with the CDF Collaboration at Fermilab, using data delivered by the Tevatron. I even lived on the lab site for two years, in “the Michigan house,” which was a house full of Michigan graduate students. One thing I remember fondly about living at the lab was playing softball there (on the site! – go Springfield Isotopes!) and having after-game BBQ’s at our house.
I’m sad to be missing what promises to be a great farewell BBQ for the Tevatron at Fermilab tomorrow, but people everywhere will be raising a toast as they send around the last beams. I have an email in my inbox from friends at CERN, many of whom did their Ph.D. research at Fermilab like I did, having a farewell party tonight. They’ve even invented a signature cocktail, called the Transatlantic Shot Setup. I’ll be toasting with my family in sunny Florida, where we’re all together for my cousin’s wedding.
To explain how “shot setup” is related to Fermilab, I found this quote from an interview with Duke professor (and CDF and ATLAS collaborator) Mark Kruse.
Interviewer: What does doing your research look like?
MARK: So in the control room, things are most active during so-called “shot setup.” So “shot setup” is when the Tevatron has accumulated bunches of protons and anti-protons, injects them into the Tevatron accelerator, starts to accelerate them in opposite directions. And during that time, you’ve got to do various things to the proton/anti-proton beam. But as soon as the beams are stable and of good quality and they start colliding, then we have to be there at that instant in order to determine okay, things are running really well now. And of course during those first instances during “shot setup” and during data collection, it’s those first few minutes in essence that we have to keep a very close eye on how the detectors are performing.
For everyone that has spent time in the CDF or D0 control rooms and everyone who would have liked to, I give you:
=== The Transatlantic Shot Setup ===
A signature Tevatron shutdown cocktail
courtesy of Corrinne Mills (fellow blogger and fellow former Springfield Isotope) et al.3 parts bourbon
1 part green Chartreuse
1 generous part lemon juice
0.5 parts simple syrup or to tasteShake in a cocktail shaker and pour into glasses. Top with seltzer/sparkling water. For a non-transatlantic shot setup, you can leave out the French Chartreuse and stick with the American bourbon.
Cheers!
P.S. – Want to watch the events at Fermilab today? From 2 pm Central time, you can watch the broadcast online!
P.P.S – Here you can see some of the transatlantic celebrators from the CDF collaboration — all at CERN now!
