. | . |
UK industry to help answer fundamental questions about universe by Staff Writers London, UK (SPX) Mar 19, 2019
A major new physics facility near Chicago is expected to have UK technology at its heart, and lead to significant spin-off opportunities for UK companies. The new PIP-II particle accelerator at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) will power the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, which aims to address key questions about the origins and structure of the universe. The UK has committed Pounds 65 million investment to help build and operate DUNE, PIP-II and technology for the neutrino beam. British Consul-General for Chicago, John Saville, represented the UK Government at the PIP-II ground-breaking event at Fermilab, which was also attended by members of the US Congress and Government. Mr. Saville said, "The UK is proud to be a strategic partner in PIP-II through our provision of key accelerator components. The scale of PIP-II reflects the scale of our commitment to promoting scientific discovery and the benefits of innovation that flow from this. We are excited to work with our US and global partners in pursuit of these mutual goals." Professor Mark Thomson is the Executive Chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), and a former co-spokesperson for the international DUNE science collaboration. STFC is part of the national funding agency UK Research and Innovation. He said, "Projects like DUNE will provide new information about our universe, but will crucially also provide inspiration to new generations of researchers, engineers and technicians. By stimulating the development of new technologies and their transfer to UK industry, these projects will help boost productivity and help achieve the Government's Industrial Strategy." The 200-metre-long PIP-II accelerator is the first accelerator project built in the United States with significant contributions from international partners. It will use the latest superconducting technology, and the UK is expected to win key contracts to provide the crucial cryomodules at the heart of the accelerator. Peter McIntosh, the Deputy Director of the Accelerator Science and Technology Centre (ASTeC) at STFC's Daresbury Laboratory, which is the UK's Centre of Excellence for the study of the production, acceleration and delivery of charged particle beams, is leading one of the teams working on PIP-II and said: "LBNF/DUNE provides the UK's Daresbury Laboratory with a fantastic opportunity to harness its accelerator development expertise and use it to establish new manufacturing and system integration capabilities. "Working in close partnership with UK industry and the team at Fermilab we can deliver critical superconducting accelerator systems for PIP-II, and this work will significantly strengthen the UK's accelerator delivery impact for decades to come." Dr. Alec Gunner, New Business Streams Manager for the technology engineering specialists TWI, said, "The opportunities which arise from this project are firstly the project itself - the opportunity for UK industry to engage in large, prestigious Big Science programmes is an end in its own right. "However, further possibilities arise from this programme as a consequence installing a world-class high vacuum electron beam welding facility in the UK. This is an enabling capability which is available for use by industry in the development and manufacture of high value assemblies, including niobium for the medical sector, titanium for use in satellite propellant tanks and zirconium for power applications. TWI will be engaging directly with its industrial members and the wider community to allow UK industry to take full advantage of this exciting new facility."
Where is the Universe Hiding its Missing Mass? Huntsville AL (SPX) Feb 15, 2019 Astronomers have spent decades looking for something that sounds like it would be hard to miss: about a third of the "normal" matter in the Universe. New results from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory may have helped them locate this elusive expanse of missing matter. From independent, well-established observations, scientists have confidently calculated how much normal matter - meaning hydrogen, helium and other elements - existed just after the Big Bang. In the time between the first few minutes ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |