Fermilab’s Tevatron Retires After 28 Years of Service
Long-time Sandbox client, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, will see its flagship accelerator, the Tevatron, take a bow and smash its final atom this friday, September 30, 2011. The Tevatron has been leading the way in accelerator science since 1983 and is responsible for the discovery of the top quark and five baryons, both of which helped refine the Standard Model and expand the world’s understanding of matter, energy, space and time.
On the surface this may sound like a sad event, and to a degree it is, but accelerator science at Fermilab is boldly marching on. Fermilab will continue its exploration with most of its ten accelerators and will be leading the way with experiments involving protons, neutrinos, and muons. Starting this Fall, Fermilab will break ground on the Illinois Accelerator Research Center which will partner with other national laboratories, Illinois universities, and industry to continue to develop breakthroughs in accelerator science that benefit health, wealth, and security. Fermilab’s Project X, MicroBooNE, and NOvA, are three more experiments that are just beginning their tenure in Fermilab’s new, post Tevatron era.
Photo: Reidar Hahn, Fermilab
