Laboratory Information:
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
P.O. Box 500 MS 200
Batavia, IL 60510
Phone: 630-840-3000
Fax: 630-840-4343
Website: http://www.fnal.gov/
Agency/Department: Dept. of Energy
Region: Midwest
FLC Laboratory Representative:
Mr. Bruce Chrisman
Phone: 630-840-6657
Fax: 630-840-8752
Email: chrisman@fnal.gov
Background/History of the Laboratory:
Fermilab, originally named the National
Accelerator Laboratory, was commissioned by the U.S. Atomic Energy
Commission, under a bill signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 21, 1967. Founding Director
Robert R. Wilson committed the Laboratory to firm principles of scientific excellence, esthetic beauty,
stewardship of the land, fiscal responsibility and equality of opportunity. Universities Research Association
built
the Laboratory, and has operated the facility under those principles since its founding. At a time of
transition,
challenge, and opportunity in elementary particle physics, Universities Research Association (URA) and
the
University of Chicago (UChicago) have joined forces to create Fermi Research Alliance (FRA), a limited
liability
company (LLC). FRA builds on URA's 40-year record of performance in the management and operation of
FNAL and UChicago's leadership since Argonne National Laboratory's (ANL) founding as the first national
Laboratory. With designated subcontractor EG&G/URS, the FRA team brings resources, collaborations,
and
best practices to address the Laboratory's challenges and opportunities. FRA supports a long-term vision
and
total commitment to discovery, to the DOE scientific mission, and to ensuring our nation's continued
preeminence in particle physics. On May 11, 1974, the Laboratory was renamed in honor of 1938 Nobel
Prize
winner Enrico Fermi, one of the preeminent physicists of the atomic age. Fermi's widow, Laura Fermi,
spoke at
the dedication ceremonies. Two major components of the Standard Model of Fundamental Particles and
Forces were discovered at Fermilab: the bottom quark (May-June 1977) and the top quark (February 1995).
In
July 2000, Fermilab experimenters announced the first direct observation of the tau neutrino, the last
fundamental particle to be observed. Filling the final slot in the Standard Model, the tau neutrino
set the stage
for new discoveries and new physics with the inauguration of Collider Run II of the Tevatron in March
2001. The
Tevatron, four miles in circumference and originally named the Energy Doubler when it began operation
in
1983, is the world's highest-energy particle accelerator. Its 1,000 superconducting magnets are cooled
by
liquid helium to -268 degrees C (-450 degrees F). Its low-temperature cooling system was the largest
ever built
when it was placed in operation in 1983. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers has designated
the
Tevatron cryogenic system an International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. Fermilab has added
the two-mile Main Injector accelerator to increase the number of proton-antiproton collisions in the
Tevatron,
greatly enhancing the chances for important discoveries in Run II. The two apartment building-sized
collider
detectors, CDF and DZero, have undergone extensive upgrades during the nearly decade-long preparations
for
Run II. Fermilab's 6,800- acre site was originally home to farmland, and to the village of Weston. Some
of the
original barns are still in use by the Laboratory, for purposes ranging from storage to social events.
A small
burial ground, with headstones dating back to 1839, has been maintained in the northwest corner of the
site.
Robert Wilson was buried in the Pioneer Cemetery following his death on January 16, 2000 at the age
of 85.
Among Wilson's early imprints on the lab was the establishment of a herd of American bison, symbolizing
the
Fermilab's presence on the frontiers of high-energy physics, and the connection to its prairie origins.
The herd
stands today, and new calves are born every spring.
Mission of the Laboratory:
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory advances
the understanding of the fundamental nature of matter and energy
by providing leadership and resources for qualified researchers to conduct basic research at the frontiers
of high
energy physics and related disciplines.
Technology Areas of Expertise:
- Accelerators
- Astrophysics
- Collider experiments
- Detector development
- High-performance computing
- Neutrino physics
- Physics theory
- Superconducting magnets
