CERN Courier: June 1999
News
Features
The quintessence of cosmology
The most striking recent development in cosmology has come from supernova studies, which reveal how the expansion rate of the universe changes with time. Rather than slowing down, the universe is expanding faster as time goes by. Pedro G Ferreira of CERN explains how theorists are faced with the dilemma of living with the controversial cosmological constant or having to postulate a new form of matter.
Searching for signals from the dark universe
At the Italian Gran Sasso National Laboratory, a novel experiment that is in search of signs of the invisible dark matter that pervades our universe reports an intriguing result.
A tale of three regions
The impact of CERN, particularly with regard to technology transfer and industrial spin-offs, shows an interesting three-fold pattern that reflects the very different geographical and political regions around the laboratory.
In hot pursuit of CP violation
The subtle effects of CP violation have enormous implications for our understanding of the universe. However, in its traditional setting, it is difficult to measure. Gerry Bauer explains the background to CP violation and points out how a range of new experiments to explore the phenomenon in a new setting should see much larger effects.
Meetings highlight boom in accelerator developments
New projects and important upgrades are under way in many laboratories, while technological progress and continual ingenuity augur well for the future.
Snapshot of high-energy accelerator progress
A major event in the international accelerator calendar is the triennial International Conference on High Energy Accelerators. The seventeeth such event, which was held recently in Dubna, Russia, provided a useful view of the current world scene.
Neutrinos with a swing
New results suggest that types of neutrinos that were once thought to be distinct could mix. Here Louis Lyons compares this apparently mysterious mechanism to the behaviour of two simple pendula tied together.