CERN builds relations with Korea and Algeria
CERN has signed a co-operation agreement with the government of the Republic of Korea, thereby formalizing Korea's participation in the laboratory's experimental-physics programme. On 25 October, the ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Switzerland, Won-Hwa Park, visited CERN to sign the agreement, witnessed by Joo-Han Kim of the Korean Ministry of Science and Technology. The agreement covers the development of scientific and technical co-operation in high-energy physics. At least 18 post-docs, supervising a large number of students and technicians from 14 Korean universities have registered at CERN and these numbers are still expected to grow.
This was one of three official Korean visits to CERN within the space of two weeks. On 23 October Won-Hwa Park accompanied Myung-Bak Lee, the former Mayor of Seoul, members of Lee's staff and Korean journalists. The third official visit was on 3 November, when CERN welcomed a delegation of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea, led by ambassadors Hyuck Choi, Tae-yul Cho and Dong-hee Chang.
Later in November it was the turn of the Algerian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Rachid Haraoubia, to visit CERN. On 14 November he toured the ATLAS experiment and the LHC tunnel, and met Algerian scientists working at CERN. Some 15 Algerian physicists attached to European and US institutes are participating in the LHC experiments, in particular ATLAS. A formal collaboration agreement between Algeria and CERN is expected to be drawn up in the near future.
New Products
Aerotech has announced new ALAR large aperture rotary stages with smooth cog-free brushless direct-drive motors. The stages also offer backlash-free fast and ultra-precise positioning. The range features compact space-saving apertures with sizes from 100 to 325 mm. For further information contact Cliff Jolliffe, tel +44 118 940 9400, e-mail cjoliffe@aerotech.co.uk or see www.aerotech.co.uk.
AMS Technologies are now providing the new series of high-voltage fast-pulse capacitors from General Atomics Energy Products. The range of 8–100 nF capacitors is for use at up to 100 kV and 25 kA peak current. It is for low repetition rate, fast-discharge applications. For more details contact André Geiger, tel +49 89 89 577 500, e-mail electronic@ams.de, or see www.ams.de.
Andor Technology has launched the iKon-M CCD camera range and the iDus InGaAs detector-array system. The iKon M delivers high quantum efficiency and low noise performance for light-starved imaging. The new iDus detector offers 512 or 1024 element linear photodiode arrays, with high sensitivity and resolution at 800–2200 nm. For details contact Emma McClintock, tel +44 28 9023 7126 or see www.andor.com.
Burle Electro-Optics Inc has released its low-cost CEM 4899 replacement electron multiplier for the Sciex API-2000 and API-3200 mass spectrometers. It uses cartridge technology to reduce costs and speed up replacements, features no-alignment optics and meets high dynamic-range requirements. For more information tel +1 800 648 1800 or +1 508 347 400, e-mail sales@burle-eo.com, or see www.burle.com.
CeramTec North America Corporation has announced a new family of hermetic high-voltage feedthroughs with mating air-side cable assemblies. The range includes 40 kV and 50 kV feedthroughs, each with 10 A capacity. The air-side cable assembly has a threaded connection. For further information, tel +1 864 682 3215, fax +1 864 682 1140, e-mail sales@ceramtec.com or see www2.ceramtec.com.
Narda Safety Test Solutions has developed a new portable broadband field meter, the NBM-550, to make electric and magnetic field measurements from RF to microwave wavelengths. Its features include a large graphical display, memory for logging up to 5000 results and a GPS interface for positional data. For further information, tel +49 7121/9732 777, e-mail support@narda-sts.de or see www.narda-sts.com.
Meetings
A workshop on Small-x and Diffractive Physics will be at Fermilab on 28–31 March to discuss experimental, phenomenological and theoretical progress in high-energy diffractive interactions. It will present results from the Tevatron, HERA and RHIC and cosmic-rays. The focus will be on measuring exclusive Higgs bosons, vector boson pairs and phenomena beyond the standard model at the LHC with forward proton spectrometers. For more information see www-d0.fnal.gov/~royon/smallx/ or contact Michael Albrow, e-mail albrow@fnal.gov.
The Second CERN–Fermilab Hadron Collider Physics Summer School will be at CERN on 6–15 June. The school will focus on the technology and physics of the LHC experiments, emphasizing the first years of data-taking and the discovery potential of the programme. In-depth discussion sessions will support the lectures. The deadline for applications is 9 March. For more information see http://cern.ch/hcpss or e-mail cern-fnal-school-sec@cern.ch.
The next Crimean Summer School and Conference on New Trends in High-Energy Physics will be on 15–22 September in Yalta, Ukraine. Apply to Crimea-2007, BITP, Kiev-143, 03680 Ukraine, e-mail crimea@bitp.kiev.ua, or fax +38 044 5265998. For more information see http://crimea2007.bitp.kiev.ua/.