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Week Five

Spill-in/Spill-out – Extent of Effect

Alex George

Monday, June 23, 2008—

We simply ran simulations all day on Monday. I was trying to understand the extent of the effect, based on where the particle originated. In other words, if I released a particle right next to the wall of the detector, what are the odds it would cross the boundary before it captured? What about if the particle started at the origin?

Tuesday, June 24, 2008—

There was a concern that the storm from two weeks ago had released asbestos. During week four, several rooms in Cardwell were closed due to the possibility of asbestos contamination. On Tuesday, it became clear that the asbestos had possibly reached the central air conditioning unit, prompting a serious health risk. Cardwell was evacuated.

No work was done.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008—

Instead of being sent to the lab in Topeka for analysis, the samples were inexplicably sent to Florida. As a result, Cardwell remained closed until the samples could reach their intended destination.

No work was done.

Ethics class today!

Thursday, June 26, 2008 –

The samples finally reached the lab in Topeka, and Cardwell reopened at the end of the day.

We received a very lengthy and informative lecture from Dr. Weaver about elementary particle theory in general.

No further work was done.

Friday, June 27, 2008 —

We received a second lecture by Dr. Weaver, which could also be categorized as lengthy and informative. Afterword, we ran several simulations. At this point, it became clear to me that something was wrong with the simulations – I was getting exactly the same results at the wall that I was getting at the center of the mountain. Something wasn’t right.

Group meeting today.