Return of the Ancients Read Online Free
from speakers around the room.
‘Welcome to Fermilab . . . funny name right? He peered around the room, his eyebrows raised and an ironic smile indicating no answer was really expected.
‘Well, the science community you’ve come to today was originally home to the village of Weston, and was once little more than farmland. In fact, you might see some of the first barns still around the place. There’s even a small burial ground with tombstones dating all the way back to 1839. We still maintain it out of respect for the original inhabitants.’
Arn kept his mouth shut, even though his, and Dr. Harper’s, concept of original inhabitants differed by about 250 years.
Harper continued. ‘We weren’t always called Fermilab though. We actually started out as the National Accelerator Laboratory when President Lyndon B. Johnson himself commissioned it in 1967. But, in 1974 the laboratory was renamed in honour of Nobel Prize winner, Enrico Fermi, one of the most famous physicists of the atomic age and . . .’
Edward’s hand shot up, and at the same time his voice sprang from the dark next to Arn. ‘The father of the atomic bomb.’
Harper pointed to where Edward’s voice had risen, and nodded. ‘Yes, yes he worked on the Manhattan Project, but did you know he also developed the world’s first nuclear rector, and contributed to the development of quantum theory, nuclear and particle physics, and statistical mechanics?’ Again the eyebrows went up.
Harper’s voice had become momentarily rushed as though responding to a challenge. He paused, staring in Edward’s direction for a few seconds before he smiled, and smoothly changed back to talking about the facility, his voice once again relaxed. ‘Since those early days we have grown, adding extra circumference, accelerators, and too many upgrades to mention.’
Harper waggled a finger in the air. ‘Although there is one worth mentioning.’ A giant image appeared behind him of a ruby red cylinder – glass-like, perfect – a magnificent stone. ‘Diamonds used to only be a girl’s best friend, well, now they’re the nuclear physicist’s greatest gift. They are unparalleled in their transmission of heat and light, and are virtually indestructible. Our friends down under at Australia’s Macquarie University found that their optical properties far surpassed anything else at the unique wavelengths required for high-powered laser technology. And red was best, because it allowed a pure beam without all of white light’s additional, fractious particles.’
Hands went up around the room – where was it found? Is it expensive? Is it here? Can we see it?
Harper waved the hands down. ‘For a start, we didn’t find it, we grew it. Took over a year to create this single, three-inch structure via chemical vapour deposition – the result, after cutting and polishing – a lens of perfect, consistent clarity. And, at US ten million dollars, it was a fraction of the cost of using a natural diamond. Not that you’d be lucky enough to ever find one like it.’
Harper looked at the image of the red diamond for a few seconds, the red glow reflecting on his shiny face as well as an expression that was a mix of pride and adoration. ‘Yes, we’ve come a long way.’
He lifted one arm theatrically to motion towards the screen. ‘To where we are today.’ Pictures of rolling green fields and forested countryside were displayed against a backing soundtrack of birdsong and soft music. It faded out, dream-like, to be replaced by images of the massive Tevatron collider.
The view shot into the sky, and panoramic pictures from miles overhead showed the size and scale of the gigantic Fermilab project. The physicist recited his lines with great enthusiasm – the world’s second most powerful proton-antiproton collider – four miles in diameter, but able to send particles around its gigantic ring at 99.999 per cent of the speed of light, completing the four-mile trip
‘Welcome to Fermilab . . . funny name right? He peered around the room, his eyebrows raised and an ironic smile indicating no answer was really expected.
‘Well, the science community you’ve come to today was originally home to the village of Weston, and was once little more than farmland. In fact, you might see some of the first barns still around the place. There’s even a small burial ground with tombstones dating all the way back to 1839. We still maintain it out of respect for the original inhabitants.’
Arn kept his mouth shut, even though his, and Dr. Harper’s, concept of original inhabitants differed by about 250 years.
Harper continued. ‘We weren’t always called Fermilab though. We actually started out as the National Accelerator Laboratory when President Lyndon B. Johnson himself commissioned it in 1967. But, in 1974 the laboratory was renamed in honour of Nobel Prize winner, Enrico Fermi, one of the most famous physicists of the atomic age and . . .’
Edward’s hand shot up, and at the same time his voice sprang from the dark next to Arn. ‘The father of the atomic bomb.’
Harper pointed to where Edward’s voice had risen, and nodded. ‘Yes, yes he worked on the Manhattan Project, but did you know he also developed the world’s first nuclear rector, and contributed to the development of quantum theory, nuclear and particle physics, and statistical mechanics?’ Again the eyebrows went up.
Harper’s voice had become momentarily rushed as though responding to a challenge. He paused, staring in Edward’s direction for a few seconds before he smiled, and smoothly changed back to talking about the facility, his voice once again relaxed. ‘Since those early days we have grown, adding extra circumference, accelerators, and too many upgrades to mention.’
Harper waggled a finger in the air. ‘Although there is one worth mentioning.’ A giant image appeared behind him of a ruby red cylinder – glass-like, perfect – a magnificent stone. ‘Diamonds used to only be a girl’s best friend, well, now they’re the nuclear physicist’s greatest gift. They are unparalleled in their transmission of heat and light, and are virtually indestructible. Our friends down under at Australia’s Macquarie University found that their optical properties far surpassed anything else at the unique wavelengths required for high-powered laser technology. And red was best, because it allowed a pure beam without all of white light’s additional, fractious particles.’
Hands went up around the room – where was it found? Is it expensive? Is it here? Can we see it?
Harper waved the hands down. ‘For a start, we didn’t find it, we grew it. Took over a year to create this single, three-inch structure via chemical vapour deposition – the result, after cutting and polishing – a lens of perfect, consistent clarity. And, at US ten million dollars, it was a fraction of the cost of using a natural diamond. Not that you’d be lucky enough to ever find one like it.’
Harper looked at the image of the red diamond for a few seconds, the red glow reflecting on his shiny face as well as an expression that was a mix of pride and adoration. ‘Yes, we’ve come a long way.’
He lifted one arm theatrically to motion towards the screen. ‘To where we are today.’ Pictures of rolling green fields and forested countryside were displayed against a backing soundtrack of birdsong and soft music. It faded out, dream-like, to be replaced by images of the massive Tevatron collider.
The view shot into the sky, and panoramic pictures from miles overhead showed the size and scale of the gigantic Fermilab project. The physicist recited his lines with great enthusiasm – the world’s second most powerful proton-antiproton collider – four miles in diameter, but able to send particles around its gigantic ring at 99.999 per cent of the speed of light, completing the four-mile trip
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