The discovery of the {ital b} quark at Fermilab in 1977: The experiment coordinator{close_quote}s story
- Fermilab, Batavia, Illinois 60510 (United States)
I present the history of the discovery of the Upsilon ({Upsilon}) particle (the first member of the {ital b}-quark family to be observed) at Fermilab in 1977 by the CFS (Columbia-Fermilab-Stony Brook collaboration) E288 experiment headed by Leon Lederman. We found the first evidence of the {Upsilon} in November 1976 in an early phase of E288. The subsequent discovery in the spring of 1977 resulted from an upgraded E288{emdash}the {mu}{mu}II phase, optimized for dimuons, with about 100 times the sensitivity of the previous investigatory dimuon phase (which had been optimized for dielectrons). The events leading to the discovery, the planning of {mu}{mu}II and the running, including a misadventure (the infamous Shunt Fire of May 1977), are described. Some discussions of the aftermath, a summary, and an acknowledgment list end this brief historical note. {copyright} {ital 1998 American Institute of Physics.}
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 639018
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9706203-; ISSN 0094-243X; TRN: 98:007355
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 424, Issue 1; Conference: Symposium on twenty beautiful years of bottom physics, Chicago, IL (United States), 29 Jun - 2 Jul 1997; Other Information: PBD: Feb 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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