"When you first hear an amazing song, you experience it totally and freely and let the sounds sink into your 'soul'..." and so goes the latest blog post from nuclear physicist Chris Ruiz in the global web project known as Quantum Diaries. One of a team of ten nuclear and particle physicists around the world, Ruiz is sharing his life in physics, music, and family with the world in a new online site just launched today.
As you continue to scroll down his seemingly incongruous blog post, Ruiz explains "We, as musicians, feel compelled to listen deeper, to understand just how the guitarist hit that pinch harmonic...we try to mimic the music, and we take it and we make it our own... but do we now think that the music is less beautiful because we have taken away the mystery? I don't think so, the passion stays, and that is what drives musicians, and also scientists, because there is always joy in understanding, and always another puzzle to solve."
Originally created in 2005 to celebrate the World Year of Physics, the Quantum Diaries have allowed readers from all over the world to obtain a closer look at what it's like to be a physicist. This opportunity has led thousands to learn about the latest innovations and cutting edge technology at some of the most renowned labs and universities for particle physics. This year, writing in multiple languages, new diarists will join every month to share their latest research findings and blog about their lives.
Currently two out of the ten physicists that are actively participating in this project work at TRIUMF, Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics. Chris Ruiz is a group leader for the DRAGON experiment, measuring the rates of important nuclear fusion reactions for astrophysics using accelerated radioactive nuclear beams. In regards to the significance of this experience, Ruiz says "Representing TRIUMF by blogging in the Quantum Diaries allows me to share my passion for the work that I do, and to try to reach out to those people out there who are deeply interested in physics but sometimes can't get past our veil of technical jargon and mathematics. The opening of this blog comes at an exciting time when many radioactive beam experiments are being performed here at TRIUMF for Nuclear Astrophysics. In addition, the blogging is not only about the actual science that we do," Ruiz highlights "but also the other, more mundane parts of our lives that give people a chance to see that physicists are not all wild-haired, white-coated mad scientists, but share the same life experiences and day-to-day problems, joys, thoughts and experiences as everyone else. "
Anadi Canepa is a research scientist at TRIUMF currently working at CERN in the ATLAS experiment. She is enthusiastic about sharing her latest experiences. She introduces the Large Hadron Collider in her first blog, providing an excellent description of the particle accelerator and encourages her readers to learn more about it. When asked about her impressions of this project, she says "the Quantum Diaries is an opportunity for me to share my every day experiences as a TRIUMF scientist based at CERN. Exciting times are ahead of us in the field of particle physics. The Quantum Diaries is one of the best ways of communicating with the public and stimulating their curiosity. By exposing young physicists to the fascination of our research, the Quantum Diaries can also play a role in expanding our field."
TRIUMF is proud to have two of its members participating in the Quantum Diaries and looks forward to continue to integrate with the particle physics community and its followers worldwide. This project was developed and maintained by the InterAction Collaboration. Their representatives from labs in Europe, North America and Asia, support the science of particle physics and set visible footprints for peaceful collaboration across all borders.
To learn more about Quantum Diaries visit: http://www.quantumdiaries.org/
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| Chris Ruiz | Anadi Canepa |
By: Maria Jose Cousillat