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Nature Physics, Published online: 06 March 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02446-8

Despite being essential to many applications in quantum science, entanglement can be easily disrupted by decoherence. A protocol based on repetitive quantum error correction now demonstrates enhanced coherence times of entangled logical qubits.

Nature Physics, Published online: 06 March 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-023-02376-x

Complexity of learning Hamiltonians from Gibbs states is an important issue for both many-body physics and machine learning. The optimal sample and time complexities of quantum Hamiltonian learning for high temperature has now been proven.

The Open Quantum Institute launches its pilot phase at CERN

The Open Quantum Institute (OQI) passes a new milestone today, with the operational launch at CERN. Following a successful one-year incubation period led by the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA), the new, three-year CERN-based pilot will build on the efforts to date to help unleash the full power of quantum computing for the benefit of all.

Proposed, designed, and incubated through GESDA, in collaboration with some 180 experts from all over the world, the OQI is a multilateral science diplomacy initiative, uniting academia, technology companies, the private sector, the diplomatic community, philanthropy organisations and global citizens in a joint effort towards more open and inclusive quantum computing. By facilitating equal access to cutting-edge nascent technologies, the OQI seeks to accelerate the potential of quantum computing for all society and to support the development of concrete quantum solutions aimed at achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

During its pilot phase, hosted at CERN and supported by the Union de Banques Suisses (UBS), the OQI will be part of CERN’s wider Quantum Technology Initiative (QTI), launched in 2020 and managed by the IT department. Building on QTI’s mission to explore the full potential of quantum technologies and to maximise their societal impact, the OQI will work to push the boundaries of geography and disciplines to ensure that quantum computing is harnessed to tackle some of the key global challenges.

“CERN offers ideal conditions for the development of the OQI, and my hope is that this initiative will not only be a success, but also a model of what scientific diplomacy can do to promote concrete projects of benefit to humanity”, says Fabiola Gianotti, CERN Director-General. “During the pilot phase, the OQI will benefit from CERN's experience in deploying scientific and technological progress to the benefit of society. We look forward to working with GESDA and other partners from academia, industry and government to ensure that quantum computing is accessible to all, including underserved regions of the world."

The focus will lie on the selection of SDG-related use cases to explore applications of quantum computing in fields like health, energy, climate action, clean water, and food security. Some examples of potential projects include: improving the sustainability of global food systems through quantum computing optimisation (addressing SDG 2, zero hunger); finding quantum machine learning solutions to improve medical imaging accuracy and early diagnosis of diseases (addressing SDG 3, good health and well-being); and using quantum computing simulation to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (addressing SDG 13, climate action).

“The UN’s SDGs represent the international community’s collective view of what the greatest societal challenges are today,” says Enrica Porcari, Head of CERN’s IT department. “This is why we are proud to host the OQI at CERN and to provide a platform for innovation, fostering real-world applications of quantum computing to address the SDGs.”

CERN will host the OQI from 2024 to 2026 and support three or four projects targeting SDG-related use cases. It will also lay the foundation for the next phase of the programme and potentially become a reference point for other initiatives aimed at deploying quantum technologies to address societal challenges. GESDA will remain the science diplomacy advisor and fundraiser, helping to ensure the continuity of the initiative and contributing to its diplomatic engagement, while UBS will act as the lead support partner, ensuring further growth of the institute.

Organisations and individuals, committed to human-centred, inclusive and responsible quantum computing, can play their part in OQI by submitting use cases for SDGs, developing educational tools, curating the diplomatic dialogue on quantum computing and much more.

For full details on how to get involved, please visit the website, and follow OQI on LinkedIn and X.

abelchio Mon, 03/04/2024 - 15:46 Byline Anastasiia Lazuka Publication Date Tue, 03/05/2024 - 17:31

The Open Quantum Institute launches its pilot phase at CERN

The Open Quantum Institute (OQI) passes a new milestone today, with the operational launch at CERN. Following a successful one-year incubation period led by the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA), the new, three-year CERN-based pilot will build on the efforts to date to help unleash the full power of quantum computing for the benefit of all.

Proposed, designed, and incubated through GESDA, in collaboration with some 180 experts from all over the world, the OQI is a multilateral science diplomacy initiative, uniting academia, technology companies, the private sector, the diplomatic community, philanthropy organisations and global citizens in a joint effort towards more open and inclusive quantum computing. By facilitating equal access to cutting-edge nascent technologies, the OQI seeks to accelerate the potential of quantum computing for all society and to support the development of concrete quantum solutions aimed at achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

During its pilot phase, hosted at CERN and supported by the Union de Banques Suisses (UBS), the OQI will be part of CERN’s wider Quantum Technology Initiative (QTI), launched in 2020 and managed by the IT department. Building on QTI’s mission to explore the full potential of quantum technologies and to maximise their societal impact, the OQI will work to push the boundaries of geography and disciplines to ensure that quantum computing is harnessed to tackle some of the key global challenges.

“CERN offers ideal conditions for the development of the OQI, and my hope is that this initiative will not only be a success, but also a model of what scientific diplomacy can do to promote concrete projects of benefit to humanity”, says Fabiola Gianotti, CERN Director-General. “During the pilot phase, the OQI will benefit from CERN's experience in deploying scientific and technological progress to the benefit of society. We look forward to working with GESDA and other partners from academia, industry and government to ensure that quantum computing is accessible to all, including underserved regions of the world."

The focus will lie on the selection of SDG-related use cases to explore applications of quantum computing in fields like health, energy, climate action, clean water, and food security. Some examples of potential projects include: improving the sustainability of global food systems through quantum computing optimisation (addressing SDG 2, zero hunger); finding quantum machine learning solutions to improve medical imaging accuracy and early diagnosis of diseases (addressing SDG 3, good health and well-being); and using quantum computing simulation to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (addressing SDG 13, climate action).

“The UN’s SDGs represent the international community’s collective view of what the greatest societal challenges are today,” says Enrica Porcari, Head of CERN’s IT department. “This is why we are proud to host the OQI at CERN and to provide a platform for innovation, fostering real-world applications of quantum computing to address the SDGs.”

CERN will host the OQI from 2024 to 2026 and support three or four projects targeting SDG-related use cases. It will also lay the foundation for the next phase of the programme and potentially become a reference point for other initiatives aimed at deploying quantum technologies to address societal challenges. GESDA will remain the science diplomacy advisor and fundraiser, helping to ensure the continuity of the initiative and contributing to its diplomatic engagement, while UBS will act as the lead support partner, ensuring further growth of the institute.

Organisations and individuals, committed to human-centred, inclusive and responsible quantum computing, can play their part in OQI by submitting use cases for SDGs, developing educational tools, curating the diplomatic dialogue on quantum computing and much more.

For full details on how to get involved, please visit the website, and follow OQI on LinkedIn and X.

abelchio Mon, 03/04/2024 - 15:46 Byline Anastasiia Lazuka Publication Date Tue, 03/05/2024 - 17:31

LHCb observes a new decay mode of the charmed beauty meson

The LHCb collaboration recently reported the first observation of the decay of the Bc+ meson (composed of two heavy quarks, b and c) into a J/ψ charm-anticharm quark bound state and a pair of pions, π+π0. The decay process shows a contribution from an intermediate particle, a ρ+ meson that forms for a brief moment and then decays into the π+π0 pair.

The Bc+ is the heaviest meson that can only decay through the weak interactions, via the decay of one heavy constituent quark. Bc+ decays into an odd number of light hadrons and a J/ψ (or other charm-anticharm quark bound states, called “charmonia”) have been studied intensively and have been found to be in remarkable agreement with the theoretical expectations. The decay of Bc+ into a J/ψ and a π+π0 pair is the simplest decay into charmonium and an even number of light hadrons. It has never been observed before, mainly because the precise reconstruction of the low-energy π0 meson through its decay into a pair of photons is very challenging in an LHC proton-proton collision environment.

A precise measurement of the Bc+→J/ψπ+π0 decay will allow better understanding of its possible contribution as a background source for the study of other decays of Bc mesons as well as rare decays of B0 mesons. From the theoretical point of view, decays of Bc into J/ψ and an even number of pions are closely related to the decays of the τ lepton into an even number of pions, and to the e+e– annihilation into an even number of pions. Precise measurements of e+e– annihilation into two pions in the ρ mass region (as in the Bc decay discussed here) are crucial for the interpretation of results from the Fermilab g-2 experiment measuring the anomalous magnetic dipole moment of the muon, since low-energy e+e– annihilation into hadrons is an important source of the uncertainty of the g-2 measurements.

The ratio of the probability of the new decay to that of the decay of Bc+ into J/ψπ+ has been calculated by various theorists over the last 30 years. Now these predictions can finally be compared with an experimental measurement: most predictions agree with the new result obtained by LHCb (2.80±0.15±0.11±0.16).

The large number of b-quarks produced in LHC collisions and the excellent detector allows LHCb to study the production, decays and other properties of the Bc+ meson in detail. Since the meson’s discovery by the CDF experiment at the Tevatron collider, 18 new Bc+ decays have been observed (with more than five standard deviations), all of them by LHCb.

Read more in the LHCb paper.

ptraczyk Mon, 03/04/2024 - 10:15 Byline LHCb collaboration Publication Date Mon, 03/04/2024 - 10:06

LHCb observes a new decay mode of the charmed beauty meson The LHCb detector (Image: M. Brice/CERN)

The LHCb collaboration recently reported the first observation of the decay of the Bc+ meson (composed of two heavy quarks, b and c) into a J/ψ charm-anticharm quark bound state and a pair of pions, π+π0. The decay process shows a contribution from an intermediate particle, a ρ+ meson that forms for a brief moment and then decays into the π+π0 pair.

The Bc+ is the heaviest meson that can only decay through the weak interactions, via the decay of one heavy constituent quark. Bc+ decays into an odd number of light hadrons and a J/ψ (or other charm-anticharm quark bound states, called “charmonia”) have been studied intensively and have been found to be in remarkable agreement with the theoretical expectations. The decay of Bc+ into a J/ψ and a π+π0 pair is the simplest decay into charmonium and an even number of light hadrons. It has never been observed before, mainly because the precise reconstruction of the low-energy π0 meson through its decay into a pair of photons is very challenging in an LHC proton-proton collision environment.

A precise measurement of the Bc+→J/ψπ+π0 decay will allow better understanding of its possible contribution as a background source for the study of other decays of Bc mesons as well as rare decays of B0 mesons. From the theoretical point of view, decays of Bc into J/ψ and an even number of pions are closely related to the decays of the τ lepton into an even number of pions, and to the e+e– annihilation into an even number of pions. Precise measurements of e+e– annihilation into two pions in the ρ mass region (as in the Bc decay discussed here) are crucial for the interpretation of results from the Fermilab g-2 experiment measuring the anomalous magnetic dipole moment of the muon, since low-energy e+e– annihilation into hadrons is an important source of the uncertainty of the g-2 measurements.

The ratio of the probability of the new decay to that of the decay of Bc+ into J/ψπ+ has been calculated by various theorists over the last 30 years. Now these predictions can finally be compared with an experimental measurement: most predictions agree with the new result obtained by LHCb (2.80±0.15±0.11±0.16).

The large number of b-quarks produced in LHC collisions and the excellent detector allows LHCb to study the production, decays and other properties of the Bc+ meson in detail. Since the meson’s discovery by the CDF experiment at the Tevatron collider, 18 new Bc+ decays have been observed (with more than five standard deviations), all of them by LHCb.

Read more in the LHCb paper.

ptraczyk Mon, 03/04/2024 - 10:15 Byline LHCb collaboration Publication Date Mon, 03/04/2024 - 10:06

Nature Physics, Published online: 04 March 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02411-5

Quantum computers promise to efficiently predict the structure and behaviour of molecules. This Perspective explores how this could overcome existing challenges in computational drug discovery.

Nature Physics, Published online: 01 March 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02407-1

Photon-mediated entanglement in atomic ensembles coupled to cavities enables the engineering of quantum states with a graph-like entanglement structure. This offers potential advantages in quantum computation and metrology.

Nature Physics, Published online: 01 March 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02405-3

Combining multiparticle levitation with cavity control enables cavity-mediated interaction between levitated nanoparticles, whose strength can be tailored via optical detuning and position of the two particles.

Nature Physics, Published online: 01 March 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02434-y

Spin polarons, bound states of a doped carrier and a spin flip excitation, are observed in a transition metal moiré bilayer.

Nature Physics, Published online: 01 March 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02420-4

Mode locking, which is a common technique to produce short laser pulses, is demonstrated in a topological laser.

Accelerator Report: Advancing smoothly through recommissioning and overcoming challenges

On 16 February, the symbolic LHC key was officially handed over to the Operations team, marking the start of the hardware recommissioning phase for the LHC. Early this week, 8600 hardware tests were successfully executed, out of the 10 336 tests that have to be performed. The injection of the first protons into the LHC is scheduled for 11 March, but could be brought forward by a few days if all goes well.

Meanwhile, the commissioning of the LHC injector chain is advancing smoothly. Linac4 is consistently delivering beams to the PS Booster, which has now set up and tuned all operational beams for downstream users. The PS has also set up the initial beams required by the SPS, including a single-bunch LHC beam and a low-intensity version of the beam that is destined for the SPS North Area experiments.

On the SPS front, hardware commissioning is proceeding according to plan, though not without some challenges. The “heat run”, a critical step in the commissioning process, involves pulsing the main magnets intensively for about 12 hours, with a current close to the maximum average current the magnets can operate with. The aim of the heat run is to detect any anomalies in the cooling of the magnets. Under normal conditions, the magnets will reach their steady state temperature after 20 to 30 minutes.

Last week, only 10 minutes after the beginning of the heat run, the operators in the CERN Control Centre (CCC) received an alarm: one or more magnets in one of the SPS sextants (one sixth of the machine’s circumference) had overheated. The magnets are protected against overheating; this protection cuts the electrical current circulating through the magnets to avoid any damage. A prompt intervention by experts equipped with thermal cameras identified the problematic magnet, and an investigation revealed that rubber debris from an anti-return valve was obstructing the cooling water flow. The issue was addressed by cleaning all 110 filters in the affected sextant and flushing the circuit, ensuring that no rubber debris was left. A second heat run confirmed that all the magnets are now operating at normal temperatures.

Overall, both hardware and beam commissioning activities across the accelerator complex are progressing well. Despite some issues, typical of the annual recommissioning, nothing has jeopardised the beam delivery schedule so far.

This thermal image clearly shows a significant temperature difference between the magnet on the left (in blue) and the overheating magnet on the right (in yellow). (Image: CERN) The water filter blocked with rubber debris. (Image: CERN)

 

anschaef Thu, 02/29/2024 - 10:40 Byline Rende Steerenberg Publication Date Thu, 02/29/2024 - 10:38

Accelerator Report: Advancing smoothly through recommissioning and overcoming challenges

On 16 February, the symbolic LHC key was officially handed over to the Operations team, marking the start of the hardware recommissioning phase for the LHC. Early this week, 8600 hardware tests were successfully executed, out of the 10 336 tests that have to be performed. The injection of the first protons into the LHC is scheduled for 11 March, but could be brought forward by a few days if all goes well.

Meanwhile, the commissioning of the LHC injector chain is advancing smoothly. Linac4 is consistently delivering beams to the PS Booster, which has now set up and tuned all operational beams for downstream users. The PS has also set up the initial beams required by the SPS, including a single-bunch LHC beam and a low-intensity version of the beam that is destined for the SPS North Area experiments.

On the SPS front, hardware commissioning is proceeding according to plan, though not without some challenges. The “heat run”, a critical step in the commissioning process, involves pulsing the main magnets intensively for about 12 hours, with a current close to the maximum average current the magnets can operate with. The aim of the heat run is to detect any anomalies in the cooling of the magnets. Under normal conditions, the magnets will reach their steady state temperature after 20 to 30 minutes.

Last week, only 10 minutes after the beginning of the heat run, the operators in the CERN Control Centre (CCC) received an alarm: one or more magnets in one of the SPS sextants (one sixth of the machine’s circumference) had overheated. The magnets are protected against overheating; this protection cuts the electrical current circulating through the magnets to avoid any damage. A prompt intervention by experts equipped with thermal cameras identified the problematic magnet, and an investigation revealed that rubber debris from an anti-return valve was obstructing the cooling water flow. The issue was addressed by cleaning all 110 filters in the affected sextant and flushing the circuit, ensuring that no rubber debris was left. A second heat run confirmed that all the magnets are now operating at normal temperatures.

Overall, both hardware and beam commissioning activities across the accelerator complex are progressing well. Despite some issues, typical of the annual recommissioning, nothing has jeopardised the beam delivery schedule so far.

This thermal image clearly shows a significant temperature difference between the magnet on the left (in blue) and the overheating magnet on the right (in yellow). (Image: CERN) The water filter blocked with rubber debris. (Image: CERN)

 

anschaef Thu, 02/29/2024 - 10:40 Byline Rende Steerenberg Publication Date Thu, 02/29/2024 - 10:38

Nature Physics, Published online: 29 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02426-y

Most applications of surface plasmons are based on their near-field properties. These properties are now shown to be governed by nonclassical scattering between multiparticle plasmonic subsystems.

We love your CERN poems

CERN community, we asked you to send us your CERN-related Valentine’s poems, thank you for all the entries that we received! It wasn’t easy to pick a favourite, but in the end, here is our winning English poem:

Ninety five percent of the Universe
has not been discovered, yet
My search for perfection stopped
when I saw you – si parfaite

You Opened the Gateway to my heart
You’re in all my Ideas, fair and Square
The force that draws me to you
Is stronger than the ions from LEIR

I had my whole week blocked
To just look at you in awe
until you broke my heart by saying
“I work in Prevessin”

When it comes to you,
I don’t have to think twice
Will you meet me halfway
At CERN Animal Shelter for Computer Mice?

In the end it’s you and me, 
Surrounded by all this neige
Our own little Quantum Entanglement
Where Data becomes Knowledge

By Varsha Bhat (IT/CD)

A special mention also goes to the CMS and ATLAS haikus:

What is CMS?
Compact Muon Solenoid.
The best detector.

By Sofia Hurst (EP/CMX)


I love you, ATLAS.
CMS got long bus rides.
We got point 1. ha.

By Rea Thornberry (EP/UAT)

The authors of the winning English poem and winning French poem each receive a goodie bag from the CERN shop including “I love CERN” socks, an attractive magnetic pencil and a Standard Model notebook to compose more odes to technology.

Thank you once again to everyone who entered. The full list of poems is available here: https://cern.ch/2024-poems (CERN login required).

 

katebrad Wed, 02/28/2024 - 11:15 Byline Internal Communication Publication Date Thu, 02/29/2024 - 12:13

We love your CERN poems

CERN community, we asked you to send us your CERN-related Valentine’s poems, thank you for all the entries that we received! It wasn’t easy to pick a favourite, but in the end, here is our winning English poem:

Ninety five percent of the Universe
has not been discovered, yet
My search for perfection stopped
when I saw you – si parfaite

You Opened the Gateway to my heart
You’re in all my Ideas, fair and Square
The force that draws me to you
Is stronger than the ions from LEIR

I had my whole week blocked
To just look at you in awe
until you broke my heart by saying
“I work in Prevessin”

When it comes to you,
I don’t have to think twice
Will you meet me halfway
At CERN Animal Shelter for Computer Mice?

In the end it’s you and me, 
Surrounded by all this neige
Our own little Quantum Entanglement
Where Data becomes Knowledge

By Varsha Bhat (IT/CD)

A special mention also goes to the CMS and ATLAS haikus:

What is CMS?
Compact Muon Solenoid.
The best detector.

By Sofia Hurst (EP/CMX)


I love you, ATLAS.
CMS got long bus rides.
We got point 1. ha.

By Rea Thornberry (EP/UAT)

The authors of the winning English poem and winning French poem each receive a goodie bag from the CERN shop including “I love CERN” socks, an attractive magnetic pencil and a Standard Model notebook to compose more odes to technology.

Thank you once again to everyone who entered. The full list of poems is available here: https://cern.ch/2024-poems (CERN login required).

 

katebrad Wed, 02/28/2024 - 11:15 Byline Internal Communication Publication Date Thu, 02/29/2024 - 12:13

ABB and CERN identify 17.4% energy-saving opportunity in the Laboratory’s cooling and ventilation motors

In a joint research project conducted between 2022 and 2023, ABB and CERN developed a roadmap for reducing the energy consumption of CERN’s cooling and ventilation systems via data-driven energy efficiency audits. These systems are responsible for the cooling and ventilation of CERN’s accelerator complex, experimental areas and data centres. The roadmap identified potential annual energy savings of up to 31 gigawatt-hours (GWh). If achieved, these savings could be enough to power more than 18,000 European households(1) and could avoid 4 kilotonnes of CO2 emissions(2), the same as planting 420,000 trees(3).

Energy efficiency audits involve evaluating the performance and efficiency of motors, based on their operating data. Such audits help large facilities like CERN to identify the most significant energy-saving opportunities across whole groups of motors. CERN and ABB experts assessed a wide variety of data from motors used for various cooling and ventilation applications. They combined data from multiple sources, including digitally connected motors, CERN’s supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, which is responsible for the control and monitoring of the cooling and ventilation installations, and data gathered directly from pumps, piping and instrumentation. The experts analysed the efficiency of the whole system in order to pinpoint the motors that present the best business case for energy efficiency upgrades.

Giovanni Anelli, Head of CERN’s Knowledge Transfer group, said, “The collaboration with ABB was set up with the aim of optimising the Laboratory’s cooling and ventilation infrastructure to reduce its energy consumption, and is in line with CERN’s commitment to minimise its environmental footprint as well as to share the findings publicly for the benefit of society. It’s an excellent example of collaboration where each side brings its own contribution to the table. CERN brings its large-scale infrastructure and ABB contributes with its technology and service expertise. We are very happy with the final result of this research project as we have exceeded our goal of identifying a 10-15% energy efficiency improvement.”

“We are proud to cooperate with CERN and to support its goal to conduct physics research with a low-carbon footprint by helping it to improve the energy efficiency of its cooling and ventilation systems,” said Erich Labuda, President of the Motion Services division at ABB.

CERN’s next step will be to selectively upgrade motors with the highest energy-saving potential, based on the data collected during the audit.

(1) EU average (~1670 kWh/year)

(2) Electricity Maps | Live 24/7 CO2 emissions of electricity consumption

(3) How Much CO2 Does A Tree Absorb? – One Tree Planted

_________

Read the press release published by ABB today.

anschaef Wed, 02/28/2024 - 10:34 Byline CERN Knowledge Transfer group Publication Date Wed, 02/28/2024 - 10:29

ABB and CERN identify 17.4% energy-saving opportunity in the Laboratory’s cooling and ventilation motors

In a joint research project conducted between 2022 and 2023, ABB and CERN developed a roadmap for reducing the energy consumption of CERN’s cooling and ventilation systems via data-driven energy efficiency audits. These systems are responsible for the cooling and ventilation of CERN’s accelerator complex, experimental areas and data centres. The roadmap identified potential annual energy savings of up to 31 gigawatt-hours (GWh). If achieved, these savings could be enough to power more than 18,000 European households(1) and could avoid 4 kilotonnes of CO2 emissions(2), the same as planting 420,000 trees(3).

Energy efficiency audits involve evaluating the performance and efficiency of motors, based on their operating data. Such audits help large facilities like CERN to identify the most significant energy-saving opportunities across whole groups of motors. CERN and ABB experts assessed a wide variety of data from motors used for various cooling and ventilation applications. They combined data from multiple sources, including digitally connected motors, CERN’s supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, which is responsible for the control and monitoring of the cooling and ventilation installations, and data gathered directly from pumps, piping and instrumentation. The experts analysed the efficiency of the whole system in order to pinpoint the motors that present the best business case for energy efficiency upgrades.

Giovanni Anelli, Head of CERN’s Knowledge Transfer group, said, “The collaboration with ABB was set up with the aim of optimising the Laboratory’s cooling and ventilation infrastructure to reduce its energy consumption, and is in line with CERN’s commitment to minimise its environmental footprint as well as to share the findings publicly for the benefit of society. It’s an excellent example of collaboration where each side brings its own contribution to the table. CERN brings its large-scale infrastructure and ABB contributes with its technology and service expertise. We are very happy with the final result of this research project as we have exceeded our goal of identifying a 10-15% energy efficiency improvement.”

“We are proud to cooperate with CERN and to support its goal to conduct physics research with a low-carbon footprint by helping it to improve the energy efficiency of its cooling and ventilation systems,” said Erich Labuda, President of the Motion Services division at ABB.

CERN’s next step will be to selectively upgrade motors with the highest energy-saving potential, based on the data collected during the audit.

(1) EU average (~1670 kWh/year)

(2) Electricity Maps | Live 24/7 CO2 emissions of electricity consumption

(3) How Much CO2 Does A Tree Absorb? – One Tree Planted

_________

Read the press release published by ABB today.

anschaef Wed, 02/28/2024 - 10:34 Byline CERN Knowledge Transfer group Publication Date Wed, 02/28/2024 - 10:29

Nature Physics, Published online: 28 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02408-0

Cluster states made from multiple photons with a special entanglement structure are a useful resource for quantum technologies. Two-dimensional cluster states of microwave photons have now been deterministically generated using a superconducting circuit.

Computer Security: The hardship of three security paradigms

Bravo to all those who participated in the Bull**** Bingo in the last Bulletin issue, in particular to those who sent in their solution and won a delicious Hawaiian pizza topped with pineapple and a Coke. Given the many replies, it seems that our Bingo was too easy? But that’s what “security” should be: easy, straightforward, simple. Paradigm #1 ─ the “KISS” paradigm: “Keep it simple, stupid”.

Unfortunately, this simplicity is spoiled time and again by the complex computing environment at CERN mixing the divergent needs of academia (research and computing sector), administration (finance and HR sector) and industry (the accelerator sector); by CERN’s legacy of using its resources for personal business like sending/receiving private emails, hosting personal webpages, or our bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy to connect all of your own devices to CERN’s campus network; by the cacophony of historically grown systems performing similar ─ but not identical ─ tasks (CDS/CERNBox/EDMS/EOS/Google Workspaces/MyFiles/OneDrive/Sharepoint, or Kubernetes vs OpenStack vs OpenShift); and the problems coming with the cacophony of terminating old and outdated services (like the very slow and complicated AFS and DFS migration to CERNBox, killing the old SSO for the benefit of  the new one, or moving Drupal-hosted websites to WordPress). So, KISS is hardly a reality at CERN. We should strive to do better. Simpler. More homogenous. More centralised. More controlled. KISS.

Unfortunately, again, and given additional constraints ─ lack of resources or time pressure ─ paradigm #2 kicks in: “cheap, convenient, secure ─ pick two”. That makes security a permanent uphill struggle as nobody would pick “secure” given that “cheap” and “convenient” always trump. Would you? Instead, security is given low priority, filed to the back, and applied only when time and resources allow (or the implementers are security aware). Again, we should strive to do better. Last year’s audit on cybersecurity urged higher priority and recommended that the Organization “define and implement a process to ensure security is considered in any project” and “implement a security risk management process” under the auspices of the Computer Security team (a dedicated Bulletin article on this topic will be published soon).

Following general best practices ─ and as re-emphasised by the aforementioned audit ─ the Computer Security team has always aimed to deploy and deepen “defence-in-depth” ─ paradigm #3. With your help ─ given that “security is everyone’s responsibility” (Bingo solution C1) ─ “2FA is a big step forward for account protection” (A2) and we are grateful to now have more than 10 000 accounts under this protection. On another defence level, we succeed well at dismissing malicious websites, domains and IPs on the firewall level, but struggle to filter malicious emails (and promise to improve on that during 2024). Still, we are counting on you to detect those that made it through: “Only the link behind a text/QR code reveals its truth” (B3). But we also try to help you, as “CERN’s anti-malware software is free for you to download” (E4)*. Defence-in-depth. Hard to implement, but possible to have.

Hence, these paradigms “KISS ─ keep it simple, stupid” and “defence-in-depth” go hand in hand once we all jointly pick the right two of “cheap, convenient, secure”. Let’s overcome the hardship imposed by these three paradigms. You and us together. Together securing the Organization. Preventing any disasters.

 

* The fifth solution is D5 ─ “Encryption is easy; key management is complicated” ─ but that is a technical detail being taken care of inside IT.

_______

Do you want to learn more about computer security incidents and issues at CERN? Follow our Monthly Report. For further information, questions or help, check our website or contact us at Computer.Security@cern.ch.

anschaef Mon, 02/26/2024 - 13:22 Byline Computer Security team Publication Date Mon, 02/26/2024 - 13:18