Dream Jobs: Particle physicist

By Alexa Kurzius on 03.11.20

Word Count ​857
Level ​MAX

Scientist Jessica Esquivel stands in front of a giant electromagnet that she uses in her daily work studying very small particles that are in the
universe. Photo by: Reidar Hahn/Fermilab

Most workdays, Jessica Esquivel searches for a tiny, pesky particle that is nearly impossible to
observe. She and other scientists are using this particle to learn about new, undiscovered physics.
Known as a muon, it's like an electron, but it's about 200 times more massive and much more
elusive. "I can't look at it under a microscope and see what it looks like," she says.

Instead, she relies on a giant circular electromagnet 50 feet in diameter that shoots particles at
nearly the speed of light. An electromagnet is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is
generated by an electric current. The hope is that this electromagnet — also known as a particle
storage ring — at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois, will teach physicists more about muons and how
they behave in the universe.

Studying Physics

Physics is the study of the nature and properties of energy and matter. Particle physicists, like
Esquivel, focus on the tiny, subatomic particles that are smaller than an atom, such as electrons
and muons. These particles, along with others like quarks and neutrinos, make up our universe.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

But very little is known about most of them because they pop into and out of existence for very
brief moments. "There are no answers to the questions we are asking," Esquivel says. And often, a
new discovery leads to many more questions than answers.
Today, Esquivel is comfortable with a profession full of tough questions and uncertainty. But it
wasn't always that way. Growing up in McAllen, Texas, Esquivel was fascinated by outer space. She
loved watching science fiction movies with her aunt and attending math and science summer
camps. Later, she went to specialized middle and high schools for science. And though she was
often one of few Afrolatinx women in these environments (Esquivel is black and Mexican), it didn't
affect her as much because she could identify with other groups in her Latino community.

That changed when she went off to college and graduate school. As an applied physics and
electrical engineering major, Esquivel was often one of a few women in her college classes at St.
Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. When she got to graduate school, she was the only
Afrolatinx, the only lesbian and practically the only woman in the physics department at Syracuse
University in Syracuse, New York. "I had persistent feelings of not belonging," she says.

Though she struggled, she learned she was not alone in wanting more diverse representation in
science. Her family, teachers and mentors encouraged her along the way. She especially credits her
undergraduate physics professor, Richard Cardenas, who was recognized by President Obama for
advocating underrepresented groups to pursue science. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be where I
am today," she says.

This mentorship continued during her graduate studies, with some professors helping her stick
with her studies when she wanted to quit. Ultimately, she stuck with her passion for physics and
received her Ph.D. in 2018. She began working at Fermilab full-time soon after. "It just goes to
show the importance of having good mentors," she says.

How National Labs Help Support Scientific Discovery

National labs like Fermilab are instrumental in helping scientists conduct basic research, which
aims to increase our knowledge and understanding of the world around us. Basic research is
different from applied research, which uses scientific discovery to solve a particular problem.

During World War II, the U.S. government funded a lot of scientific research related to radar,
telecommunications and atomic energy. This led to many advances in these fields, as well as
others. National labs were created following World War II to build on this success, enable
scientists to continue their research, and provide the highly technical, expensive equipment for use
in ongoing research.

Today, there are 17 Department of Energy national labs nationwide. Scientists from around the
world can visit the labs and conduct basic and applied research projects there. Fermilab, located
40 miles outside of Chicago, Illinois, focuses entirely on particle physics and related fields. The
large experiment that Esquivel works on for her research is just one of many at the lab.

For the muon experiment, Esquivel collaborates with a team of scientists. They shoot muons into
the particle storage ring. Then they watch for collisions between the muons and virtual particles
that pop in and out of existence in the storage ring. Normally, muons spin like a top, though this
spinning action changes when they collide with another subatomic particle. The team uses precise
measurement tools, such as electromagnetic probes and calorimeters, to measure the magnetic

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

field and the energies of the muons. This is so they can see into what these collisions look like. It
requires massive amounts of data from these collisions to interpret their observations precisely.
 There are still so many things that scientists don't know about subatomic particles. But for now,
Esquivel is excited to continue her work on them. "Everything around us is made from these
fundamental building blocks," she says. Learning more about them "helps us understand how
atoms interact with each other and how galaxies form," she says.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

Quiz
1 Which of the following would BEST describe Jessica Esquivel's reaction to working with muons? (A) She thinks it is boring

work because she rather be studying electrons using circular electromagnets. (B) She thinks it is exciting work

because she loves studying subatomic particles under the microscope.

(C) She thinks it is frustrating work because very little is known about muons and it makes experiments seem
pointless.

(D) She thinks it is interesting work and is enthusiastic about learning more about muons' role in the
formation of galaxies.

2 Which of the following BEST explains how Jessica Esquivel interacted with Richard Cardenas? (A) Esquivel and Cardenas

worked together to bring more diverse representation to Syracuse University.

(B) Esquivel and Cardenas worked together on the experiment that studied the effects of virtual particles on muons.

(C) Esquivel was encouraged by Cardenas to continue her physics studies despite feeling like an outsider in the
physics department.

(D) Esquivel was the main reason why Cardenas was honored by President Obama for his work with
underrepresented groups in science.

3 A reader of the article suggested that the author included the section "Studying Physics" to describe the work Esquivel does today.

Is this a reasonable claim? Which selection from the article BEST supports your answer?

(A) Yes; "Particle physicists, like Esquivel, focus on the tiny, subatomic particles that are smaller than an atom,
such as electrons and muons."

(B) Yes; "'There are no answers to the questions we are asking,' Esquivel says. And often, a new discovery leads to
many more questions than answers."

(C) No; "Today, Esquivel is comfortable with a profession full of tough questions and uncertainty. But it wasn't
always that way."

(D) No.; "Growing up in McAllen, Texas, Esquivel was fascinated by outer space. She loved watching science
fiction movies with her aunt and attending math and science summer camps."

4 Read the following paragraph from the Introduction [paragraphs 1-2].

Instead, she relies on a giant circular electromagnet 50 feet in diameter that shoots particles at
nearly the speed of light. An electromagnet is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is
generated by an electric current. The hope is that this electromagnet — also known as a particle
storage ring — at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois, will teach physicists more about muons and how
they behave in the universe.

What is the MAIN reason why the author includes this paragraph in the article?

(A) It describes how Fermilab formed and why it is important.

(B) It describes the experiment that Esquivel is working on at Fermilab.

(C) It explains why Esquivel first got interested in particle physics.

(D) It explains why Esquivel felt that she did not belong to her physics program.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.