Today we acknowledge International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGIS). We are called to celebrate the achievements of leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Empowering and supporting the next generation of scientists is crucial as they will be shaping the future of science and innovation. 

The UNESCO theme of IDWGIS 2026 is From Vision to Impact: Redefining STEM by Closing the Gender Gap.” This theme shifts the focus from recommendations and reflection to showcasing existing good practices and solutions for building more inclusive STEM ecosystems. Women continue to represent less than one third of the world’s researchers. Closing the gender gap matters not only for fairness, but also for the quality, relevance and impact of science, technology and innovation.

At TRIUMF, we are proud to be an organization that empowers women to lead, innovate, and break barriers in research and discovery. From groundbreaking experiments to inspiring the next generation of scientists, women and girls are making a profound impact every day. 

Most recently, TRIUMF hosted a special seminar by Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo. Julie is a full professor at the Université de Montréal, in high-energy and extragalactic astrophysics. Hlavacek-Larrondo leads pioneering initiatives for increasing representation of women in STEMs as founder of Parité Science. 

Resources: 

• UNESCO: Celebrating Diversity of Cultural Expressions & Creative Resilience | Diversity of Cultural Expressions
• Picture a Scientist
• Be an Ally for Women in STEM! – Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology – Simon Fraser University
• SCWIST – Advocating for Diversity in STEM
• Home – Canadian Association for Girls In Science (CAGIS)

We’re finally able to share the results of our local photowalk that occurred last summer at TRIUMF and invite you to vote on the Global Photowalk’s website.

Locally, a group of judges reviewed all 50 submitted images from the group of photographers that spent an afternoon at TRIUMF. They then chose their top three images which were submitted to the Global competition. We’ll share those results once the Global competition announces the winners next month.

Late last year, we opened the voting up to our internal community at TRIUMF to vote on a local People’s Choice Award and you can now view the results of that vote. You can also view all the submissions from the participating local photographers.

The Global Physics Photowalk Competition

The Global competition winners will be announced on February 12th at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, where they will also be displayed for the first time. A selection of the winning photos will also be published in the CERN Courier.

“We are thrilled to invite the public to help judge this international competition showcasing physics experiments from around the world,” said Peter Genzer, co-chair of the Interactions Collaboration and manager of the Media & Communications Office at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory. “Each of these 48 photographs offers a unique window into different cultures, environments, and human experiences. We invite everyone to view these remarkable images and help us select the winners.”

The Global Physics Photowalk is organized by the Interactions Collaboration, an international network of particle physics institutions. This is the third Photowalk hosted by Interactions. Past Photowalks were carried out in 2015 and 2018.

How to Vote

Public voting is open from Jan. 13 through Jan. 27. To cast your vote, visit the official voting webpage and select your favorite photograph.

The Global Physics Photowalk 2025 attracted more than 500 submissions from more than 100 photographers representing diverse backgrounds and styles. 

For more information about the competition, to view the photographs, or to cast your vote, please visit the Global Physics Photowalk 2025 website at Interactions.org.

Follow the Photowalk on social media with #PhysPics25.

In a press release issued on November 28, Airbus noted “Analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft has revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.” 

Though some experts highlight that solar monitoring data does not point to an intense solar radiation event on October 30 – associated with a solar flare – as the cause of this particular failure, the sweeping recall of the A320 (the most flown commercial aircraft globally) and ensuing examination of Airbus’ on-board computing systems has brought broader focus to the dangers of intense solar or cosmic radiation on the functioning of aeronautics and aviation equipment.  

The risk that damaging cosmic radiation can pose to aircraft and travellers is serious. In a communication regarding the October 30 incident, the typically cautious European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued an ominous warning: “This condition, if not corrected, could lead in the worst-case scenario to an uncommanded elevator movement that may result in exceeding the aircraft’s structural capability.” 

More widely, the event underscored what many in the aerospace industry have known for decades: even the most advanced technologies are not immune to nature’s high-energy environment. As electronic systems grow ever more complex, the need to understand and protect against radiation-induced failures has never been greater.  

To defend against hazardous cosmic rays originating outside the Solar System or solar flare events from our Sun, makers of planes and satellites can turn to only a handful of facilities worldwide. 

This is where TRIUMF’s shield against cosmic radiation – the Proton and Neutron Irradiation Facilities (PIF & NIF) – consistently make a global impact. 

Turning rare events into actionable science

PIF & NIF offer essential infrastructure and facilities for “radiation-hardness testing”, a mission-critical step in designing hardware that will fly safely through weeks, months, or years of high-radiation cosmic exposure. By enabling manufacturers and designers to stress-test electronics under simulated extreme conditions, TRIUMF helps ensure that failures like the recent aircraft glitch remain rare, detectable, and correctable before deployment. Long before an aircraft takes flight or a satellite is launched, its components undergo rigorous qualification to verify how they behave under space-like conditions that cannot be reproduced in a factory or simulation.  

Powered by TRIUMF’s 520 MeV cyclotron, teams of world-leading experts at PIF & NIF deliver proton and neutron beams that closely mimic the radiation environments encountered on the ground, at aircraft cruising altitudes, in low-Earth orbit, and beyond. Just a few minutes in these beams can simulate years’ worth of cosmic exposure, allowing manufacturers, researchers, and mission designers to validate electronic components long before they are deployed.  

“TRIUMF is unique in its capability to provide both proton and neutron irradiation facilities that are suitable for testing satellite and aircraft electronics respectively,” said Dr. Alex Hands, PIF & NIF Facility Scientist. “No other facility in the world enables industry to develop protections against harmful radiation effects across the aerospace environment.” 

Each year, approximately 200 users from around the world (including CISCO, MDA Space, Samsung, and others) rely on TRIUMF’s cyclotron and PIF & NIF infrastructure to strengthen reliability across defence, aerospace, communications, medical technologies, and other sectors where safety is paramount. 

A Strategic Asset for Canada 

The A320 recall serves as a cautionary reminder of how interconnected global safety, technology, and science have become.  

As Canada’s particle accelerator centre, TRIUMF plays a key role in ensuring the technologies people depend on every day are prepared for the radiation realities of their operating environment. TRIUMF’s irradiation facilities are embedded in these solutions: a homegrown capability that positions Canada as one of only a handful of nations with the infrastructure necessary to provide lifesaving, mission-critical radiation testing at this scale and sophistication.  

As Canada seeks to expand its capabilities in areas like aerospace and defence, the need for robust science infrastructure grows. TRIUMF stands at that intersection: an essential contributor to Canada’s science and innovation ecosystem, and a trusted global partner helping keep travellers, satellites, and critical technologies safe every day. 

• Read more about PIF & NIF here. 

• Read more about Radiation Effects in Electronics here. 

• Learn about Radiation Environments with this animated infographic. 

The case study feature recognizes the careful work behind the site’s design, from the accessibility-first approach to the clear information architecture, and shines a light on the in-house expertise that shaped it. For TRIUMF’s Communications team, this acknowledgement reflects the thoughtfulness, skill, and strategy that went into translating complex national research programs into an online experience that is welcoming, intuitive, and built for everyone. The team has previously garnered three national graphic design awards for high-impact design work that supports the lab’s mission, strengthens public understanding, and represents Canada’s particle accelerator centre with clarity and pride. 

Read the full feature on RGD’s website to see how the project came together and why the project is being acknowledged as an example of accessible design leadership: https://accessability.rgd.ca/case-studies/triumf-website/  

(image: incoming CERN Director-General Mark Thomson, joined by Executive Director Nigel Smith, during a TRIUMF tour)

Across the week of November 17, 2025, TRIUMF welcomed CERN Director-General designate Mark Thomson to Canada, beginning with a visit to the lab, followed by a series of engagements with stakeholders and officials in Ottawa. Thomson’s visit highlighted the strong connections between Canada’s physics community and the international organization, and the shared recognition of the role that major research infrastructure (MRF) plays in driving research and development, innovation, and prosperity.  

While in Ottawa, TRIUMF convened a panel at the 2025 Canadian Science Policy Conference where Thomson joined TRIUMF Executive Director Nigel Smith, KEK Director General Shoji Asai, CNRS Scientific Director in charge of Nuclear Physics Marcella Grasso, and moderator David Castle (Researcher in Residence at the Office of the Chief Science Advisor and University of Victoria professor) for a discussion on the role MRFs play in driving collaboration, innovation and national resilience. The panel explored how international facilities like TRIUMF and CERN drive economic, social, and strategic benefits globally, and how Canada can better leverage its national assets in the face of a shifting global landscape.  

Following the panel, the group was hosted for a reception in Parliament by TRIUMF’s Member of Parliament Wade Grant (Vancouver Quadra). The event brought together the leaders of these international facilities with various members of parliament, policy stakeholders, and staff for a reception highlighting Canada’s international science leadership and critical role in the global science ecosystem.  

(image: Mark Thomson addressing the audience as part of the TRIUMF reception in Ottawa)

“It was a pleasure to welcome CERN’s Director-General Mark Thomson to TRIUMF,” said Smith. “His visit was a meaningful recognition of the science infrastructure Canada has built and the value of Canadian science on the global stage. Like CERN, TRIUMF plays a pivotal role for our nation in driving discovery, training talent, building national resilience, and connecting to the broader world of research. We look forward to continuing to strengthen strategic partnerships between Canada and Europe in the areas of science and innovation.  

See more photos from Mark Thomson’s visit here. 

Though the shipping process is rigorous and well-defined, it is still a tense experience for the project team.

“We did everything we could to make extra-sure it didn’t arrive in more pieces than it was shipped!” said Dr. Luise Poley, TRIUMF Project Scientist.

(image: Emily Filmer, TRIUMF Postdoctoral Researcher, with the completed Inner Tracker petal at Diamond Light Source)

That petal, built at TRIUMF and Simon Fraser University (SFU) detector facilities, was bound for a compact testing room within Diamond’s B16 beamline and downstream of its synchrotron particle accelerator. There, under the pinpoint focus of an x-ray beam approximately one-tenth the size of a human hair, the structure underwent its first major validation, which serves to verify the wider production process and brings the team one critical step closer to embarking on the construction of 100 such petals for the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider.

Watching the beam skim across the surface, Poley and colleagues Matt Basso (TRIUMF), Emily Filmer (TRUMF) and Dennis Sperlich (University of Freiburg) saw months of painstaking effort pay off.

 “It was amazing to see all of our hard work validated in real time,” said Poley. “While each petal undergoes multiple quality control procedures, this test at Diamond was the final confirmation that all the individual parts – tapes from Slovenia, carbon cores from Spain, sensors from Japan, modules from Canada – fit together and function as intended and have the alignment precision they are meant to have. It’s a single test to confirm that all petals should function as designed.”

Inner Tracker upgrades for the next era of ATLAS science

Canada’s connection to the ATLAS detector stretches back to the early 1990s, to before Canada officially joined the LHC collaboration in 1996. Since then, Canadian researchers have been leading or supporting in a variety of capacities, including designing, building, operating and maintaining the massive detector.

Now, through TRIUMF, Canada is helping to rebuild it. The upcoming High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) will deliver more collisions and more radiation than ever before, and the existing tracking system must be replaced with something entirely new: the Inner Tracker, or ITk.

TRIUMF is one of four main sites worldwide fabricating “petals” for the ITk endcaps (large discs that cap either side of the barrel-shaped ATLAS detector) alongside partners in Toronto and Spain.

In total, Canada is responsible for approximately 1,500 of the 7,000 silicon strip modules that will make up the end-cap system; with the strip sensors in the main horizontal barrel, the Inner Tracker will total 18,000 sensor modules covering 160 m².

Each sensor is unthinkably delicate: strips just 75 microns wide and 25 millimeters long register the passage of subatomic particles, allowing researchers to trace their paths with exquisite precision. Further, each petal comprises six unique sensor geometries, leading to six different module types. Assembling them into uniform, reliable petals requires exacting standards – and deep collaboration.

“With all of the various production sites, there are so many different groups working across so many countries that need to interface to be able to produce these petals, all of which need to be designed and manufactured to be exactly the same,” said Poley. “So, part of this success is also a validation of our ability to work collaboratively across borders.”

(image: Poley, left, and Dennis Sperlich adjust the petal)

At Diamond Light Source, TRIUMF’s petal was put through its paces. Only select regions could be tested – the beam is so fine that scanning the entire petal would take more than a year. However, even those checks were enough to confirm crucial details: alignment, dimensions, and the hermetic coverage needed to ensure that no particle of interest goes untracked as it travels through metres of some of the most extreme radiation environments ever produced in a scientific experiment.

The success is a testament to TRIUMF’s strong connections to European science infrastructure and the international physics community and leveraged contributions from Diamond Light Source (which provided in-kind support with six valuable days of beamtime), the University of Freiburg, and colleagues at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in the UK.

(image, from left: Dr. Bruce Gallop (RAL), Basso, Filmer, and Sperlich)

With the validation complete, teams from TRIUMF and SFU are now looking ahead to production at scale. The goal is to establish a workflow capable of producing two modules per day, supporting a production cadence of three petals per month for the next three years.

The journey of a single petal, carefully packed and shipped across the Atlantic, is only one small chapter in a vast global project. But for the joint TRIUMF/SFU team, seeing it withstand the scrutiny of Diamond Light Source beam was a powerful reminder of why the years of effort matter. Each successful test brings ATLAS one step closer to being ready for the HL-LHC, and one step closer to the new discoveries it promises to reveal.

The paper introduces a new, highly sensitive method for probing how tightly neutral atoms can hold onto an additional electron to form a negative ion, combining two powerful experimental tools: collinear laser spectroscopy (CLS) and ion trapping in multi-reflection time-of-flight (MR-TOF) devices. 

By revealing how strongly atoms attract an additional electron, electron affinities offer vital clues to how chemical bonds form — yet for the heaviest elements on the periodic table, this property is still largely a mystery and unknown. The increased sensitivity of the MIRACLS-enabled technique could thus provide new insights into “superheavy” elements, nuclei so massive and unstable that they do not exist in ordinary matter but can be synthesized at specialized particle-accelerator laboratories. It could also support the study of certain naturally occurring elements of interest, such as actinium, which are found on Earth only in trace amounts yet hold promise for medical applications. 

Deeper looks using lasers

With CLS, a beam of ionized atoms (like those produced at TRIUMF or CERN’s ISOLDE facility) is accelerated down a narrow vacuum tube, all moving in the same direction at high speed. A laser beam travels alongside, perfectly aligned. 

During electron affinity measurements, the laser photons strike negative ions and can dislodge the extra electron — but only if the photons have enough energy to break the atom’s grip. By adjusting the laser’s wavelength, scientists are able find the precise energy above which the negative ion releases its additional electron, revealing the atom’s electron affinity. 

Across the periodic table, electron affinities span a broad range – from close to zero in noble gases to their peak values in halogens. This contrast mirrors their chemistry: halogens readily attract electrons and form strong chemical bonds, whereas noble gases remain mostly inert. Collinear laser spectroscopy lets researchers detect these differences with very high precision and map how tightly each element holds onto an electron, revealing the energy architecture of the periodic table. 

Mirror, mirror 

What about elements that live only seconds or minutes, or those that can be produced just a few atoms at a time — such as superheavy elements at the far edge of stability? For these, a brief encounter with the laser produces too weak a signal. To overcome this, MIRACLS used a clever twist on a technique called multi-reflection time-of-flight (MR-ToF) ion trapping. 

MR-ToF traps oscillate ions between two electrostatic ion mirrors, bouncing them thousands of times like an ultra-narrow game of Pong, holding the ephemeral, often short-lived ions in place long enough to measure hard-to-capture properties, like their mass. 

MIRACLS expanded the MR-ToF trapping approach to measure electron affinity instead. By folding many kilometers of flight path into mere tens of centimeters and adding a collinear laser beam, the team created an artificially long ‘beamline’, massively increasing the ion-laser interaction time that helps determine electron affinity. The technique was developed by MIRACLS Group Leader Stephan Malbrunot-Ettenauer (TRIUMF Research Scientist and Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto) and paper’s second lead author Erich Leistenschneider (former TRIUMF graduate student) who builds on his experience wielding the MR-TOF that is currently operating at the heart of TRIUMF’s TITAN facility.  

In the MIRACLS result, the CLS-MRTOF method was tested on stable chlorine, an element with a well-studied electron affinity. “Despite using a hundred thousand times fewer chlorine anions, our novel MIRACLS method measures the electron affinity with precision matching that of conventional techniques, in which anions pass through the laser beam only once compared to about sixty thousand times in our experiment,” says lead author of the study Franziska Maier, for part of this work TRIUMF postdoctoral researcher stationed at CERN. “Our approach essentially uses the trap’s ion mirrors to ‘recycle’ the negative ions, opening a path towards electron affinity measurements of very scare samples.” 

These results demonstrate the MIRACLS technique’s sensitivity and thus its potential for exotic, short-lived species at the edges of stability. After the successful demonstrator experiment at CERN, the MIRACLS device is now shipped to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), where it will be used to investigate superheavy elements, validate theoretical chemistry, and support the study and development of medical isotopes like actinium. 

Erich Leistenschneider added that the properties of superheavy elements could blur the boundaries of the periodic table. “As the number of protons increases, Einstein’s relativity scrambles the structure of the atoms. For this reason, one may speculate whether the boundaries between element groups in the periodic table could fade, and the chemistry of superheavy elements may deviate from the ‘normal’ periodic trends. The electron affinity is one of the properties that will be largely affected by those effects, and our measurements will probe them.” 

The results from this NSERC-supported experiment also highlight the invaluable international bonds that connect Canada to CERN and the wider international physics community. 

“MR-ToF instruments, like the one so successfully used at TITAN@TRIUMF, are now indispensable for pushing the frontiers of research on exotic rare isotopes all across the globe,” explained Stephan Malbrunot-Ettenauer. “Thanks to our MIRACLS approach, we now extend their use to a wider range of experiments, including laser spectroscopy.” This achievement underscores how TRIUMF-built expertise sparks innovation and allows leadership in international collaborations, as the one at CERN in the present case. The timing could hardly be better: new experimental capabilities such as MIRACLS will both enhance and draw strength from TRIUMF’s upcoming ARIEL facility, which is set to drive breakthroughs in fundamental science and practical applications. 

You can read more about the publication here. 

Congratulations to the MIRACLS team! 

Last year, we announced a new project to capture community stories from across the last 50 years of beam: 50 stories for 50 years of beam

This project commemorates the role of community in the many successes and achievements at TRIUMF.

Today, we are pleased and proud to share the site with our community: 50stories.triumf.ca

This museum-inspired, narrative-focused site explores TRIUMF’s rich history from the perspective of our community, highlighting how our lab came to be the internationally-renowned facility and home for subatomic physics research in Canada.

We’ve made every effort to make this new project accessible to everyone.

You’ll find it optimized for mobile and tablet viewing as well compatible with all modern web browsers.

Our story continues to evolve as TRIUMF grows our science program and delivers impact for Canadians. If you have a story that you think deserves to be added, make sure to check out the ‘Add Story’ section at the bottom of the site.

Visit 50stories.triumf.ca

TRIUMF’s Saturday Morning Lectures is back once again for the Fall 2025 season. This term, we’ll be exploring gravitational wave detectors, quantum communications, creating sharper-than-light images using electrons – and more!

Check out the full roster and register for the first SML set for October 4 at TRIUMF here.

The TRIUMF Board of Governor’s is pleased to announce that Dr. Lisa Kalynchuk, Vice-President Research & Innovation at the University of Victoria, has been elected Chair of the Board. Dr. Kalynchuk succeeds Angus Livingstone, who has completed his term as Chair after four years of dedicated service and leadership.  

Since his appointment to Board Chair in 2021, Livingstone has stewarded the Board through several periods of transition and renewal following TRIUMF’s incorporation, including the development of TRIUMF’s current 5-Year Plan 2025-2030. His steady leadership helped strengthen governance, build meaningful partnerships, and ensure that TRIUMF has remained focused on its mission of advancing science for the benefit of Canada and the world. The Board is deeply grateful for his commitment and contributions. 

Kalynchuk has served as Vice-Chair of the Board since 2021 and steps into the role with a wealth of experience and long-standing commitment to TRIUMF and wider Canadian science community. As Chair, she will help steer TRIUMF through its next chapter, supporting the lab as it prepares for long shutdown, advances operational excellence, and continues building national and international partnerships. 

“We are very pleased to welcome Lisa as our new Board Chair,” said TRIUMF Executive Director, Dr. Nigel Smith. “We will continue to leverage the leadership, vision, and passion for our science she has provided as Vice-Chair as we build on our strengths and pursue new opportunities. At the same time, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Angus for his extended and impactful service, and wish him the very best.”