Bridging the gap between physics and computing

This story is part of the “Mission Critical” series highlighting the various, specialized groups that enable Jefferson Lab's mission of exploring the nature of matter 

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is no stranger to problem solving. After all, exploring the nature of the universe through the basic building blocks of matter is quite the Rubik’s Cube to solve.

As a DOE user facility, the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) enables the research of more than 1,900 scientists from around the world. Jefferson Lab also maintains world-leading expertise in advanced computing and applied research. It naturally followed that integrating these two connected fields of physics and computational science would benefit the nuclear physics research while building on the lab’s unique expertise in computer science.

To better achieve this goal, the Experimental Physics Software and Computing Infrastructure (EPSCI) group was formed. Scientific Software Scientist David Lawrence created the group in 2020 to identify, develop, implement and maintain software and computing technologies in support of the 12 GeV (12 billion electron-Volts) Upgrade of the CEBAF and of the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) science programs. Today, its objective has expanded to developing centralized computing software that can be shared by any of the lab’s experimental halls and used for future projects.

“Prior to EPSCI, each of the experimental halls were using their own, customized software. We knew there had to be an efficient way to improve these systems,” Lawrence said. 

The path forward was the creation of the EPSCI group to serve as a consortium to serve the experimental halls.

Building the Bridge

Comprised of 10 full-time staff and three more matrixed from other teams, EPSCI features a diverse range of experts from varied professional and academic backgrounds.

Staff Computer Scientist Nathan Brei is one of the many team members who represent the impact of a wide range of exposure to different fields. Although he began his journey in physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he quickly pivoted to aerospace engineering for his bachelor’s degree before focusing on computational science for his master’s degree.

“I actually had no formal physics background apart from when I initially chose my major,” Brei said.

After he accepted his position at Jefferson Lab in 2019, his journey came full circle, as he returned to the world of physics.

“I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do,” he said.

Lawrence describes Brei as the test subject of the group to explore collaborating with computer scientists instead of solely hiring physicists to write the software. It proved successful. Brei first joined the Gluonic Excitations Experiment (GlueX), followed by the newly formed Electron-Proton/Ion Collider (ePIC) collaboration.

“It’s been cool to see one collaboration mature and another be born,” Brei said. “The experience of witnessing the evolution of these collaborations is extremely valuable to understand what software worked in the past and what can be used in the future.”

EPSCI Scientist Torri Jeske launched her journey into science studying chemistry; however, after completing undergraduate research at Purdue University in Indianapolis with a physics professor in her junior year, she decided to switch her major to physics and never looked back. She said she owes that change to her passion for problem solving and the drive to challenge herself. These traits are common threads within the group.

“During the pandemic, I defended my Ph.D. and found myself at the lab because I was encouraged to apply for a postdoctoral position here,” Jeske said. “I was in the right place at the right time and wanted to do everything I could to make it work.” 

Contrastingly, Scientific Computing Staff Scientist Thomas Britton said he felt he was destined for physics since elementary school after a summer camp mentor told him that he could make significant contributions in the field. 

“It was mind blowing to me that you could use math to throw a ball and know exactly where it would land,” Britton reflected. “Or sometimes, when I was staring at my desk, I would think about how there were all these atoms around me.”

He connects those early experiences with his interest in particle physics, leading to a career at the lab working on the GlueX collaboration with Lawrence.

“With this type of physics, you need code. I knew that I could use my strengths from software developing and make the physics work more efficiently by creating systems that would automate everything,” Britton said. He added that he finds EPSCI to be the perfect crossover niche for both.  

Lawrence also has a memorable experience with a mentor that sparked his physics fascination. He once asked his high school physics teacher how electricity could power a refrigerator to keep items cold.  

“I remember he opened up my textbook and pointed to the universal gas law then walked away,” he said with a chuckle. “That really struck me because I realized that if I could learn physics, then I could understand how the entire world works.” 

Empowerment Through Collaboration 

Understanding the moving parts of experimental physics is a vital part of EPSCI. Members of the group are consistently engaged in multiple projects and work alongside other divisions, so they can fully grasp the scope of projects and collaborations.  

For example, Jeske’s participation in an overnight shift during an experiment led to the funding of one of the group’s projects in development for AI-optimized polarization. It reminded her of a more complex version of a similar project done in another experimental hall, so she brought up the idea to the group and devised the proposal. 

“I just knew there had to be a more effective way than requiring someone to monitor a screen all day and hit a button just to keep the polarization of this target where it should be,” she said, adding that such complicated systems may leave room for human error due to the limited knowledge of specific subjects, so building new processes is essential in producing better physics results. 

Typically, staff scientists in Jefferson Lab’s Experimental Nuclear Physics division who are monitoring experimental runs may focus on collecting and analyzing the data of experiments. But when the EPSCI group is involved, their approach is to take a step back to look for ways to improve workflows.  

This participation is crucial because the experiments heavily rely on the software to run successfully. Britton explained that by being embedded and witnessing the issues in real-time, EPSCI members get a better understanding of the impacts of such issues and are often inspired with ideas for solutions.  

“GlueX still uses my code to run simulations, so some days I may be assisting a graduate student if the code’s not running correctly, and other days it’s about making connections in the halls for future projects,” Britton said. 

Members of the team said the most valuable aspect of their group dynamic is their culture of empowerment, which allows them to explore their interests. The supportive environment fostered by Lawrence serves as an example of how open communication and encouragement can create positive team morale. 

“It’s neat to see how many of us came from different areas of the lab,” Britton said. “Yet, we all attract to this overarching theme of folks who are inquisitive, open to new ideas and here to solve problems.” 

Brei added, “In the software world, I noticed that you usually have a solution in search of a problem. Here, there is a huge pile of problems to solve, but we also have a huge pile of cool tools to fix each problem. We feel very privileged to have the opportunity to figure out these problems to help the lab run better.” 

By Lauren Weber 

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Jefferson Science Associates, LLC, manages and operates the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, or Jefferson Lab, for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. JSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Southeastern Universities Research Association, Inc. (SURA). 

DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science