The E = mc2 exhibition

The goal of this DOE-supported exhibition is to demystify Einstein's formula E = mc2 by illustrating the interchangeability of matter (m) and energy (E), c2 being the exchange rate. The exhibition has two major parts, open-quotes matter into energyclose quotes and open-quotes energy into matterclose quotes, plus a video to connect them. open-quotes Matter into energyclose quotes has now been completed and has been placed on the museum floor. Positrons from a 22Na source are annihilated to produce gamma rays that are caught in NaI detectors. The viewer can alter the alignment of the detectors and observe the consequences for the rates of single and coincident counts. The viewer can also observe the effects of placing absorbers in front of the counters. Prototype explanatory graphics were placed around the exhibit and those will probably be changed after we have some experience with their effectiveness. The connecting video is in the process of being produced in collaboration with Fermilab. A cloud chamber for open-quotes energy into matterclose quotes, where gamma rays from a small Th source will produce observable pairs, was purchased and work to make the pairs visible has commenced