Helmut Braun 1943 2010 Introduction and Overview of

Helmut Braun 1943 – 2010 Introduction and Overview of Helmut's work and interests • Early Years • A Scientist and Friend • A Renaissance Man 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 1

“Ah, you good people; we’re having a good time!” H. M. Braun – Famous Sayings a characteristic utterance of Helmut! … – typically in the midst of a good dinner, a good glass of wine with friends or colleagues, or during a good conversation, to no one in particular … 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 2

“Ah, you good people; aren’t we having a good time ? !”H. M. Braun – Famous Sayings Helmut enjoyed life, … – liked a good wine or beer – liked travel, going out on the town … … enjoyed people, … – did not suffer fools easily, but got along with almost everyone (else) – felt protective about and helped younger people/colleagues who were making a determined and genuine effort in their careers … and loved Physics; … – worked long hours, and every day … took his responsibilities seriously – genuinely curious and looked for full understanding of the underlying physics – admired technologists and theorists equally … and went Beyond Standard Physics: arts and other sciences – a true renaissance man … 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 3

enjoyed Good Company, Food, and Beer Too many of such pictures; (around 1984, FNAL village) – categorize according to the type of drink: beer, wine, non-alcoholic … (unknown date and location) with Pierre Paillier (Ringberg Castle Sep 2000) 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 4

enjoyed Good Company, Food, and Wine (22 Dec 2006, Auberge de Chatelaine) Lobster Dinner Port Jefferson (BNL LAr Week 10 May 2007) Lemon Award (Feb 2006) 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 5

Good Company, Food, and more Wine Café Mategnin, Moustapha & Djibril (April 2007) Changing of the LAr PL (Feb 2008) 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 6

Good Company, Food, and Water • Marrakesh (AOW Feb 2009) 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 7

Good Company, Food, and Mixed Drinks… wine and lemon … (LAr Lemon Award, Feb 2006) “For courageous persistence in the face of overwhelming adversity” 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 8

Based on the RICH Photo-statistics … Wine is clearly Helmut’s favorite drink see also: 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 9

Life’s Agenda • • • 24 June 2011 1943 July 13: is born in Belgium (? ) near Aachen. 1949 -1953: Enrolls at age 6 in 4 yr Grund. Schule (Primary School) 1953 -1961: Instead of Gymnasium (which his parents cannot afford, Helmut goes to 6 years of “Real. Schule” followed by 2 yrs of “augmentation” school. Now age 18. 1961 -1964: Followed by 3 yrs of Fach. Ober. Schule, which gives entrance to engineering college (Fach. Hoch. Schule) after a mandatory 1 yr practical work in industry. Meanwhile, Helmut has started his working life and is financially self-supporting. 1965: 1 yr company experience. 1966: starts 3 yrs engineering college (Fach. Hoch. Schule) at 23 yrs old. 1969: switches to University – Physics in Bonn(? ), after passing “Studium Generale” exam and extra physics courses. 1968: 1 yr in Strasbourg, where he meets his wife. Diplom from Bonn/Aachen University. Athletic exploits. 1971? : H. Faissner convinces Helmut to choose particle physics. Joins the Faissner/Schultze group at Aachen. Works on the CERN 1. 1 m 3 heavy liquid bubble chamber. First publications (1973). Thesis (1973 or 1975? ) on this experiment. Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 10

Life’s Agenda • • ~1980? joins EMC with the Wuppertal group 1982: affiliated as “CERN and Wuppertal”, gives talk “ Ideas For A High Luminosity Muon Physics Detector With Complete Particle Identification ” on EMC detector (CERN-EP-82 -160) 1983: Delphi technical proposal (joins Delphi for a few years? - RICH counters) • 1983: with start of SPS as a pbarp collider, moves to the FNAL experiment E 665, a continuation of EMC. Works on the gas Cerenkovs and RICH counters for particle ID. Around this time his divorce became final. 1992 (? ) returns to Europe • • ~1995: joins the ATLAS experiment (HEC, cryostats, HV) 2003 : start of ATLAS LAr HV installation. 2006: wins the prestigious ATLAS LAr “Lemon” award 2010 Dec 30: dies from liver failure 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 11

Early Publications (1973 – 1983) 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 12

Example: “An Experimental Determination of the Parameters Describing the K+ → π+ π0 π0 Decay Matrix Element” Helmut M. Braun et al. CERN-EP-PHYS-76 -48. Jul 1976. 5 pp. Lett. Nuovo Cim. 17 (1976) 521 Cited by 5 records – Note: only 3 lines of acknowledgements, and only 3 references ! 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 13

After the Bubble Chamber Electronic Detectors • • 24 June 2011 EMC (1978? -1983) E 665 (1983 -1993) ATLAS (1993? – 2010) Discussed in following talks … iseg Visit (Dresden, 10 Feb 2006) Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 14

Was a Scientists first and foremost Always interested in new developments … in technology (first PCs) – loved his Atari (fierce competition w Commodore) – last: was very interested in new fast electronics in theory – last: was very interested in Discrete Flavor Symmetries and Models of Neutrino Mixing, which he would discuss at length over lunch … (e. g. Altarelli and Feruglio, CERN-PH-TH/2010 -016) loved problem solving, – solved the critical problems with the LAr HV PSs • for which he got his LAr Lemon Award in 2006 • But: he was close to solving all issues by that time … – Other example: • When we discovered the ATLAS LVPS sensitivity to stray magnetic fields, Helmut immediately experimented with windings on the Tile Fingers for cancelation … 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 15

a Scientist first and foremost … • Helmut was very strict on honesty in publications … – as you all have noticed in the LAr meetings when notes were discussed … • he would argue certain details till either he was convinced or until the text was changed. – in his own presentations he would drill down to the smallest detail – often losing his audience in the process. • He tried to avoid presenting conclusions without presenting all the proof … • Was meticulous in his dealings with others; – ran the meetings with iseg very organized and meticulously – followed the HV situation from day to day until the last days … • see also Mont’s statement 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 16

When Karsten Eggert claimed priority on finding evidence for Color Transparency … 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 17

Color Transparency … 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 18

a Scientist first and foremost … • This scientific curiosity and scientific persistence continued till his death … – read up on all available literature on tumors of the pancreas, benign and aggressive – read up on treatments, cures, life expectancies – before and after his pancreatectomy (Whipple procedure) – assumed the consequent diabetes with courage and precision – when the struggle no longer made sense, he accepted his lot with great courage • he was not a religious man and his outlook was one of the here and now: make the world a bit better whenever and wherever you can, and enjoy the process ! 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 19

24 June 2011 From: Helmut BRAUN [mailto: braun@physik. uni-wuppertal. de] Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2010 4: 36 AM Subject: Helmut today and on July, 13 th Dear TF'ers, a while ago I promised twenty "Belles Filles" in view of making it to my next birthday. It's time to fit this promise: The twenty "belles filles" will be waiting for you in HENRIC's new residence HENRIC WILKENS 5' impasse pre Burtin (big wooden house at the corner of Route de GEX) 01170 CROZET (refer to attached plan) ---------- at 18: 00 h on TUESDAY, 13 -JULY-10. Bring who ever you like to join. . . HENRIC's mansion has place for > 900 people. . . assuming an impact parameter b=0. 5 m ! Cheers, Helmut PS: Helmut Status - 6 th chemo-cycle finishes next Tuesday (practically no side effects (: -) - weight: normal =93 kg, minimum end Feb-10 =71 kg, today = 82 kg target => 87 kg (not more!!!) - after cycle 4: CA 19. 9 constant around 1000 (norm <100) (significance goes logarithmically!) - new blood test and CT after cycle 6 . . . then decide how to continue Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 20

Use of the English Language Helmut’s use of English was not always orthographical nor grammatically correct … • e. g. Stefan Rembold-Söldner remembers from E 665: “Helmut was a great colleague and one my fondest memories was his ability to literally translate German proverbs into English which always led to confusion and amusement. ” • Christine remembers: “I stick my nose in every book” • Please submit your own remembered Helmut-isms ! 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 21

beyond Physics: Art and Science interests collected Art: abstract as well as figurative – original limited-edition prints and engravings (mostly modern) – from fledgling Düsseldorf artists collected Science books: from 16 th to 20 th century – Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, the Scientific Method, … concentration on Voltaire and Émilie du Châtelet in particular … – was Voltaire’s lover in Ferney … – famous for her translation of Newton’s “Principia Mathematica” – for a while we joked Helmut was seriously infatuated with her … 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun also loved opera (Maria Callas) 22

beyond Physics: Art and Science interests Expanded into other fields afterwards, but stayed close to science … loved antique books, cleaned/repaired them with carefully – used “UHU kleber” for the binding and coating to protecting the exterior … – I don’t know if this is an approved restoration method … 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 23

Book lover’s Paradise. . . Note: double lining on Lundia shelving! 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 24

Could be found roaming the book stalls in Plainpalais every Saturday up till the end He would present special finds to his friends He found books from the very old … 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 25

Journals and series 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 26

to 20 th century works … 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 27

“That’s my little one ” • His grandson Leander was born in 2009; made him very proud: he would show pictures to whomever was listening! • From email 8 Nov 2010: • Subject: That's my little one (: -) 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 28

“Ah, you good people, we did have a good time !” We’re all fortunate to have known a great man, friend, and colleague – an inspiration and helping hand to many younger colleagues, – able to stimulate scientific thoughts, discussions; – an knowledgeable conversationalist on many diverse topics … – with a great sense of humor, – who brought diverse people together and acted as glue for collaboration and friendship 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 29

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Back-ups / spares 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 31

Words from Hugh Montgomery (Mont) Helmut, and this is a characteristic, was deep into the technical issues of gas Cerenkovs and gas recirculation and purification systems were the key for EMC. Helmut developed a relationship with a CERN staff member named Bosteels who, from that time forth, was Helmut’s point of reference for such systems. But Helmut was renaissance man, at least in the sense that he was following the appearance of fractals and chaos in the conversation of physicists. He and I often ate lunch, out of phase with most, at Tortella’s. Helmut inevitably advanced some new thoughts on the subject and its extensions, Mandelbrot and his set. This openness to mathematical treatments led him to push for something more sophisticated than the traditional analysis of the binary on-off states from the different detectors. Of course convergence was slower. This frustrated me as spokes, the goal was to get results out, but quickly. Helmut was imbued with a bloody minded, almost self-destructive intellectual honesty which allowed him to ignore the rants of people who merely wanted results. On to Fermilab, where Helmut became a friend of the family. The vertex detector, Cerenkovs, etc were in from the beginning. Again, Helmut went for the most sophisticated analysis of the particle ID detectors. But he also became interested in personal computers; perhaps this had started earlier but he started playing with Atari devices. He got us into trouble by appearing in a magazine article (promoted at least by Atari) in which it seemed as though the whole of Fermilab relied on Atari personal computers to interact with the world. Now, there were feuds in both EMC and E 665 (the Tevatron experiment), but Helmut was never in the eye of those storms, but he did push for intellectual excellence in our publication patterns. I believe he was very comfortable with the way that groups at Fermilab approached the physics. A bit more to his liking than, say, Delphi. Once, he approached me in my Fermilab staff role to see whethere were opportunities for him to work at Fermilab. Nothing seemed to fit; or did I fail to find a fit? ? Who knows. What I recall is a man who enjoyed the social side of physics, who interacted well with people in general; , who had enormous respect for competent technologists, who looked to respect his colleagues and to seek reciprocation. I spoke to him last perhaps four or five years ago at CERN when I was there reviewing Atlas-UK. He had changed imperceptibly. I count myself privileged to be able to have called Helmut Braun a colleague. Have fun when you talk about Helmut; he was resilient in the face of adversity and would not support a wailing and gnashing of teeth. With warm memories, Mont 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 32

from Arnd Röser In Remembrance of Helmut at Fermilab I met Helmut the first time as a Diploma-Student at the University of Wuppertal. At that time Helmut was involved in data analysis of the EMC Myon scattering experiment at CERN and preparing the follow up experiment E 665 at Fermilab. He was in charge of the C 0 Cerenkov counter which was already used in the experiment at CERN. It was planned to be reused together with the Vertex Magnet, the bubble chamber and several proportional chambers which were as well part of the EMC detector and were shipped to Fermilab. The installation and operation of the Cherenkov counter was part of my diploma thesis. So we spent several months together in Chicago. As travel expenses were short even at that time I lived together with Helmut in one of the rebuild farm houses in the lab village (see picture). As it turned out the initial planned time of only half a year in the US was prolonged for three years over a time of five years. During this time I was working together with Helmut, however the first half year it was the most intense time. In the following I am going to say some words about the personality of Helmut the Scientist Helmut started his work on E 665 with the experience of the former Myon experiment at CERN. He always was involved in the experiment as a whole not only focused on our own detector. So he asked me to prepare some Monte Carlo calculations on the detection efficiency of the new TOF-detectors for low energetic hadrons. In his opinion the opening angle was too wide to have as 4 Pi coverage of the detector. The calculations proofed his intuitive feeling and as a result the position of the TOF wings were improved. His other concern was the trigger detector and the ring imaging Cherenkov counter. 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 33

from Arnd Röser Helmut the Engineer Beside his global input to the experiment our main duty was the installation and operation of the C 0 detector. As no further assistance was available it was up to ourselves to setup the detector, pull all delay cables and the wirering of the detector. His main concern were the 144 photomultipliers with their HV-system and self testing LED-system. As the voltage divider were non standard but self constructed we spent a lot of time on top of the 4 m high counter on a unstable ladder soldering new resistors and capacitors keeping the system running. Fortunately Helmut was very communicative, so he knew a lot of people with various professions. We were very lucky that he was able to organise a motor winch to pull the 100 m long delay cables into the cable trays. But before that we had to pull and lay out the cables from the wooden box on the experimental floor to the balcony in the myon hall. As there were 144 signal and 56 timing cables we had to pull a total of 20 km of cables. So we were very thankful for the motor winch. For communication we used a walky talky he bought at Radio Shack. Helmut the visionary At the early 80 s personal computers and computer communication were not very popular. Especially in E 665 there were to groups fighting about the best computer philosophy. One group was the APPLE group around Dough Micheal from MIT which used the famous Macintosh and the group around Helmut who was fond of the ATARI XE PC. Beside the "battle" which was never resolved, Helmut was fascinated by the chance of using the world wide computer network. Due to financial problems and shortening the budget of Fermilab the start-up of the experiment and the first data phase was postponed several times. Therefore Helmut returned to Wuppertal very frequently and the former world wide IBM-net combined with Datex-p was the only possibility to communicate. So we had our own "chat room" even before the invention of the internet. As a consequence Helmut and I used this media to control the HV-System of our detector remotely from Wuppertal. We even took some calibration data online, transferred the ADC spectra of the 144 photomultipliers as ASCII files and analysed them at he facility in Wuppertal. Helmut the pleasure-lover Beside hard work Helmut knew how to enjoy the stay. We often met a lot of people at the users centre. The bar keeper there had the best Long Island Icetea in town. We used to play billiard and table tennis. During the hot summer we as well used the garden behind our house for relaxing and BBQ (s picture). 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 34

• Röser, Arnd Hadronmultiplizitäten in der tiefinelastischen Müon. Nukleon-Streuung bei einer maximalen Schwerpunktenergie von 30 Ge. V WUB-DIS 91 -2 (E 665 Feb 1991) • Ecker, Uwe Longitudinale und transversale Impulsverteilungen der Hadronen im Endzustand der tiefinelastischen Müon. Nukleon-Streuung WUB-DIS 91 -1 (E 665 Jan 1991) • Lauterjung, Detlef Studium des hadronischen Endzustandes in der tiefinelastischen Müon-Nukleon-Streuung WUB-DIS 90 -4 (E 665 1990) 24 June 2011 Colloquium in Memory of Helmut Braun 35