Hugh Montgomery

Alberto Santoro 80th Tribute

Hugh Montgomery

June 30, 2021

In 1983 I arrived at Fermilab, perhaps 6 months ahead of Alberto Santoro. During the ‘80s I was

aware of Alberto’s leadership of the Rio group in E691, in advanced computing, and in

networking.

In the ‘90s, we each joined the DZero Experiment and enjoyed the top quark observation in

March 1995. In fact, Alberto hosted several key members of our team in Rio during February,

just a month before the announcements. They included Paul Grannis who was co-spokesperson

at the time. But, it all went well and top was discovered.

I was able to visit Brazil in 1996 for a conference in Caxambu, and to give a course of lectures at

LAFEX. For me it was important to be able to watch a football game in Brazil. There was no

game at the Maracanã, but I did manage to watch Vasco de Gama play.

Setting his own course was always part of Alberto’s plan, and within DZero he pushed the

program of diffractive measurements. These relied on the construction of the Rio (not Roman)

pots, by the Brazilian group.

“Alberto, its been a pleasure to know you for these nearly 40 years, and to have had the privilege

of working with you. I look forward to continued meetings in the CERN cafeteria!”

Jeffrey Appel

My Dear Alberto:

Marjorie and I wish you a very happy 80th birthday and many happy

returns of the day!

As I reflect on our collaborations and friendship over the last four

decades or so, I cannot but be impressed by all you have accomplished

and how lucky I have been to share in some of them.

You must be able to count a couple hundred young people, proteges of

yours and your students, who have been positively influenced by your

guidance.

You and I met in July of 1983 in Rio for the first time. It was at

the 2nd Pan American Symposium on Perspectives for Pan American

Collaboration in Experimental Physics, organized by Leon Lederman. It

was there that the collaboration between Fermilab and CBPF took

concrete form. You were joined by Joao dos Anjos, Moacyr Souza, and

Carlos Escobar in coming to Fermilab to collaborate with a group of

young researchers trying to study charm quarks produced in a photon

beam. That began a collaboration on a series of charm experiments

(E516, E691, E769, and E791) which had an enviable record of

measurements, discoveries, and publication. Many of your students

received their PhDs based on data taken in these experiments.

You also expanded your efforts into computing and other technologies

which were central to the success of our experiments, as well as

motivating and involving engineers and additional students. You did

that by developing facilities at CBPF and in Brazil more generally.

The farms of parallel single-board computers which your group helped

develop at Fermilab and then established at CBPF contributed to the

analysis of E791 data, then the world’s largest sample of recorded

particle-physics data.

I also remember with great enthusiasm participating in LISHEP

conferences in Rio. What began as typical topical physics

conferences, you expanded into teaching opportunities for students and

teachers in Brazil.

These are just some of the highlights of your activities in which I

was lucky enough to participate. It has been my good fortune to share

in them. But I also especially appreciate the friendship which

developed between us and the hospitality you and Bettie showed me and

Marjorie.

Again, happy birthday, and thank you for our shared memories and friendship.

Jeffrey

Roy Rubenstein

It has been a great pleasure for me to work with, and be a friend of, Alberto Santoro for over 3

decades. He was a pioneering leader in experimental particle physics in Latin America in the early

1980s, when he led a small team of former Brazilian theorists to collaborate on experiments at

Fermilab. All Brazilian, and much of Latin American, particle physics are direct descendants of his

visionary young leadership of that period.

Over the years, Alberto and I have met many times, in Brazil, in the US, and at physics conferences;

I have learned much from Alberto and have had many enjoyable conversations with him. It is hard

to believe that the young leader I met more than 3 decades ago is now celebrating his 80th birthday,

but it is an honor to congratulate him on this milestone in life, and to wish him many more happy

and well-earned years.

Roy Rubinstein