About

The Center for Theoretical Physics is a division of the Laboratory for Nuclear Science and the Physics Department at MIT.

The Center is now in its new home in the Green Center for Physics. The entrance is on the 3rd Floor, where Building 8 meets Building 6. Look here if more directions are needed.

The following two documents contain most of the information about life at the CTP for visitors and new CTP members:



CTP General Information

Administrative Assistance

Your first recourse for help with administrative matters is the CTP Administrator, Scott Morley (6-307, 253-4852). As appropriate, he will handle matters directly or refer you to other administrative staff in the CTP, Laboratory for Nuclear Science, the Department of Physics, or to other offices in the Institute such as the International Scholars Office.

Banking

A convenient local bank is Bank of America, located at 226 Main Street in Kendall Square and in the Stratton Student Center. Many community members also utilize the MIT Credit Union, which has offices located at 700 Tech Sq. (building NE48), and the Stratton Student Center. Also, there are various ATM machines located throughout the main building MIT campus.

Bookstores

The MIT branch of the COOP is located on Main Street near the T in Kendall Square and handles texts for courses and other references. The main branch at Harvard Square has a more extensive collection. Quantum Books, located at 4 Cambridge Center (on the corner of Ames street and Broadway) behind Legal Seafoods, also has a collection of physics and other technical books, usually at a discount similar to the COOP.

Bulletin Boards and Pictures

The bulletin boards display:
Seminars and other physics events at local universities
CTP seminar notices
List of short-term visitors
Conference announcements by month
PostDoc/Faculty Positions
CTP Faculty Teaching Schedule
CTP Faculty Research Interest
CTP Research Papers
MIT Academic Calendar
CTP Directory

The picture case contains pictures of faculty, staff, postdocs, long-term visitors and students to help you get to know all of the CTP members.

Checking In

Your first step should be to see the CTP Administrator, Scott Morley. Scott will introduce you to Joyce Berggren and Charles Suggs who comprise the rest of the CTP support staff. Joyce will let you know where you will be sitting and provide you with the necessary cards and orientation material. Computer accounts need to be applied for upon arrival. You may use the terminal available in the CTP small conference room (6-310) to apply for access at the LNS homepage address http://www2.lns.mit.edu/compserv/requests/acctappl.html. All postdocs and visitors with LNS appointments should also check in with Elsye Luc in building 26, room 505. Students should check in with the Physics Education Office in building 4, room 315. Foreign visitors and Post Docs with LNS appointments should check-in at the International Scholars Office (building 4, room 105). Also, any visitors who are expecting travel reimbursement after their departure should see Joyce Berggren to assure that all necessary arrangements have been made.

Checking Out

Before you leave at the end of your visit, please see Joyce Berggren to return cards or keys, verify return of library materials, leave a forwarding address, arrange closing of computer accounts and to give her your research report. Also, any visitors who are expecting travel reimbursement after their departure should see Joyce Berggren to assure that all necessary arrangements have been made.

Coffee and Tea

Coffee and tea are available throughout the day in the kitchen. Please help to keep the seminar rooms and the kitchen areas clean and neat.

Computing

There is a workstation, a Macintosh or a PC, on each desk. In addition to its own capability, each platform has access to the following facilities:
LNS Unix machines
Internet and World Wide Web access
Visitors who are here for three days or less will be provided with a guest account with telnet capability. Visitors who are here for longer periods will be provided with their own accounts on the LNS machines. In addition, several research groups have accounts at national supercomputing centers and access to a 24 Gigaflop prototype SMP Cluster. For more details about computing, please see the enclosed Guide to Computing in the CTP. Do not share computer passwords with anyone.

Fax

The CTP fax machine is located in the hallway across from the supply room (6-309), and may be used by all CTP members for professional work. Cover sheets and directions are located near the machine. Our fax number is (617) 253-8674.

Food Service

Many people prefer to go to the food trucks, outside by the Biology Building, which offer Chinese and Middle Eastern food in addition to subs and pizza at very inexpensive prices. There are many places to eat in the area, including Legal Seafood on Main St. and the food court across from the Kendall Square subway station.

Hosts

To avoid overlooking the individual needs of any of our visitors, a faculty member in the CTP has agreed to serve as the scientific host for each short- or long-term visitor. To the extent possible, without overburdening our most active members, the host is a theorist with a natural overlap of research interests, prior personal connections, or is responsible for the seminar at which the visitor speaks. Visitors are encouraged to seek the assistance of their host in learning about relevant research efforts, meeting members of the CTP and exploring the intellectual and cultural resources of the Boston area.

ID Cards

For visitors with a formal appointment at MIT, an MIT photo ID card may be obtained by going to the MIT Card Office in building W20, room 021. Please call 3-3475 to see if your appointment has been added to the MIT roster and for any further information prior to walking over.

If you are here for an extended stay, please see Joyce about getting an MIT ID.

Keys

Joyce Berggren will provide access cards for visitors. You must return all cards when you leave, since replacing lost cards causes inconvenience and appreciable delays. Any unreturned card will cause a delay in receiving your reimbursement check. Never share your access card with those not officially associated with the CTP. Abuse of the access card can result in termination of center privileges.

Libraries

Normal access to the MIT Library system is obtained using an MIT identification card. For short-term visitors or longer term members who do not yet have an ID card, your scientific host can sign a letter for library access by which they agree to be responsible for borrowed material. (See Scott for details.) The science branch of the MIT library system is in Hayden Library. There is a reading room for the physics department in building 4, room 332, which has copies of the most commonly used physics journals through 1995 and a collection of physics texts. The hours are posted in the reading room.

Mail

Incoming mail is delivered to the CTP each day (usually in the morning) and sorted into the mailboxes outside of the seminar room. Only outgoing mail directly related to professional activities at the CTP will be mailed at CTP expense. Please place mail with your name and office number added to the return address in the appropriate basket in located across from the mailboxes. If there is any question about the cheapest way to send printed matter, please ask one of the support staff. We do not normally provide express mail service, overnight delivery service, registered or certified mail or bulk mailings. If you have a special need for such services, please bring your request to Scott. Also, we regret that we cannot pay shipping or mailing expenses for visitors' personal effects, papers or books when they leave.
The correct and official US post office address for MIT/CTP is:
Your Name
CENTER FOR THEORETICAL PHYSICS
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
77 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, 6-(YOUR ROOM NUMBER)
CAMBRIDGE MA 02139-4307 .
Using any other format will substantially delay your mail!

Manuscripts and Preprints

Due to our limited support staff, we ask visitors and students to prepare their own technical manuscripts. The support staff will be pleased to assist you in learning to use the relevant word-processing, drawing software, and printers as time is available. To insure that we have a complete record of all manuscripts written in the CTP, please get a CTP preprint number from Joyce Berggren in 6-304. If you will NOT be posting the manuscript on the electronic bulletin board (see below), please give Scott one original hard copy and the corresponding computer files of the text and figures for every manuscript you write. Also, all manuscripts written in the CTP need to have the sentence included in the hard copy of this book which acknowledges DOE.

Medical Care

In the event of a medical emergency, dial the Campus Patrol at x3-1212 for immediate assistance. For noncritical walk-in care, go to the main desk of the medical department, Building E23.

Parking

Parking permits are sold for approximately $708/year and short-term permits may be purchased. Parking information can be obtained by contacting Parking at 8-6510 or 3-7276 or using the web site http://web.mit.edu/parking/.

Photocopying

A photocopy machine for research-related work by members of the CTP is located in the supply room (6-309). (Copying for courses should be done through the Physics Education Office building 4, room 315. Any personal copying should be reimbursed to Scott at 10 cents per page.) If you have any difficulties with the copy machine, please ask a staff member for assistance rather than trying to fix it yourself. To make transparencies, you must see Scott Morley in person for specific instructions. Past errors by well-intentioned CTP members have caused expensive and disruptive damage to the photocopier. Only small to medium copy (up to 20 pages) jobs should be performed on this machine. There is also a larger photocopy machine located in building 26, room 524. For entry to this room, see Scott or Joyce for code information. If you need to make copies at a library copy machine, you may get a photocopy card from Scott or Joyce.

Publication and Page Charges

As a general rule, visitors who are not supported directly by the CTP are encouraged to have their home institution cover page charges and reprint expenses, or to publish in journals without page charges. In cases in which restriction to a journal without page charges is a significant problem, please discuss it with your scientific host and the CTP Director.

Security

If you ever have a concern about your personal safety, or need escort service to a parking lot after dark, call the Campus Patrol at x3-1212. Please bring any safety concerns you may have to the attention of Scott Morley. Outside of normal working hours, the CTP is locked and accessed by acess card. Please see a staff member to obtain a card. Do not allow non-CTP members in with you after hours.

Seminars

A large number and variety of research seminars are available in the CTP, at MIT and in the Greater Boston area. The following announcements are posted on the bulletin board near the main entrance.
List of ongoing CTP seminar times and organizers
Boston Area Physics Calendar
LNS Seminar Schedule
Posters announcing specific seminars

CTP seminars are usually held in the seminar room. Because this room is heavily scheduled and used by many people, please do not schedule any meeting in it yourself without first reserving the room with Joyce. Except for special lunch seminars, we will keep the room free for informal lunch discussion. The seminar schedule is now also available on the Internet through the CTP home page (http://ctp.lns.mit.edu).

Smoking

Smoking in the CTP is strictly prohibited by city ordinance and MIT policy. Because of the nature of our ventilation system and the lingering effects of tobacco smoke, smoking in any office will adversely affect other current or future members of the CTP. Hence, we must insist that all visitors comply with the no-smoking policy and we will not be able to continue to provide office space to anyone who is unwilling to comply.

Summary Research Report

Visitors and postdocs make important contributions to the research program of the CTP, and it is important to include these contributions in our regular reports to the funding agencies and administration. Hence, we ask that visitors who have worked at the CTP for more than one month give a brief research summary to Scott before leaving. Please provide several paragraphs describing your major research projects and accomplishments during your stay and give complete references to any papers written here.

Supplies

Supplies for professional work, including papers, pens, transparencies, transparency pens and office supplies are available in the supply room (6-309). Please see Scott if you cannot find what you need.

Telephone Use

The CTP supports reasonable use of long distance telephone service for physics-related work, but asks everyone's cooperation in avoiding excessive charges. There are three types of service described in more detail on page 3 of the Institute phone book. Please see the hard copy of the Information Book for details. Please do not hoard supplies.

Travel

To the extent resources permit, we attempt to support travel by advanced CTP supported graduate students to one major conference or school each year (See separate literature for Graduate Student Travel Program). CTP supported Post Doc and Research Scientists are supported for travel to conferences under the department general travel policy. See CTP Financial Policies Sheet. Anyone traveling under CTP support should consult the travel information sheet in this information packet. Please read the information carefully.

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CTP guide to computing

Facilities

Members of the CTP have access to the central computer facilities at the Laboratory for Nuclear Science as well as workstations and printers in the CTP including:

  • LNS machines running Linux
  • CTP Macintoshes
  • 2 b/w Postscript Printers

We strongly suggest that you visit the LNS Computer Services web page http://www2.lns.mit.edu/compserv/requests/acctappl.html for information on a wide array of computer topics. Questions about LNS services not described in this guide or on the web pages may be addressed to LNS computer services. Questions about Linux machines or CTP facilities should be addressed to Scott Morley, 253-4852. Scott will direct you to the proper person for more specific help as necessary.

Access

The Center is continually upgrading facilities to provide access from every desk. Presently, most offices have access via a PC running Linux. In some offices, this equipment needs to be shared by several users. A public workstation (CTP small seminar room) is available in the CTP small conference room 6-310 (see Charles or Joyce for login information if needed).

MIT wireless is also available at the CTP. If you are a first time visitor with a laptop, you will need to register for wireless service. Start up your laptop, open a browser and the first page you'll see is the welcoming page for MIT Network Registration (see picture). Information on registration is located at http://web.mit.edu/ist/services/network/dhcp/dhcp-detail.html, Option B, wirleless DHCP Service. It will take approximately 15-30 minutes for your connection to work.

Linux PC

When a CTP Linux PC is on, it shows a login screen. Once you have applied for an LNS user account, you will be able to access these computers. If you have been provided with a guest account, please use the password you were assigned and do not change it. Guest accounts are deleted the day the visitor leaves.

Connecting between machines within MIT
Once you are logged into a Unix workstation, you can connect to others where you have accounts. Always use ssh to access other platforms within MIT. To do this, type ssh username@machine

Connecting to machines outside MIT
Once you are logged into a Unix workstation, you can connect to other machines where you have accounts. Whenever possible, use ssh to access any other platform . If you cannot access your home machine by ssh, please be advised that using unencrypted telnet is a poor practice and MIT is not to be held responsible if there is any damage to your home site's computing systems. MIT strongly suggests using secure connections (like ssh) to make any necessary connections.

Computer Accounts

For members who are here for more than one week, upon arrival and check-in at the CTP, you should apply for a computer account through the LNS Computer Services application online at http://www2.lns.mit.edu/compserv/requests/acctappl.html.[These accounts will be terminated 60 days after your LNS appointment expires.]

Contacting LNS Computer Services

In general, it is best to contact Scott Morley regarding computer problems, but if CTP help is not available, email the LNS computer services at rt@lns.mit.edu, or web interface at http://www.lns.mit.edu/rt/ (Please note that a username and password is required to log in to the RT web interface - when you enter your first request via email, a password will be automatically generated and sent to the requesting email address; your email address will serve as your username). Describe the problem in as much detail as possible. Please give your name, office phone number, building and room number and machine's name.

Printers

There are two b/w printer located in 6-309 in the CTP. To make transparencies, first print onto paper, and then use the photocopier to make transparencies (see Scott, Charles, or Joyce for instructions on copying).

Unix Mail

LNS recommends using Athena for your email needs. Please see http://www2.lns.mit.edu/compserv/help/new_users.html for complete details from LNS.

Physics e-Print Archive

To access the xxx.lanl.gov Physics archives, go to the CTP home page and follow the link to http://xxx.lanl.gov

To get information on paper submission to the archive, go to http://xxx.lanl.gov/help.

Mathematica

The department only has a limited number of Mathematica licenses, so when you complete your session please log out so others may use it.

Online Unix documentation

Online Unix help is available in the form of a Unix manual. To access the manual, type man and the first few letters of the subject you are interested in. For example, for help on the manual itself, type man man.

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