Graduate student working at FRIB. Find out more

Welcome to FRIB

The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University (MSU) is a world-class research and training center, hosting the most powerful rare-isotope accelerator. MSU operates FRIB as a user facility for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC), with financial support from and furthering the mission of the DOE-SC Office of Nuclear Physics. FRIB is where researchers come together to make discoveries that change the world. They study the properties and fundamental interactions of rare isotopes and nuclear astrophysics and their impact on medicine, homeland security, and industry.

Research areas

FRIB advances nuclear science by improving our understanding of nuclei and their role in the universe, while also advancing accelerator systems.

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Capabilities

In establishing and operating FRIB, capabilities were developed that transfer to other industries and applications.

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GRETA
Nuclide chart with HRS Jie Wei

User facilities

FRIB hosts the world’s most powerful heavy-ion accelerator and enables discoveries in rare isotopes, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental interactions, and societal applications like medicine, security, and industry.

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Learn more about upcoming events taking place at FRIB. 

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  • 14 November 2025
  • 5:30 EST
Advanced Studies Gateway; Winds of Time, winds and strings concert

Join student musicians from the MSU College of Music for "Winds of Time," an evening of chamber music featuring wind and string instruments. The program features Dvořák’s “String Quintet No. 2,” Bach’s “Cello Suite No. 5,” François Rabbath’s “Iberique Peninsulaire,” and two pieces by Gordon Jacob.

https://frib.msu.edu/public-engagement/arts-and-activities-at-frib/advanced-stu…
  • 7 December 2025
  • 1:00 EST
Public Talk by Clifford Jack, Jr.; Neuroradiology, Mayo Clinic
  • 8 December 2025 – 12 December 2025
Nuclear Physics and Dense Matter Equation of State Workshop We are excited to announce a new workshop aimed at fostering collaboration between researchers from CNRS's "Nuclei and Particles" laboratories in France and scientists at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). This event is designed to create a direct dialogue and pave the way for new partnerships. Our goal is to bring together experts from both sides of the Atlantic to exchange ideas, share recent progress, and explore potential new collaborations in the field of Nuclear physics constraints for the dense matter equation of state. https://indico.frib.msu.edu/event/88/
Training the next generation

Education & training

FRIB at MSU is a world-class research and training center where students and researchers from all career stages and backgrounds come together to make discoveries that change the world.

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External news and journal publications discussing FRIB.

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  • 26 March 2025
  • Lansing State Journal

One of the nation's premier research facilities located at Michigan State University is getting a multi-million dollar upgrade. Late last month, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science approved $49.7 million for MSU's Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/campus/2025/03/26/msu-frib…
  • 18 October 2024
  • Nature Physics

A team of scientists, including researchers from FRIB, published an article in Nature Physics on how research on neutron-rich nuclei shows that in the so-called islands of inversion, they are deformed rather than spherical in their ground states.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-024-02680-0
  • 10 October 2024
  • Phys.org

Scientists and engineers at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) have reached a new milestone in isotope studies. They accelerated a high-power beam of uranium ions and delivered a record 10.4 kilowatts of continuous beam power to a target. The work is published in the journal Physical Review Accelerators and Beams.

https://phys.org/news/2024-10-scientists-uranium-power.html