Events | Facility for Rare Isotope Beams

25 March 2026
3:30 EDT

The Electron-Ion Collider Design: Challenges and Breakthroughs The Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), which is being designed by BNL, JLab and other partners, will be a particle accelerator that collides electrons with protons and nuclei to produce snapshots of those particles’ internal structure. It will collide polarized high-energy electron beams with hadron beams in the center-of-mass energy range of 20-140 GeV. The electron beam, employed as a probe, will reveal the arrangement of the quarks and gluons that make up the protons and neutrons of nuclei. The EIC will allow us to study the ”strong nuclear force”, the role of gluons in the matter within and all around us, and the nature of particle spin. This talk will describe the Electron-Ion Collider design challenges and breakthroughs, and our plans to construct it at Brookhaven National Lab.

27 March 2026
2:00 EDT

Challenges in observational studies of heavy elements Heavy elements make up the largest part of the periodic table and they still pose a large number of open questions associated with their formation. Most of the heavy elements form via neutron captures that happen on a slow (s-process), intermediate (i-process) or a rapid (r-process) scale (when comparing to the following beta decays). In this talk I will present a homogeneous follow-up observational study targeting light as well as heavy elements in about 50 metal-poor stars. Our study provides new insights into the formation of the third r-process peak (Ir, Os, Pt) as well as challenges we face when deriving abundances of even heavier elements (Th), such as shortcomings in our models as well as atomic physics. A few peculiar stars stand out in the study by either having a very high or very low level of heavy elements in their atmospheres. I will discuss the possible origin (spatial as well as nuclear formation) of these peculiar stars.

27 March 2026
3:00 EDT

Transforming the BNL 200 MeV H- LINAC: 1000x Lower Losses, 2x High-current Transmission, and 2x Lower Emittance The Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) 200 MeV H⁻ Drift Tube Linac (DTL) operates at 6.67 Hz, delivering beams for the polarized proton program at RHIC and for isotope production at the Brookhaven Linac Isotope Producer (BLIP). Over the past two decades, a series of targeted upgrades—particularly in the low- and medium-energy beam transport lines (LEBT and MEBT)—have substantially improved linac performance and operational robustness. High-current transmission for isotope production has more than doubled, while transverse emittance for polarized proton operation has been reduced by approximately a factor of two. In parallel, beam losses have decreased by roughly three orders of magnitude, significantly reducing radiation levels and enabling higher delivered currents. Together, these improvements increase intensity and reliability for BLIP while providing improved beam quality and stability for future accelerator programs, representing a major step forward in long-term linac performance and scientific productivity.

29 March 2026
1:00 EDT

Advanced Studies Gateway Public talk by Scott Aaronson: Why I think quantum computing works Scott Aaronson, Schlumberger Chair of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin and founding director of its Quantum Information Center, will discuss recent experimental breakthroughs that strengthen the case for large-scale quantum computing. A leading theorist and award-winning author, Aaronson studies the fundamental limits and possibilities of quantum computers.

https://frib.msu.edu/public-engagement/arts-and-activities-at-frib/advanced-stu…

7 April 2026
11:00 EDT

Mean-field approximation on steroids: exact description of the deuteron In this talk, we will demonstrate that the deuteron, i.e., the lightest bound nuclear system made of a single proton and a single neutron, can be accurately described within a mean-field-based framework. Although paradoxical at first glance, we will show that the deuteron ground-state binding energy, magnetic dipole moment, electric quadrupole moment, and root-mean-square proton radius can indeed be reproduced with sub-percent accuracy via a low-dimensional linear combination of non-orthogonal Bogoliubov states, i.e., with a method whose numerical cost scales as n^4, where n is the dimension of the basis of the one-body Hilbert space. By further putting the system into a harmonic trap, the neutron-proton scattering length and effective range in the 3S1 channel are also accurately reproduced. To achieve this task, (i) the inclusion of proton-neutron pairing through the mixing of proton and neutron single-particle states in the Bogoliubov transformation and (ii) the restoration of proton and neutron numbers before variation are shown to be mandatory ingredients. This unexpected result has implications regarding the most efficient way to capture necessary correlations as a function of nuclear mass in ab initio frameworks based on modern chiral interactions. In particular, this work illustrates the power of the symmetry-breaking and -restoration techniques, which have been traditionally employed within the context of energy density functional calculations but also gained popularity in ab initio methods in recent years.

8 April 2026
7:00 EDT

MSUFCU Arts Power Up Artists in Residence in Conversation MSUFCU Arts Power Up artists-in-residence Carl Craig and Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrom come together for a conversation exploring art, technology, and creative practice. Moderated by Sophia Saliby of WKAR, the discussion offers insight into how artists working across disciplines imagine and shape the future. April 8, 2026. 7:00 to 8:00 PM MSU Broad Art Museum (547 East Circle Drive, East Lansing, MI, 48824) Registration: https://50807.blackbaudhosting.com/50807/ARTIST-TALKS-MSUFCU-Arts-Power-Up-Residency

https://50807.blackbaudhosting.com/50807/ARTIST-TALKS-MSUFCU-Arts-Power-Up-Resi…

10 April 2026
3:00 EDT

Laser Assisted Charge Exchange (LACE) Injection at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Laser Assisted Charge Exchange (LACE) technology, under the development at Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), has a great potential to replace the foil-based charge exchange injection, especially for accelerators with high beam power in the 10 MW regime. Early experiments have demonstrated high efficiency of charge exchange of H- ions to protons for beam durations of up to microseconds. Current phase of LACE development includes optimizing laser and beam parameters using a newly installed flexible experimental setup in the High-Energy Beam Transport (HEBT) line, designing a LACE ring injection system that fits within the existing ring injection region, demonstrating in simulations of accumulation and circulating of LACE-produced beam in the SNS ring. In this talk, the speaker will present the concept of LACE and its development progress in several key aspects.

24 April 2026
3:00 EDT

<p>An experiment that generated a dipole field of 5.99 T at 4.2 K using high-temperature superconducting CORC<sup>®</sup> wires</p>

Superconducting magnets enable energy-frontier accelerators by generating strong magnetic fields to steer and focus the particles. Although high-temperature superconductors such as REBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_x$ (REBCO RE = rare earth) hold a strong potential for generating a higher magnetic field than Nb-Ti and Nb$_3$Sn, the associated magnet and conductor technology for accelerator applications is still in its infancy. The U.S. Magnet Development Program is developing REBCO magnet technology in collaboration with industry. Here we report an experiment on making a dipole magnet called C3 using commercial high-temperature superconducting CORC® wires. The magnet, following a canted cosθ design, generated a dipole field of 5.99 T at 4.2 K in its clear aperture of 65 mm at 6.795 kA when a resistive voltage of 105 μV appeared across one of the coils in the magnet. The stored energy was 53 kJ at the peak field. The magnet showed no degradation in the current-carrying capability at 4.2 K after the thermal cycle. We report on the detailed design, fabrication, and performance of the C3 magnet that can be of interest to potential users of this emerging technology. We also discuss issues and research needs to inform future REBCO magnet development. The experiment represented another step to addressing if the high-temperature superconducting accelerator magnet technology can increase the discovery capability of future particle accelerators.

24 April 2026
3:00 EDT

An experiment that generated a dipole field of 5.99 T at 4.2 K using high-temperature superconducting CORC(R) wires Superconducting magnets enable energy-frontier accelerators by generating strong magnetic fields to steer and focus the particles. Although high-temperature superconductors such as REBCO (REBCO RE = rare earth) hold a strong potential for generating a higher magnetic field than Nb-Ti and Nb-Sn, the associated magnet and conductor technology for accelerator applications is still in its infancy. The U.S. Magnet Development Program is developing REBCO(R) magnet technology in collaboration with industry. Here we report an experiment on making a dipole magnet called C3 using commercial high-temperature superconducting CORC® wires. The magnet, following a canted cos(theta) design, generated a dipole field of 5.99 T at 4.2 K in its clear aperture of 65 mm at 6.795 kA when a resistive voltage of 105 microVolts appeared across one of the coils in the magnet. The stored energy was 53 kJ at the peak field. The magnet showed no degradation in the current-carrying capability at 4.2 K after the thermal cycle. We report on the detailed design, fabrication, and performance of the C3 magnet that can be of interest to potential users of this emerging technology. We also discuss issues and research needs to inform future REBCO magnet development. The experiment represented another step to addressing if the high-temperature superconducting accelerator magnet technology can increase the discovery capability of future particle accelerators.

1 May 2026
5:30 EDT

Advanced Studies Gateway Concert: Whoa Nelly Trio The Whoa Nelly Trio brings an evening of folk, country, Americana, roots, and gospel music to FRIB, blending traditional influences with original songs.

https://frib.msu.edu/public-engagement/arts-and-activities-at-frib/advanced-stu…

8 July 2026 – 17 July 2026

DRD1 Gaseous Detectors School The 2026 DRD1 Gaseous Detectors School will be held at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) on the campus of Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing, Michigan, USA, from July 8 to July 17, 2026. This school will focus on state-of-the-art gaseous detector technologies, including Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs), (Multi-)Resistive Plate Chambers ((M)RPCs), and wire-based detectors. The program will feature morning lectures by leading international experts, covering a broad range of topics such as the fundamentals of gas detector physics, detector technologies, simulation and modeling, readout systems, manufacturing methods, and applications. Afternoon sessions will be dedicated to hands-on training with various detector technologies, emphasizing practical techniques and methodologies. The school is primarily intended for Ph.D. students and early-career scientists with a strong interest in gaseous detectors or plans to enter the field. Participants will also have the opportunity to present their research during a dedicated poster session. Student registration is free, but participants are responsible for their own travel, lodging, and personal expenses. Admission to the school is limited to ensure an effective learning environment.

https://indico.cern.ch/event/1572535/