Highlighting FRIB Stories
Latest updates, research breakthroughs, and facility announcements for FRIB
Website articles and press releases about FRIB science.
Laser-ablation-based ion sources for precision experiments in chemistry and fundamental physics require a new generation of actinide targets. These targets must provide high and stable ion yields while maintaining robustness under repeated laser interactions. Here, we adapt and extend established preparation techniques from ion‑beam target production to develop actinide targets optimized for laser ablation. To address the requirements of physics and chemistry experiments, we demonstrate several approaches for the production of suitable ablation targets: (i) chemical treatment of metal foils (ii) direct synthesis of salt-based targets, (iii) electrochemical deposition on conductive substrates, and (iv) drop-on-demand printing onto conductive and non‑conductive substrates. [1–4]
First tests demonstrate that these targets are well suited for the efficient production of atomic and molecular ions for spectroscopy experiments searching for physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM), while simultaneously enabling studies of molecular systems at the limits of chemical stability with multiply charged molecules. [5]
Multiply charged molecular actinide ions constitute particularly promising candidates for precision tests of fundamental symmetries, owing to their large internal electric fields and strong relativistic effects. At the same time, their production probes the stability of molecules in extreme charge states at the boundary of gas-phase chemistry. Representative species produced from tailored targets include ThF2+, PaF3+, UF4+, ThO+, and UO2+. [1–4]
First molecular spectroscopy experiments were performed at KU Leuven using targets produced at JGU Mainz. Mixed Th-230/232 samples enabled the production of neutral thorium monoxide, demonstrating reliable beam production of molecules and successful spectroscopy measurements. [6]
External news and journal publications discussing FRIB science.
Researchers have reported new experimental results addressing the origin of rare proton-rich isotopes heavier than iron, called p-nuclei. Led by Artemis Tsantiri, then-graduate student at FRIB and current postdoctoral fellow at the University of Regina in Canada, the study presents the first rare isotope beam measurement of proton capture on arsenic-73 to produce selenium-74, providing new constraints on how the lightest p-nucleus is formed and destroyed in the cosmos.
A research team at FRIB is the first ever to observe a beta-delayed neutron emission from fluorine-25, a rare, unstable nuclide. Using the FRIB Decay Station Initiator (FDSi), the team found contradictions in prior experimental findings. The results led to a new line of inquiry into how particles in exotic, unstable isotopes remain bound under extreme conditions.
Researchers at FRIB have achieved a significant milestone in nuclear physics by detecting beta-delayed neutron emission from fluorine-25, an elusive and unstable nuclide. This groundbreaking discovery, made possible through the utilization of the FRIB Decay Station Initiator (FDSi), has unveiled new insights into the behavior of exotic isotopes under extreme conditions.
Physicists from institutions including FRIB used state-of-the-art ab-initio nuclear theory to show that several neutron-rich magnesium isotopes near neutron number 20 exhibit both normal and deformed shapes at low energy—evidence of shape coexistence and a breakdown of the traditional “magic” shell closure at . The work helps resolve longstanding questions about this region of the nuclear chart and identifies isotopes whose structures can be tested with modern rare-isotope facilities.
Laboratory Update for Users
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The LUA newsletter for FRIB alumni features significant research and project milestones.
