External news and journal publications discussing FRIB science.
Nuclear physicists at the University of Surrey have become the first to carry out a scientific experiment using the world’s most advanced gamma-ray spectrometer—investigating a sudden change in the shape of the atomic nucleus that could challenge existing theories. The experiment took place at FRIB using the newly delivered and characterized Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array (GRETA). Led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and delivered by a collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and FRIB, GRETA is a $58 million detector designed to reveal the structure of atomic nuclei in unprecedented detail.
The experiment took place at FRIB using the newly delivered and characterised Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array (GRETA). Led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and delivered by a collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and FRIB, GRETA is a $58 million detector designed to reveal the structure of atomic nuclei in unprecedented detail.
A next-generation nuclear detection system that could aid US national security efforts has logged its first operational measurements in Michigan. The Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array, known as GRETA, recently completed its initial characterization run at Michigan State University. Located at FRIB, the instrument met all primary performance targets during early beam testing.
Researchers at FRIB have made significant strides in understanding the source of an unexpected abundance of low-energy gamma rays released by the zinc-70 nucleus. Their groundbreaking study reveals that magnetic transitions occurring within the nucleus are responsible for this puzzling gamma-ray signal, a finding that has been published in Nature under the study titled "Magnetic Character of the Low-Energy Enhancement in 70Zn."
The Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array (GRETA), which is installed at FRIB, has successfully completed a commissioning and characterization run, establishing that it is ready for scientific operations. According to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which made the announcement, the measurements that scientists make with GRETA will improve the theoretical models of the atomic nucleus that underpin research in nuclear physics, astrophysics, energy, medicine, and national security.
The Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array (GRETA), the world’s most advanced gamma-ray spectrometer for nuclear science, has taken first beam and successfully completed a commissioning and characterization run at FRIB. The milestone confirms the detector is performing as anticipated, giving researchers a way to observe atomic nuclei in greater detail than ever before.
For decades, some atomic nuclei have emitted more low-energy gamma rays than theory could explain. A collaboration led by researchers at FRIB has now traced this mysterious excess in zinc-70 to magnetic transitions occurring inside the nucleus. The findings are reported in a study recently published in Nature.
A scientific team led by FRIB has identified the origin of a mysterious excess of low-energy gamma rays emitted by the nucleus zinc-70. They found that the excess is caused by magnetic transitions within the nucleus. The study, "Magnetic Character of the Low-Energy Enhancement in 70Zn," published in Nature, sheds light on a long-standing puzzle in nuclear physics and has far-reaching implications for astrophysics.
FRIB at MSU, in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory, was chosen to receive a Genesis Mission Phase I award from the U.S. Department of Energy. The project will develop artificial intelligence, or AI, tools — specifically, physics-informed “digital twins” — that could transform how heavy-ion accelerators and isotope separators are operated. The project, titled “Towards Self-Evolving, Physics-Informed Digital Twins of Ion Accelerators and Isotope Separators,” is led by Peter Ostroumov, associate director of the Accelerator Systems Division and professor at FRIB, and Brahim Mustapha, accelerator physicist at Argonne National Laboratory.
Texas A&M University received a U.S. Genesis Mission Phase 1 award from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop AI-enabled digital twins that support the autonomous operation of complex scientific facilities. Researchers will demonstrate the approach using university-scale experimental systems before scaling it to national user facilities, with the goal of improving efficiency and making better use of valuable beam time. Kei Minamisono, senior research physicist at FRIB and adjunct professor of physics at FRIB and MSU, is a collaborator on the project.
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory received a U.S. Genesis Mission Phase 1 award from the U.S. Department of Energy for a project that will apply AI and machine learning to improve resonance control in superconducting radio-frequency accelerator systems, with the goal of increasing operational reliability while reducing costs. The AI-driven control algorithms are designed to improve accelerator stability, extend equipment lifetime, and support more efficient operation of superconducting accelerator facilities. Shen Zhao, radio frequency group leader at FRIB, is a collaborator on the project.
As one of two U.S. Genesis Mission Phase projects awarded to Duke University by the U.S. Department of Energy, "From Data to Equation of State: AI-Driven Discovery of Optimal Observables in Heavy-Ion Collisions" will develop AI-driven approaches to identify the most informative experimental observables for studying the properties of nuclear matter created in heavy-ion collisions. By extracting more information from complex experimental data, the project aims to improve constraints on the equation of state of nuclear matter and advance understanding of matter under extreme conditions. Agnieszka Sorensen, assistant professor of physics at FRIB and Michigan State University (MSU), is a collaborator on the project.
