In the News
External news and journal publications discussing FRIB science.
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.
Atomic nuclei in excited states emit radiation to achieve a more stable configuration. Studying the radiation emitted by long-lived excited states, or isomers, yields important insight into the microscopic structure of the nucleus. Such experiments are designed to observe these kinds of events using detectors where these decays would leave a very clear signature. Researchers at FRIB directly observed isomeric decays in real time following the implantation of radioactive ions in an inorganic scintillation detector. The subsequent radioactive decay products were measured using the FRIB Decay Station Initiator (FDSi), a suite of ancillary detection systems for neutron and gamma-ray spectroscopy.
A review led by an FRIB researcher highlights how advances in nuclear theory are strengthening precision tests of the Standard Model of particle physics. The paper summarizes recent progress in ab initio calculations, which use fundamental interactions between protons and neutrons to predict the small corrections needed to interpret high-precision beta-decay experiments. These increasingly accurate calculations are helping researchers compare theory with experiment, search for signs of new physics beyond the Standard Model, and guide future studies of radioactive nuclei.
Caltech reports on a new method for producing and cooling molecules containing radioactive radium, preparing them for precision experiments that could help scientists search for new particles and forces and investigate why matter dominates over antimatter in the universe. The research team included Alyssa Gaiser of FRIB and Michigan State University.
MSU alumnus Aaron Philip has been named a U.S. Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellow. He is the second Spartan in university history and one of only 29 students this year to earn the designation. Philip worked for four years at FRIB with professors Witold Nazarewicz, Kyle Godbey and Pablo Giuliani. He initially joined their group via the Professorial Assistantship program. The work he conducted, along with Philip’s undergraduate thesis on a new Bayesian inference method to analyze nuclear fusion experiments, led to a first-author submission to a peer-reviewed journal.
Priyarshini Ghosh, a University of Maryland, Baltimore County nuclear physicist with the Center for Space Sciences and Technology, is at the forefront of research that could significantly improve our understanding of cosmic rays.
Ghosh and her collaborators have just completed a pioneering experiment at FRIB, where they generated and then fragmented a beam of chromium-52 nuclei. Chromium-52 is of particular interest because it can shed light on different processes happening in our galaxy, and yet it has never been measured.
Mississippi State University physicist Jaspreet Singh Randhawa has received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to investigate the nuclear reactions that drive stellar explosions and the formation of chemical elements in the universe. As part of the five-year project, Randhawa and collaborators will conduct experiments at FRIB and the Nuclear Science Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame, using rare isotope beams to measure key reaction rates that influence astrophysical models of nucleosynthesis.
A reposting of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science's (DOE-SC) highlight titled “Bowling Near the Speed of Light” about research showing how the distinctive “bowling-pin” shape of neon-20 nuclei influences particle flow in collisions with lead nuclei. The study demonstrates how nuclear shape leaves measurable signatures in collision data, providing new evidence for quark-gluon plasma formation and a new way to study the structure of atomic nuclei. Authors of the publication are from the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University. Each year, scientists publish thousands of research findings in the scientific literature. About 200 of these are selected annually by their respective program areas in DOE-SC as publication highlights of special note.
The article highlights key developments that shaped Michigan State University during the 1980s, including the opening of major facilities, advances in research, and milestones in student life and athletics. Among the decade’s most notable achievements was the successful testing of the K500, the world’s first superconducting cyclotron, in 1981, a scientific accomplishment that helped lay the foundation for FRIB. The original K500 superconducting cyclotron was recently repurposed as part of a new facility dedicated to semiconductor chip testing, supporting U.S. innovation across industries such as defense and autonomous systems.
The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC) posted a highlight titled “Bowling Near the Speed of Light” about research showing how the distinctive “bowling-pin” shape of neon-20 nuclei influences particle flow in collisions with lead nuclei. The study demonstrates how nuclear shape leaves measurable signatures in collision data, providing new evidence for quark-gluon plasma formation and a new way to study the structure of atomic nuclei. Authors of the publication are from the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University. Each year, scientists publish thousands of research findings in the scientific literature. About 200 of these are selected annually by their respective program areas in DOE-SC as publication highlights of special note.
Researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County are leading a first-of-its-kind experiment at FRIB to better understand how cosmic rays shape the chemical evolution of the Milky Way. Using FRIB’s rare isotope beam capabilities, the team is measuring how chromium-52 breaks apart when interacting with hydrogen, helping improve astrophysical models and support NASA’s upcoming Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder for the International Space Station (TIGERISS) mission.
