User community resolves to keep FRIB as its top priority, continue support for FRIB-TA and JINA, and reinforce commitment to foster diverse scientific workforce

14 August 2021

The 2021 Low Energy Community Meeting (LECM) was held online 9-11 August, jointly hosted by the FRIB Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. Over the course of the three days, more than 500 members of the low-energy nuclear physics community remotely attended the meeting. The participants were from more than 100 institutions and more than 30 countries.

LECM included plenary sessions, twelve working group sessions, and three workshops, including the FRIB Theory Alliance (FRIB-TA) annual meeting and a workshop on inclusive excellence in the low-energy nuclear physics community. The meeting highlighted the status at major user facilities—FRIB, the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS), the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), the Association for Research at University Nuclear Accelerators (ARUNA) laboratories, and the FRIB Theory Alliance (FRIB-TA). In addition, LECM included perspectives from the Office of Nuclear Physics in DOE-SC, the Nuclear Physics Program of the National Science Foundation, talks from the inaugural FRIB Early Achievement Award winners, and a special focus talk on targetry.

The 2021 LECM meeting resulted in a set of resolutions being accepted.

2021 LECM resolutions:

  • As a community, we reinforce our commitment to foster a diverse scientific workforce, we support and are respectful of diversity in all of its forms in the community, and we are wholly committed to ensuring an inclusive and accessible environment for all.
  • FRIB remains our top priority. The community eagerly anticipates the commencement of FRIB user operations and the instrumentation necessary to realize FRIB’s tremendous scientific potential. Support for GRETA and HRS on technically driven schedules is critical to realize the full scope of scientific opportunities at FRIB in a timely manner.
  • The science case for an energy upgrade of FRIB to 400 MeV/u is extremely compelling and will significantly expand the FRIB program.
  • Operation of the national user facility ATLAS at optimal levels is fundamental to the scientific health of our community.
  • The ARUNA facilities are central to the low-energy science program and workforce development. Their continued effective operation is crucial. The community strongly supports the funding of these facilities and critically, the associated research groups at both universities and national laboratories.
  • FRIB-TA is an essential component of our field. The theory bridge and theory fellow positions at universities and national laboratories help to grow capability in our community. We strongly endorse continued support of the FRIB-TA and all of its programs.
  • The Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA) has been an essential part of low-energy nuclear science. It has built strong national and international communication and collaboration links across disciplines and across theory and experiment that are critical in nuclear astrophysics. We strongly endorse support for a nuclear astrophysics center that fulfills this important role and propels innovation in the multi-messenger era.

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