Scientists at FRIB have used new techniques to generate a powerful uranium beam. The high-power beam, which reached 10.4 kilowatts (kW), allowed researchers to extract and identify three new isotopes—gallium-88, arsenic-93, and selenium-96—within the first 24 hours of operation. These techniques, recently detailed in Physical Review Accelerators and Beams, marked a new milestone in isotope research. The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science also highlighted the discovery.
The researchers attribute the scientific breakthrough to the successful operation of FRIB—namely, its superconducting linear accelerator composed of 324 resonators in 46 cryomodules as well as its liquid-lithium charge stripper. The record-high power uranium beam was achieved through new methods that allowed the three charge states of uranium to be accelerated concurrently after charge-stripping with liquid-lithium film. The newly discovered isotopes were produced in a 1.2 mm graphite target, then separated and identified for the first time in the Advanced Rare Isotope Separator (ARIS) at FRIB.
Scientists and engineers from FRIB, Argonne National Laboratory, the Institute for Basic Science in Korea, and the RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science in Japan participated in the development and isotope search.
According to the researchers, the experience gained from the uranium operation was invaluable. To continue to produce higher power uranium beams, more improvements, such as developing more robust and faster beam profile measurement tools, are necessary.
The news received media attention in a number of outlets, including:
- U.S. scientists shatter high-power uranium beam record, unlock new isotopes (Interesting Engineering via MSN News)
- Scientists accelerate uranium beam with record power (Phys.org)
- Unleashing atomic power: Record-breaking 10.4kW uranium beam reveals new isotopes (SciTechDaily)
This material is based on work supported by the Department of Energy Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics, the National Science Foundation, and the Institute for Basic Science in South Korea.
Michigan State University (MSU) operates the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) as a user facility for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC), with financial support from and furthering the mission of the DOE-SC Office of Nuclear Physics.
The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of today’s most pressing challenges. For more information, visit energy.gov/science.