FRIB issued its third call for proposals today. The FRIB science program commenced in May 2022, delivering successful experiments approved in the first call for proposals. The third call invites scientific users the world over to submit proposals for additional research and new ideas using FRIB capabilities.

With this call, FRIB invites proposals for beam time to be considered at the third meeting of the FRIB Program Advisory Committee (PAC3) in January 2025. The PAC is a group of international experts who review proposals for non-proprietary beam time requests submitted to FRIB. The PAC makes recommendations to the FRIB Laboratory Director about beam-time allocation.

All proposals for review by FRIB PAC3 need to be submitted online by 11 p.m. EST on 9 October 2024 to allow for scientific and technical review of the proposals prior to the PAC3 meeting.

FRIB is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC) user facility, supporting the mission of the DOE-SC Office of Nuclear Physics. FRIB is open to all interested researchers, subject to applicable laws and DOE-SC regulations. Beam time for non-proprietary experiments is granted based on a merit review of proposals. There is no charge for users who are doing non-proprietary work, with the understanding that they are expected to publish their results.

FRIB PAC3 will consider proposals for experiments using fast, stopped, and reaccelerated rare-isotope beams from the FRIB linear accelerator (linac). Newly offered for PAC3: 

• Additional primary beams from the FRIB linac and increased primary beam intensity (see the FRIB beams page)
• The S2 vault is an experimental area that will house the Sweeper magnet and the MoNA/LISA neutron array. The S2 beamline will also have space for auxiliary instruments and may be used as a general-purpose beamline.

Detailed information regarding proposal preparation can be found in the Call for Proposals.

FRIB supports a community of 1,800 scientists from around the world, enabling them to make discoveries about how the universe formed, while advancing innovation in medicine, nuclear security, environmental science, and more. They are organized in an independent FRIB Users Organization, and include scientists, postdoctoral research associates, and graduate students from universities, national laboratories, and industry.

FRIB PAC3 timeline

• 18 July 2024: Call for Proposals for FRIB PAC3 meeting 
• 11 September 2024: Last date for rare isotope beam rate requests
• 9 October 2024: Proposals submitted online by 11 p.m. EST
• January 2025: FRIB PAC3 meeting
• January 2025 - List of approved experiments posted to the FRIB website and spokespersons notified

Michigan State University operates the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) as a user facility for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC), supporting the mission of the DOE-SC Office of Nuclear Physics. Hosting what is designed to be the most powerful heavy-ion accelerator, FRIB enables scientists to make discoveries about the properties of rare isotopes in order to better understand the physics of nuclei, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental interactions, and applications for society, including in medicine, homeland security, and industry.

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.