External news and journal publications discussing FRIB science.
A research team at FRIB is the first ever to observe a beta-delayed neutron emission from fluorine-25, a rare, unstable nuclide. Using the FRIB Decay Station Initiator (FDSi), the team found contradictions in prior experimental findings. The results led to a new line of inquiry into how particles in exotic, unstable isotopes remain bound under extreme conditions.
A research team at FRIB is the first ever to observe a beta-delayed neutron emission from fluorine-25, a rare, unstable nuclide. Using the FRIB Decay Station Initiator (FDSi), the team found contradictions in prior experimental findings. The results led to a new line of inquiry into how particles in exotic, unstable isotopes remain bound under extreme conditions.
Researchers at FRIB have achieved a significant milestone in nuclear physics by detecting beta-delayed neutron emission from fluorine-25, an elusive and unstable nuclide. This groundbreaking discovery, made possible through the utilization of the FRIB Decay Station Initiator (FDSi), has unveiled new insights into the behavior of exotic isotopes under extreme conditions.
Physicists from institutions including FRIB used state-of-the-art ab-initio nuclear theory to show that several neutron-rich magnesium isotopes near neutron number 20 exhibit both normal and deformed shapes at low energy—evidence of shape coexistence and a breakdown of the traditional “magic” shell closure at . The work helps resolve longstanding questions about this region of the nuclear chart and identifies isotopes whose structures can be tested with modern rare-isotope facilities.
Physicists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in collaboration with institutions including the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), have developed a new molecule-based technique that uses the atom’s own electrons as “messengers” to probe its nucleus, bypassing the need for large-scale particle accelerators. In the experiment, electrons bound in a radium-fluoride molecule briefly entered the radium nucleus and returned with subtle shifts in energy that reveal internal nuclear structure. Among the study’s co-authors is Shane Wilkins, who now works at FRIB.
Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are uncovering new details about how stars forge heavy elements, using precise nuclear-physics measurements to refine models of stellar nucleosynthesis. Many of the rare-isotope measurements needed to test these models have been performed at FRIB, where researchers can recreate short-lived nuclei involved in these stellar processes.
A team of researchers from institutions including FRIB, Old Dominion University, Jefferson Lab, and Ohio University developed a new computational emulator that uses the reduced-basis method and active-learning algorithms to predict proton-deuteron scattering with high accuracy and far lower computational cost. By enabling rapid exploration of three-nucleon forces, these tools support faster calibration of nuclear-interaction models and open the door to broader applications in nuclear structure and reaction theory.
Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and FRIB are uncovering new details about how stars forge heavy elements, using precise nuclear-physics measurements to refine models of stellar nucleosynthesis. Many of the rare-isotope measurements needed to test these models have been performed at FRIB, where researchers can recreate short-lived nuclei involved in these stellar processes.
Michigan State University conducts several long-term research projects that advance scientific understanding across generations. One example is the Modular Neutron Array (MoNA), a more than 20-year MSU-led collaboration at FRIB that studies the structure of neutron-rich nuclei produced in cosmic events.
Wittenberg University physics major Leonardo Juarez received the Thomas D. Rossing Physics Scholarship, which recognizes exceptional undergraduate achievement in physics. Juarez visited FRIB in 2024, an experience he described as deeply impactful in shaping his academic and research interests in nuclear science.
MSU Today reports on two MSU physicists' recent selection for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation 2025 cohort of Experimental Physics Investigators. Johannes Pollanen and FRIB’s Jaideep Taggart Singh have each received grants from the foundation to advance their experimental physics research in quantum computing and fundamental forces of the universe.
The WILX segment "This Day in Michigan History" marks the anniversary of the Cyclotron Laboratory's first accelerated its first beam of atomic particles October 7, 1965, acknowledging FRIB's present-day continuation of nuclear science research.
