FRIB Capability
Superconducting radio frequency (SRF) resonators are an essential part of FRIB’s linear accelerator (linac). During the construction of FRIB, the SRF team was responsible for the production, certification, and installation of the SRF resonators and cryomodules. To meet the stringent performance requirements for the FRIB linac, FRIB developed state-of-the art infrastructure for preparing and testing SRF resonators.
FRIB delivers from idea to execution
FRIB’s strength in low-beta superconducting radio frequency (SRF) technology lies in its vertically integrated structure—FRIB owns the entire development cycle from concept to commissioning and operation. This end-to-end control enables seamless collaboration across teams, rapid iteration, and efficient transition from innovation to real-world application. By eliminating handoffs and aligning every phase under one roof, FRIB accelerates development and delivers high-performance SRF solutions with unmatched speed and precision.
FRIB’s expertise in SRF strengthens U.S. scientific leadership, enhances American competitiveness, and drives innovation in critical fields of research.
The successful commissioning of the FRIB linear accelerator in 2022 and the start of operations for user experiments marked significant milestones, underscoring FRIB’s leadership in this field. The SRF team supports FRIB operations and is responsible for maintenance and improvements to the resonators and cryomodules.
Examples of recent initiatives by the team for the production of resonators with improved performance include the addition of a new electropolishing facility (commissioned in 2022) for SRF resonators and the acquisition of an electron beam welder (being commissioned in 2025) for in-house fabrication of SRF resonators.
In addition to supporting FRIB operations, the SRF team is developing SRF resonator technology for the proposed FRIB400 energy upgrade, working with other laboratories to advance their accelerator projects, and training students and post-docs in SRF. Present partners from other accelerator laboratories include SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source energy upgrade team and Fermilab's Proton Improvement Plan team. FRIB’s experience with SRF resonator development and production for ion beams advances their efforts that make use of similar technology for electron and proton beams.
FRIB’s in-house capabilities–developed to rapidly prototype and deliver FRIB’s linear accelerator–include:
- Chemical-processing facilities (for chemical-etching and electropolishing)
- Cryomodule test facility (for cryomodule and resonator certification)
- Vacuum furnace
- High-pressure rinse system (for particle-free processing, high-pressure rinsing, and quality assurance)
- Clean rooms and assembly complex (including the SRF clean room, the clean room prep area, the vacuum laboratory, and superconducting large-gap magnets)
For more information, visit the SRF facilities and processes page.
FRIB's high-power superconducting linear accelerator accelerates ion beams to strike a target and, when their nuclei collide, produce the rare isotopes.
All FRIB cryomodules are tested in the cryomodule test facility before installation into the FRIB linear accelerator.
High-pressure rinse systems use ultra-pure water and automated tools to clean superconducting components for particle-free results.
A technician assembles eight half-wave resonators in the FRIB clean room for installation in a cryomodule for the superconducting linear accelerator.
Each year, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science selects approximately 200 standout publications—including those featuring FRIB research—as highlights, showcasing the nation’s most impactful scientific discoveries.
The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams opens a new research avenue and observes three new rare isotopes.
Department of Energy user facility helps probe questions from changes in the structure of nuclei to nuclear reactions that shape the Universe.
The FRIB SRF team produced the hardware to build the world’s largest superconducting linear accelerator for heavy ions and now supports the operation of this linear accelerator for world-class user experiments in nuclear physics and applied science.
This experience has cemented FRIB as a world leader and resulted in invitations to host and present at global conferences, perform leading-edge SRF work for others, and train the next generation of SRF leaders.
At right, an FRIB scientist prepares an FRIB quarter-wave resonator for heat treatment in a vacuum furnace prior to installation into the FRIB linear accelerator.
The FRIB team fully made a cryomodule every three weeks during peak production time, utilizing five assembly bays and on-site testing. FRIB’s SRF capabilities enhance American competitiveness by advancing domestic production of critical SRF systems and fostering innovation in the design and fabrication of essential components for emerging industries, including:
Chemical etching of a quarter wave resonator for the FRIB superconducting linear accelerator.
Preparation for cryogenic testing of a half wave resonator prior to installation in the FRIB superconducting linear accelerator.
The FRIB SRF team was selected by SLAC to develop a superconducting radio-frequency photo-injector cryomodule for production of a low-emittance, high-brightness electron beam source. This effort is oriented toward an upgrade to SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source facility.
The FRIB SRF team is collaborating with Fermilab in its SRF effort oriented toward the production of high-performance resonators and cryomodules for the Fermilab Proton Improvement Project. Areas of collaboration include advanced surface treatments for SRF resonators to reduce cryogenic loads and methods to improve SRF resonator performance via improved cleanliness.
FRIB supported SLAC’s Linear Coherent Light Source upgrade (LCLS-II-HE) by developing a superconducting electron gun (e-gun) and precision magnet mapper system to meet the facility’s demanding low-emission beam requirements. Above is the e-gun frame.
FRIB’s electron-beam welder uses a focused beam of fast-moving electrons in a vacuum to melt and join materials using heat created by their impact. The machine is used for welding superconducting radio frequency components.
FRIB staff perform measurements on the partially-assembled cryomodule developed for the upgrade to SLAC’s Linear Coherent Light Source.
At FRIB, students receive hands-on training with world-leading experts on world-unique systems, gaining critical skills and real-world experience. This training helps them win prestigious awards and contribute to a skilled workforce, lead in emerging industries, and drive national competitiveness.
Students doing graduate studies in SRF at FRIB/MSU have become employees at national U.S. laboratories (such as Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), have continued as employees at FRIB, or have taken jobs in industry. Several undergraduate students have done internships or projects in SRF at FRIB/MSU and continued with graduate studies in accelerator science at MSU or other universities.
Kellen McGee, who did a Research Experience for Undergraduates project at FRIB/MSU, went on to graduate research in electron injectors and has since been the recipient of awards for presentations at accelerator conferences in 2022 and 2024. She defended her PhD dissertation in March 2025 and plans to continue working on particle accelerators at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
While at FRIB, McGee’s focus was on optimizing 644 MHz 5-cell elliptical superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities for the FRIB400 upgrade.
Due to FRIB’s recognized leadership and groundbreaking work in the SRF field, FRIB is invited to host and present at leading global conferences.
FRIB hosted the 21st International Conference on RF Superconductivity (SRF 2023) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. FRIB was selected as a first-time host due to its success in assembling and building—with the SRF community’s support and curation—the most powerful heavy-ion accelerator. The FRIB/MSU team hosted both the 2021 and 2023 International Conference on RF Superconductivity. Considering limitations the pandemic posed, FRIB proposed to hold the 2021 meeting virtually and postpone the in-person event to 2023.
Members of the SRF team have been invited to make presentations about the FRIB superconducting linac and the FRIB SRF resonator plasma processing effort at the 2025 conference, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan.
Joined the laboratory in 2016
Joined the laboratory in 2012
Publications
Advanced surface treatments for medium-velocity superconducting cavities for high-accelerating gradient continuous-wave operationK. McGee et al., Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, American Institute of Physics, 1059, 168985 (2024). | Medium-velocity superconducting cavity for high accelerating gradient continuous-wave hadron linear acceleratorsK. McGee et al., Physical Review Accelerators and Beams 24, 112003 (2021). | Certification testing of production superconducting quarter-wave and half-wave resonators for FRIBC. Zhang et al., Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Volume 1014, 165675 (2021). |
Effects of processing history on the evolution of surface damage layer and dislocation substructure in large grain niobium cavitiesD. Kang et al., Physical Review Accelerators and Beams 18, 123501 (2015). | Magnetic Shield Material Characterization for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams' CryomodulesT. Xu et al., Proceedings of 28th Linear Accelerator Conference, 2016. |
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The Department of Energy (DOE) has given the green light for construction to begin on a high-energy upgrade that will further boost the performance of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), the world's most powerful X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) at the DOE's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. When complete, the upgrade will allow scientists to explore atomic-scale processes with unprecedented precision and address fundamental questions in energy storage, catalysis, biology, materials science and quantum physics like never before. SLAC has teamed up with national labs, along with the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University for the LCLS-II-HE upgrade project.
At a large, new facility on Michigan State University's campus, the boundaries of nuclear science are being taken further than they've ever gone before. And scientists from around the world are lining up to get involved. The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, or FRIB, is a three-decade dream. The $730 million facility took almost 14 years to build, and was made possible by more than $635.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science and $94.5 million from the state of Michigan.
