Applied benefits

FRIB provides research quantities of rare isotopes that can be used to develop new medical diagnostics and treatment of disease. It also plays an important role in understanding small-scale objects by providing isotopes for implantation and hence probing subtle effects on the atomic scale. Finally, understanding how nuclei interact is essential to national security and design of a new generation of safer nuclear reactors.

The 2012 Decadal Study of Nuclear Physics, “Nuclear Physics: Exploring the Heart of Matter,” by the National Academies of Science found that "Many of today’s most important advancements in medicine, materials, energy, security, climatology, and dozens of other sciences emanate from the wellspring of basic research and development in nuclear physics. Answers to some of the most important questions facing our planet will come from nuclear science, interdisciplinary efforts in energy and climate, and marketplace innovations.”

Often, work in these areas can proceed "parasitically" to the FRIB primary nuclear science operations, thereby optimizing the overall scientific output. Research in several of these areas is already being actively pursued at other facilities such as ISOLDE at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland; ISAC at TRIUMF in Vancouver, Canada; and others.

Source: 2012 Decadal Study of Nuclear Physics, “Nuclear Physics: Exploring the Heart of Matter,” from the National Academies of Science