The Facility for Rare Isotopes Beams (FRIB) is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC) national user facility supporting the mission of the Office of Nuclear Physics. FRIB will produce large quantities of a wide variety of rare isotopes by breaking stable nuclei into rare isotopes[1] enabling 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. The $615 million project is funded by DOE-SC, and is being designed and established by Michigan State University, with construction expected to begin on campus in 2012. It will adjoin and, upon commencement of operations, subsume the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University.[2]
The project earned Critical Decision 1 (CD-1) approval on September 2010 which established a preferred alternative and the associated established cost and schedule ranges. [3]
Engineering and design activities are developing the preferred alternative to a level of readiness where its cost, schedule, and scope can be baselined and construction of conventional facilities can begin. Approval of CD-2/3A, authorizing final technical design and the start of conventional facility construction, is anticipated in spring 2012. The project is expected to be complete by 2020.
Across the state of Michigan, business and political leaders have called for continued funding of FRIB in support of scientific discovery, innovation, and economic impact. Articles and editorials are available on the FRIB project web site.[4]
DOE-SC announced the selection of Michigan State University to design and establish FRIB on December 11, 2008 after a rigorous merit review process including a written application, oral presentations, and site visits. [5]
FRIB is expected to provide research opportunities for an international community of approximately 1000 university and laboratory scientists, postdoctoral associates, and graduate students. FRIB will provide researchers with the technical capabilities to study the properties of rare isotopes, and to put this knowledge to use in various applications, including in materials science, nuclear medicine, and the fundamental understanding of nuclear material important to nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship. More than 20 working groups specializing in experimental equipment and scientific topics have been organized through the FRIB Users Organization.[6]
Based on the analyses and recommendations over the last decade, DOE-SC determined that the establishment of a Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) is a high priority for the future of U.S. nuclear science research. This determination and supporting rationale are reflected in the DOE/ National Science Foundation Nuclear Science Advisory Committee’s 2007 Long Range Plan and the 2003 DOE report, “Facilities for the Future of Science: A Twenty-Year Outlook.” [7]