Name and Location
Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), Michigan, US.

Client
Michigan State University (MSU).

Project Description
The FRIB is a new national user facility for nuclear science, funded by the US Department of Energy Office of Science and operated by MSU.

The FRIB will enable scientists to make discoveries about the properties of rare isotopes to better understand the physics of nuclei, nuclear astrophysics and fundamental interactions, as well as applications for society, including in medicine, homeland security, and industry.

The heart of the FRIB is a high-power superconducting linear accelerator that accelerates heavy ions and produces rare isotopes using in-beam fragmentation. The FRIB will enable scientific research with fast, stopped and reaccelerated rare-isotope beams, currently supporting a community more than 1 350 scientists worldwide.

The FRIB researchers will, for the first time, have the capability to produce most of the same rare isotopes that are created in the thermonuclear explosions of supernovas, which then decay into the elements found on earth. This will help researchers understand the origins of the elements. The same isotopes are needed to develop a comprehensive model of atomic nuclei and how they interact.

Researchers using FRIB will be able to improve their understanding of how nuclear particles may be used to model, diagnose and cure diseases.

The improved nuclear models and precision data will enable the optimisation of the next generation of nuclear reactors and the evaluation of techniques to destroy nuclear waste.

They will investigate advanced materials to examine the processes involved on a nano- and microscale, providing insights into how materials are affected by radiation and other forces. Modelling atomic nuclei and their interactions – a challenging problem in science – can also help to create breakthroughs in security, the environment, high-energy physics and nanoscience.

Value
The project is estimated at $730-million.

Duration
The project is expected to be completed in June 2022.

Latest Developments
The final design of the FRIB conventional facilities – the tunnel and support buildings – is complete and ready for civil construction to begin in the second quarter of this year.

Preconstruction site preparation is complete and the final design of the technical systems – accelerator and experimental equipment – is under way and planned for completion in 2014.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
FIRB, tel +1 517 355 9672.