Conceptual drawing showing a possible plan for the proposed facility. All concepts are subject to final approval by the DOE. Image provided by the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory.
The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) will be constructed at Michigan State University according to a press release from the US Department of Energy. The facility will create beams of short-lived nuclear isotopes that are not commonly found in either nature or existing nuclear experiments. These isotopes will be used to study a diverse range of nuclear physics topics from the structure of the nucleus and the nature of the strong force, to understanding the evolution of stars and the origin of elements in astrophysical processes, to tests of the fundamental symmetries of nature. Rare isotopes also have application in medical research and nuclear stockpile stewardship.
Two remaining candidates had been competing to host FRIB, Michigan State and the University of Chicago/Argonne National Laboratory. The DOE made the decision based on evaluation against Merit Review criteria.
The facility will take approximately a decade to design and construct at a cost of about $550 million. It will be a DOE User Facility which means that it will be available for use by researchers from the United States and internationally.
A detailed scientific rationale for the process can be read in a 2006 report by the National Academy of Sciences: report (PDF).
A facility like FRIB was recommended as a high priority in a 1996 report by the joint DOE/National Science Foundation Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) and the 2007 NSAC report concluded the facility is vital to the US nuclear science program.
Michigan State University has a press release with more information.
