Holifield ion beam facility ready to study nuclei

17 Jun 2002

A final milestone reached at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) means that researchers from around the world will soon begin using this facility to study nuclei that cannot be produced from elements that exist on Earth. On August 30 researchers generated the first radioactive ion beam at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory facility. By this fall, scientists from universities and laboratories around the world will be conducting experiments they hope will answer questions about nuclear physics and nuclear astrophysics.

"The HRIBF is the only facility in the world dedicated to the acceleration of radioactive ion beams with sufficient intensity and energy to be useful for nuclear physics and nuclear astrophysics," said Jerry Garrett, scientific director of the Holifield facility.