Development and application of a He neutron spin filter at J-PARC

奥平 琢也; 奥 隆之; 猪野 隆*; 林田 洋寿*; 吉良 弘*; 酒井 健二; 廣井 孝介; 高橋 慎吾*; 相澤 一也; 遠藤 仁*; et al.

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 977, p.164301_1 - 164301_8, 2020/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2020.164301

We are developing a neutron polarizer with polarized He gas, referred to as a He spin filter, based on the Spin Exchange Optical Pumping (SEOP) for polarized neutron scattering experiments at Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) of Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). A He gas-filling station was constructed at J-PARC, and several He cells with long spin relaxation times have been fabricated using the gas-filling station. A laboratory has been prepared in the MLF beam hall for polarizing He cells, and compact pumping systems with laser powers of 30 W and 110 W, which can be installed onto a neutron beamline, have been developed. A He polarization of 85% was achieved at a neutron beamline by using the pumping system with the 110 W laser. Recently, the first user experiment utilizing the He spin filter was conducted, and there have been several more since then. The development and utilization of He spin filters at MLF of J-PARC are reported.

Neutron diffraction monitoring of as-cast MgZnY during compression and tension

Harjo, S.; 相澤 一也; Gong, W.*; 川崎 卓郎

Materials Transactions, 61(5), p.828 - 832, 2020/04

https://doi.org/10.2320/matertrans.MT-MM2019003

In situ neutron diffraction measurements during compressive and tensile tests of an as-cast MgZnY alloy consisting of phase (Mg) as the matrix and a long period stacking ordered phase (LPSO) of 25 vol%, were performed to understand deformation behavior of each phase and to monitor the occurrence of kinking during deformation. The LPSO grains yielded possibly via kinking during compressive deformation above the applied true stress of about 137 MPa. The stress partitioning among Mg grains was observed larger in the compressive deformation than in the tensile deformation, that might be due to the large load sharing of Mg grains as a result of the yielding of LPSO grains during compressive deformation.

Monte Carlo radiation transport modelling of the current-biased kinetic inductance detector

Malins, A.; 町田 昌彦; Vu, TheDang; 相澤 一也; 石田 武和*

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 953, p.163130_1 - 163130_7, 2020/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2019.163130

Radiation transport simulations were used to analyse neutron imaging with the current-biased kinetic inductance detector (CB-KID). The PHITS Monte Carlo code was applied for simulating neutron, He, Li, photon and electron transport, B(n,)Li reactions, and energy deposition by particles within CB-KID. Slight blurring in simulated CB-KID images originated He and Li ions spreading out in random directions from the B conversion layer in the detector prior to causing signals in the and superconducting Nb nanowire meander lines. 478 keV prompt gamma rays emitted by Li nuclei from neutron-B reactions had negligible contribution to the simulated CB-KID images. Simulated neutron images of B dot arrays indicate that sub 10 m resolution imaging should be feasible with the current CB-KID design. The effect of the geometrical structure of CB-KID on the intrinsic detection efficiency was calculated from the simulations. An analytical equation was then developed to approximate this contribution to the detection efficiency. Detection efficiencies calculated in this study are upper bounds for the reality as the effects of detector temperature, the bias current, signal processing and dead-time losses were not taken into account. The modelling strategies employed in this study could be used to evaluate modifications to the CB-KID design prior to actual fabrication and testing, conveying a time and cost saving.

Temperature dependent characteristics of neutron signals from a current-biased Nb nanowire detector with B converter

Vu, TheDang; 飯澤 侑貴*; 西村 和真*; 宍戸 寛明*; 小嶋 健児*; 及川 健一; 原田 正英; 宮嶋 茂之*; 日高 睦夫*; 奥 隆之; et al.

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 1293, p.012051_1 - 012051_9, 2019/10

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1293/1/012051

We succeeded in designed and fabricated a neutron detector by using a superconducting current-biased kinetic inductance detector (CB-KID), which is constructed by two perpendicular Nb-based superconducting meander-lines and an enriched B neutron conversion layer. We rebuilt completely a neutron image of a B dot array contain in the stainless-steel mesh. To improve the resolution of neutron images, the characteristics of a superconducting neutron detector have been studied carefully. In this study, we present the dependence of neutron signals in the temperature of detector. We found that when the temperature of a neutron detector is as close as the critical temperature of superconductivity, the intensity of signal increase as a function of temperature. We consider that the ratio of noise and signal is decrease which is very useful to improve the resolution of neutron images.

Stroboscopic time-of-flight neutron diffraction during cyclic testing using the event data recording system at J-PARC

川崎 卓郎; 稲村 泰弘; 伊藤 崇芳*; 中谷 健; Harjo, S.; Gong, W.*; 相澤 一也

Journal of Applied Crystallography, 51(3), p.630 - 634, 2018/06

https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600576718006453

A time-resolved time-of-flight neutron diffraction technique to characterize the structural properties of materials during cyclic tests has been developed. By adopting the developed technique, the behaviors of the crystal lattice and domains of the piezoelectric material in a multilayer-type piezoelectric actuator driven by a cyclic electric field were evaluated. The variation in diffraction intensity during the application of a cyclic electric field was obtained successfully, and the hysteresis-like behaviors of both the lattice strain and the 90 domain switching were revealed.

Status report of the chopper spectrometer 4SEASONS

梶本 亮一; 中村 充孝; 稲村 泰弘; 蒲沢 和也*; 池内 和彦*; 飯田 一樹*; 石角 元志*; 村井 直樹; 吉良 弘*; 中谷 健; et al.

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 1021(1), p.012030_1 - 012030_6, 2018/06

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1021/1/012030

4SEASONS is a medium-resolution thermal neutron chopper spectrometer in the Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) at J-PARC. Although 4SEASONS is routinely used for many experiments by internal and external users, upgrading and maintenance work is still underway. This paper reviews the recent improvements of the instrument.

Work hardening, dislocation structure, and load partitioning in lath-martensite determined by neutron diffraction line profile analysis

Harjo, S.; 川崎 卓郎; 友田 陽*; Gong, W.*; 相澤 一也; Tichy, G.*; Shi, Z.*; Ungar, T.*

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 48(9), p.4080 - 4092, 2017/09

AA2017-0020.pdf:3.33MB

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-017-4172-0

neutron diffraction during tensile deformation of lath martensite steel containing 0.22 mass% of carbon, is performed using TAKUMI of J-PARC. The diffraction peaks at plastically deformed states exhibit asymmetries as the reflection of redistributions of the stress and dislocation densities/arrangements in lath-packets where the dislocation glides are favorable (soft packet) and unfavorable (hard packet). The dislocation density is as high as 10 m at the as-quenched state, and then during tensile straining, the load and the dislocation density become different between the two lath-packets. The dislocation character and arrangement vary also in the hard packet, but hardly change in the soft packet. The hard packet plays an important role in the high work hardening in martensite, which could be understood by taking into account not only the increase of the dislocation density but also the change in dislocation arrangement.

Evaluation of bending strain in NbSn strands of CIC conductor using neutron diffraction

辺見 努*; Harjo, S.; 梶谷 秀樹*; 諏訪 友音*; 齊藤 徹*; 相澤 一也; 長村 光造*; 小泉 徳潔*

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 27(4), p.4200905_1 - 4200905_5, 2017/06

https://doi.org/10.1109/TASC.2017.2660064

The superconducting property of NbSn strands is very sensitive to strain. The transverse electromagnetic loading has been considered as a major origin of the degradation of NbSn cable-in-conduit conductors (CICCs) due to the local bending. Since the bending pitch is around 5 mm due to contacting of strands compacted by the electromagnetic transverse loading, there is a possibility of a large bending strain with small deflection of strands. The bending strain of the strands cannot be evaluated from only the small deflection obtained visually. Measuring bending strain of NbSn strand in CICCs is important for evaluating the conductor performance. Neutrons, which have a large penetration depth, are a powerful tool to evaluate the internal strain of NbSn in the CICC. This paper shows that the bending strain in NbSn strands of CICCs can be determined by the neutron diffraction profile nondestructively and quantitatively.

Dislocation characteristics in lath martensitic steel by neutron diffraction

Harjo, S.; 川崎 卓郎; Gong, W.; 相澤 一也

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 746(1), p.012046_1 - 012046_7, 2016/10

BB2015-1438.pdf:0.82MB

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/746/1/012046

In situ neutron diffraction during tensile deformation of an as-quenched lath martensitic 22SiMn2TiB steel, was performed using a high resolution and high intensity time-offlight neutron diffractometer. The characterizations of dislocations were analyzed using the classical Williamson-Hall (cWH) and modified Williamson-Hall (mWH) plots on the breadth method, and the convolutional multiple whole profile (CMWP) fitting method. As results, the dislocation density as high as 10 m in the as-quenched martensitic steel was determined. The dislocation density was found to decrease qualitatively with plastic deformation by the cWH and mWH plots, but hardly to change by the CMWP method. The scanning transmission electron microscopy observation supported the results of the latter method. In the CMWP method, the parameter that represents the arrangement of dislocations was found to decrease rapidly where a very high work hardening was observed.

Dislocation characteristics of martensitic steel studied by neutron diffraction experiment

川崎 卓郎; Harjo, S.; Gong, W.; 相澤 一也; 岩橋 孝明; Shi, Z.*; Li, J.*; 友田 陽*; Ungr, T.*

JPS Conference Proceedings (Internet), 8, p.031009_1 - 031009_5, 2015/09

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSCP.8.031009

鉄鋼材料に代表される金属材料の力学的特性を理解するためには、弾性ひずみだけでなく、転位の密度や配列状態など微細構造を評価することが重要である。これらの情報はX線や中性子回折パターンに表れるBraggピークの形状を詳しく解析することで得ることができる。透過能の高い中性子を用いることでバルク状態の材料内部の微細構造に関する情報を得ることができるが、これまで中性子(特にパルス中性子)はあまり適用されてこなかった。我々はJ-PARC物質生命科学実験施設BL19に設置された工学材料回折装置 匠を用いてマルテンサイト鋼の引張り試験その場中性子回折測定を行い、CMWP法と呼ばれる解析法を用いてこの材料の微細構造を調べた。その結果、巨視的なひずみの増加に伴う転位密度の増加は比較的小さく、転位配列の顕著な規則化が観測された。