Using natural systems evidence to test models of transformation of montmorillonite

Savage, D.*; Wilson, J.*; Benbow, S.*; Sasamoto, Hiroshi; Oda, Chie; Walker, C.*; Kawama, Daisuke*; Tachi, Yukio

Applied Clay Science, 195, p.105741_1 - 105741_11, 2020/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2020.105741

Safety functions for the clay buffer in a repository for high-level radioactive waste (HLW) are fulfilled if the presence of montmorillonite with high swelling capacity and low permeability is maintained in the long-term. The transformation of montmorillonite to the non-swelling mineral likely illite is addressed in most safety assessments by using simple semi-empirical kinetic models, but this approach contrasts with more complex reactive-transport simulations. In the present study, reactive-transport simulations are compared with simple semi-empirical kinetic models. Results suggest that reactive-transport simulations err on the side of conservatism, but may produce unrealistic estimates of illitization. This comparison demonstrates that reactive-transport models may be carefully applied to simulate the long-term evolution of near field environment for HLW disposal.

Devil's staircase transition of the electronic structures in CeSb

Kuroda, Kenta*; Arai, Yosuke*; Rezaei, N.*; Kunisada, So*; Sakuragi, Shunsuke*; Alaei, M.*; Kinoshita, Yuto*; Bareille, C.*; Noguchi, Ryo*; Nakayama, Mitsuhiro*; et al.

Nature Communications (Internet), 11, p.2888_1 - 2888_9, 2020/06

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16707-6

Spallation and fragmentation cross sections for 168 MeV/nucleon Xe ions on proton, deuteron, and carbon targets

Sun, X. H.*; Wang, H.*; Otsu, Hideaki*; Sakurai, Hiroyoshi*; Ahn, D. S.*; Aikawa, Masayuki*; Fukuda, Naoki*; Isobe, Tadaaki*; Kawakami, Shunsuke*; Koyama, Shumpei*; et al.

Physical Review C, 101(6), p.064623_1 - 064623_12, 2020/06

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.101.064623

The spallation and fragmentation reactions of Xe induced by proton, deuteron and carbon at 168 MeV/nucleon were studied at RIKEN Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory via the inverse kinematics technique. The cross sections of the lighter products are larger in the carbon-induced reactions due to the higher total kinetic energy of carbon. The energy dependence was investigated by comparing the newly obtained data with previous results obtained at higher reaction energies. The experimental data were compared with the results of SPACS, EPAX, PHITS and DEURACS calculations. These data serve as benchmarks for the model calculations.

The -electron state of the heavy fermion superconductor NpPdAl and the isostructural family

Metoki, Naoto; Aczel, A. A.*; Aoki, Dai*; Chi, S.*; Fernandez-Baca, J. A.*; Griveau, J.-C.*; Hagihala, Masato*; Hong, T.*; Haga, Yoshinori; Ikeuchi, Kazuhiko*; et al.

JPS Conference Proceedings (Internet), 30, p.011123_1 - 011123_6, 2020/03

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSCP.30.011123

Rare earths (4) and actinides (5) provide variety of interesting states realized with competing interactions between the increasing number of electrons. Since crystal field splitting of many-body electron system is smaller than the bandwidth, (1) high resolution experiments are needed, (2) essentially no clear spectrum with well defined peaks is expected in itinerant Ce and U compounds, and (3) Np and Pu is strictly regulated. Therefore, systematic research on magnetic excitations by neutron scattering experiments of localized compounds and rare earth iso-structural reference is useful. We describe the electron states of heavy electron compounds NpPdAl and actinide and rare earth based iso-structural family.

Structure of the isomeric state in La

Laskar, Md. S. R.*; Palit, R.*; Mishra, S. N.*; Shimizu, Noritaka*; Utsuno, Yutaka; Ideguchi, Eiji*; Garg, U.*; Biswas, S.*; Babra, F. S.*; Gala, R.*; et al.

Physical Review C, 101(3), p.034315_1 - 034315_8, 2020/03

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.101.034315

no abstracts in English

Material characterization of the VULCANO corium concrete interaction test with concrete representative of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plants

Brissonneau, L.*; Ikeuchi, Hirotomo; Piluso, P.*; Gousseau, J.*; David, C.*; Testud, V.*; Roger, J.*; Bouyer, V.*; Kitagaki, Toru; Nakayoshi, Akira; et al.

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 528, p.151860_1 - 151860_18, 2020/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2019.151860

Natural systems evidence for the effects of temperature and the activity of aqueous silica upon montmorillonite stability in clay barriers for the disposal of radioactive wastes

Savage, D.*; Wilson, J.*; Benbow, S.*; Sasamoto, Hiroshi; Oda, Chie; Walker, C.*; Kawama, Daisuke*; Tachi, Yukio

Applied Clay Science, 179, p.105146_1 - 105146_10, 2019/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2019.105146

Natural systems evidence for the effects of temperature and the activity of aqueous silica upon montmorillonite stability was evaluated. Thermodynamic modeling using three different TDBs shows that stability fields for montmorillonite exist from 0 to 140C, but at low values of silica activity, a stability field for illite replaces that for montmorillonite. Pore fluid chemical and mineralogical data for sediments from ODP sites from offshore Japan show a trend from montmorillonite + amorphous silica stability at temperatures up to 60C to that for illite + quartz at higher temperatures. However, even over very long timescales ( 1 Ma), smectite does not transform to illite under thermodynamically-favourable conditions at temperatures less than 80C.

Q dependence of magnetic resonance mode on FeTeSe studied by inelastic neutron scattering

Ishikado, Motoyuki*; Kodama, Katsuaki; Kajimoto, Ryoichi; Nakamura, Mitsutaka; Inamura, Yasuhiro; Ikeuchi, Kazuhiko*; Ji, S.*; Arai, Masatoshi*; Shamoto, Shinichi

Condensed Matter (Internet), 4(3), p.69_1 - 69_10, 2019/09

https://doi.org/10.3390/condmat4030069

The enhancement magnetic resonance mode of FeTeSe is limited around Q = (, 0). Q dependence is found to be consistent with a theoretical simulation of the magnetic resonance mode with the sign-reversing order parameter of swave.

Enhancement of element production by incomplete fusion reaction with weakly bound deuteron

Wang, H.*; Otsu, Hideaki*; Chiga, Nobuyuki*; Kawase, Shoichiro*; Takeuchi, Satoshi*; Sumikama, Toshiyuki*; Koyama, Shumpei*; Sakurai, Hiroyoshi*; Watanabe, Yukinobu*; Nakayama, Shinsuke; et al.

Communications Physics (Internet), 2(1), p.78_1 - 78_6, 2019/07

https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-019-0165-1

Searching for effective pathways for the production of proton- and neutron-rich isotopes through an optimal combination of reaction mechanism and energy is one of the main driving forces behind experimental and theoretical nuclear reaction studies as well as for practical applications in nuclear transmutation of radioactive waste. We report on a study on incomplete fusion induced by deuteron, which contains one proton and one neutron with a weak binding energy and is easily broken up. This reaction study was achieved by measuring directly the cross sections for both proton and deuteron for Pd at 50 MeV/u via inverse kinematics technique. The results provide direct experimental evidence for the onset of a cross-section enhancement at high energy, indicating the potential of incomplete fusion induced by loosely-bound nuclei for creating proton-rich isotopes and nuclear transmutation of radioactive waste.

Highlight of recent sample environment at J-PARC MLF

Kawamura, Seiko; Hattori, Takanori; Harjo, S.; Ikeda, Kazutaka*; Miyata, Noboru*; Miyazaki, Tsukasa*; Aoki, Hiroyuki; Watanabe, Masao; Sakaguchi, Yoshifumi*; Oku, Takayuki

Neutron News, 30(1), p.11 - 13, 2019/05

https://doi.org/10.1080/10448632.2019.1605790

In Japanese neutron scattering facilities, some SE equipment that are frequently used at an instrument, such as the closed-cycle refrigerator (CCR), have been prepared for the instrument as standard SE. They are operated for user experiments by the instrument group. The advantage of this practice is that they can optimize the design of the SE for the instrument and can directly respond to users' requests. On the other hand, the SE team in the Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) in J-PARC has managed commonly used SE to allow neutron experiments with more advanced SE. In this report, recent SE in the MLF is introduced. Highlighted are the SE in BL11, BL19, BL21 and BL17 and other SE recently progressed by the SE team.