Development of wide range photon detection system for muonic X-ray spectroscopy

水野 るり恵*; 新倉 潤*; 齋藤 岳志*; 松崎 禎市郎*; 櫻井 博儀*; Amato, A.*; 浅利 駿介*; Biswas, S.*; Chiu, I.-H.; Gianluca, J.*; et al.

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 1060, p.169029_1 - 169029_14, 2024/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2023.169029

We have developed a photon detection system for muonic X-ray spectroscopy. The detector system consists of high-purity germanium detectors with BGO Compton suppressors. The signals from the detectors are readout with a digital acquisition system. The absolute energy accuracy, energy and timing resolutions, photo-peak efficiency, the performance of the Compton suppressor, and high count rate durability are studied with standard -ray sources and in-beam experiment using Al()Si resonance reaction. The detection system was demonstrated at Paul Scherrer Institute. A calibration method for a photon detector at a muon facility using muonic X-rays of Au and Bi is proposed.

Development of a non-destructive depth-selective quantification method for sub-percent carbon contents in steel using negative muon lifetime analysis

二宮 和彦*; 久保 謙哉*; 稲垣 誠*; 吉田 剛*; Chiu, I.-H.; 工藤 拓人*; 浅利 駿介*; 千徳 佐和子*; 竹下 聡史*; 下村 浩一郎*; et al.

Scientific Reports (Internet), 14, p.1797_1 - 1797_8, 2024/01

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52255-5

鋼の特性を決める上で重要な鋼中のC量は、鋼の生産技術に大きく左右される。このため、ミュオンを使って鋼のC含有量を非破壊で測定する新しい方法を提案する。この方法は、生産中の鋼の品質管理だけでなく、貴重な鋼製考古学的遺物の分析にも使えるかもしれない。負の電荷を持つミュオンは原子系を形成し、最終的には核に吸収されるか電子に崩壊する。ミュオンの寿命は、Fe原子かC原子に捕らわれるかによってかなり違い、ミュオン停止位置での元素含有量をミュオン寿命測定で特定できる。C/Feのミュオン捕獲確率とCの元素含有量の関係は直線的で、ミュオン寿命測定で鋼のC含有量を定量的に決められる。さらに、ミュオンの入射エネルギーを調整して、0.5mm厚の3種類の鋼板からなる積層サンプルの各層でミュオンを停止させ、0.20-1.03wt%の範囲でC含有量を深さ選択的に、サンプルを壊さずに決定することに成功した。

First observation of O

近藤 洋介*; Achouri, N. L.*; Al Falou, H.*; Atar, L.*; Aumann, T.*; 馬場 秀忠*; Boretzky, K.*; Caesar, C.*; Calvet, D.*; Chae, H.*; et al.

Nature, 620(7976), p.965 - 970, 2023/08

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06352-6

非常に中性子が過剰な原子核Oは、陽子、中性子ともに魔法数であることから古くからその性質に興味が持たれていたが、酸素の最後の束縛核Oよりも中性子が4個も多いため、これまで観測されてこなかった。この論文では、理化学研究所RIBFにてFからの1陽子ノックアウト反応によってOを生成し、そこから放出される中性子を測定することによって初めてその観測に成功した。核構造の観点からは、Oでは二重閉殻が保たれているか興味が持たれていたが、実験で得られた分光学的因子が殻模型計算で予言されて程度の大きいことから、閉殻構造をもたない可能性が高いことがわかった。

2022年度夏期休暇実習報告

石塚 悦男; Ho, H. Q.; 北川 堪大*; 福田 理仁*; 伊藤 諒*; 根本 将矢*; 楠木 捷斗*; 野村 拓朗*; 長瀬 颯太*; 橋本 温希*; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2023-013, 19 Pages, 2023/06

JAEA-Technology-2023-013.pdf:1.75MB

「HTTRに関する技術開発」をテーマとした2022年度夏期休暇実習において、5つの大学から8名が参加した。参加者は、原子力電池の検討、HTTR炉心の燃焼解析、Cf製造の検討、冷却機能喪失時の挙動解析、炉容器近傍の熱流動解析について実習した。実習後のアンケートでは、就業体験として有益であったこと、一部の学生においては自身の研究に役立ったこと、他の大学生との議論が良い経験となった等の感想があり、本実習は概ね良好な評価を得た。

Hydration states of europium(III) adsorbed on silicas with nano-sized pores

室田 健人*; 青柳 登; Mei, H.; 斉藤 拓巳*

Applied Geochemistry, 152, p.105620_1 - 105620_11, 2023/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2023.105620

The confinement in small spaces influences the complicated reaction involving water molecules under electrostatic potentials at the solid-liquid interface. It is unclear, in particular, how the hydration state of metal ions adsorbed on the surface changes as a function of the pore size. This study analyzed the adsorption states of europium aqua ions on mesoporous silicas with different pore distributions in comparison with nonporous silica using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. The parallel factor analysis was used to differentiate the contribution of different chemical species of Eu(III) to the fluorescence signal and determine the influence of the pore size on each chemical species. The results show that Eu(III) mainly form outer-sphere complexes with silica below pH 6, where Eu(III) adsorption is low. Within nano-sized pores, distortion of the hydration structure and a decrease in the hydration number were suggested in this pH range. As the concentration of the silicate ions derived from the dissolution of silica increases with increasing pH, Eu(III) form the silica/Eu(III) /silicate ternary surface complexes. Within nano-sized pores, the concentration of silicate ions decreases due to the overlap of the electric double layer, which inhibits the formation of the ternary surface complex. Furthermore, at high pH, Eu(III) multinuclear complexes formed only on the mesoporous silica surface. This adsorption behavior specific to nano-sized pores could not be concluded by macroscopic adsorption experiments alone because the amount of Eu adsorbed per unit surface area did not differ between the mesoporous and nonporous silicas. Consideration of the silicate complexes should be indispensable in future studies on the adsorption of lanthanide ions using mesoporous silica.

Quantum critical spin-liquid-like behavior in the = quasikagome-lattice compound CeRhPdSn investigated using muon spin relaxation and neutron scattering

Tripathi, R.*; Adroja, D. T.*; Ritter, C.*; Sharma, S.*; Yang, C.*; Hillier, A. D.*; Koza, M. M.*; Demmel, F.*; Sundaresan, A.*; Langridge, S.*; et al.

Physical Review B, 106(6), p.064436_1 - 064436_17, 2022/08

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.106.064436

We present the results of muon spin relaxation (SR) and neutron scattering measurements on the Ce-based quasikagome lattice CeRhPdSn ( = 0.1 to 0.75). Our SR results reveal the absence of both static long-range magnetic order and spin freezing down to 0.05 K in the = 0.1 sample, which is consistent with neutron scattering results. The weak temperature-dependent plateaus of the dynamic spin fluctuations below 0.2 K in zero field together with its longitudinal-field (LF) dependence indicate the presence of dynamic spin fluctuations persisting even at 0.05 K without static magnetic order. We argue that such a behavior for = 0.1 can be attributed to a metallic spin-liquid-like ground state near the quantum critical point in the frustrated Kondo lattice. The LF-SR study suggests that the out of kagome plane spin fluctuations are responsible for the spin-liquid behavior.

Predictive modeling of a simple field matrix diffusion experiment addressing radionuclide transport in fractured rock. Is it so straightforward?

Soler, J. M.*; Neretnieks, I.*; Moreno, L.*; Liu, L.*; Meng, S.*; Svensson, U.*; Iraola, A.*; Ebrahimi, K.*; Trinchero, P.*; Molinero, J.*; et al.

Nuclear Technology, 208(6), p.1059 - 1073, 2022/06

https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2021.1988822

SKBタスクフォースは、亀裂性岩石中の地下水流動と物質移行のモデル化に関する国際フォーラムである。WPDE試験はフィンランドのオンカロ地下施設において実施された片麻岩中のマトリクス拡散試験である。複数の非収着性及び収着性のトレーサーを含む模擬地下水が試錐孔の試験区間に沿って注入された。タスク9Aは、WPDE試験で得られたトレーサー破過曲線に対する予測モデリングを行うことを目的とした。複数のチームが本タスクに参加し、異なるモデル化手法とコードを用いた予測解析を行った。この予測解析の重要な結論は、試錐孔の開口部における地下水流動に関連する分散パラメータにモデル化結果が大きく影響されることである。マトリクス拡散及び収着に関連する破過曲線のテール部に着目すると、異なるチーム間の解析結果の差異は相対的に小さい結果となった。

Uranium (VI) sorption on illite under varying carbonate concentrations; Batch experiments, modeling, and cryogenic time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy study

Mei, H.; 青柳 登; 斉藤 拓巳*; 香西 直文; 杉浦 佑樹; 舘 幸男

Applied Geochemistry, 136, p.105178_1 - 105178_8, 2022/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2021.105178

Dissolved inorganic carbonate ions (DIC) present in groundwaters may affect both the aqueous and surface species of U(VI) due to its strong complexation ability with U(VI). However, it is still not clear how DIC affects U(VI) sorption on illite, which is one of the critical components in argillaceous rocks. In this study, the sorption of U(VI) on conditioned illite du Puy in presence of varying DIC concentrations (up to 250 mM DIC) as a function of pH was investigated by combining batch sorption experiments, surface complexation modeling, and the cryogenic time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS). The distribution coefficients of U(VI) were sensitive to the DIC concentration, which decreased with an increase of DIC. There is no sorption of U(VI) under relatively high DIC concentrations (100 mM DIC). The U(VI) sorption behavior on illite was modeled by using the 2 Site Protolysis Non-Electrostatic Surface Complexation and Cation Exchange model. Two ternary surface complexation reactions with carbonate were needed to depict the experimental sorption data in addition to binary and ternary hydroxo surface complexation reactions employed for the description of U sorption to illite without carbonate. The cryogenic TRLFS revealed that U(VI) did sorb to illite in presence of high DIC concentration (up to 10 mM DIC). The spectra were unchanged with DIC at pH 8.5, suggesting the surface speciation of U(VI) remained the same. The decay curves were biexponential, which further indicated that at least two species were responsible for the sorption. Our finding will help to predict the transport and retention behaviors of U(VI) near radioactive waste repositories.

Evaluation report of Task 9C based on comparisons and analyses of modelling results for the ONKALO REPRO-TDE experiment

Soler, J. M.*; Keklinen, P.*; Pulkkanen, V.-M.*; Moreno, L.*; Iraola, A.*; Trinchero, P.*; Hokr, M.*; ha, J.*; Havlov, V.*; Trpkoov, D.*; et al.

SKB TR-21-09, 204 Pages, 2021/11

Task 9C of the SKB Task Force on Modelling of Groundwater Flow and Transport of Solutes (Task Force GWFTS) was the third subtask within Task 9 and focused on (1) predictive and (2) back-analysis modelling of experimental results from the REPRO-TDE in situ diffusion experiment. The test was performed at a depth of about 400 m in the ONKALO underground research facility in Finland. Synthetic groundwater containing radionuclide tracers (HTO, Cl-36, Na-22, Ba-133, Cs-134) was circulated for about four years in a packed-off interval of the so-called injection borehole. Tracer activities were additionally monitored in two observation boreholes arranged as a right-angled triangle and located at about 0.1 m wall-to-wall from the injection borehole. Eleven modelling teams participated in the modelling exercise, using different model concepts and approaches. Three main types of models were applied: (1) An analytical solution to the diffusion-retention equations, (2) continuum-porous-medium-type numerical models, and (3) microstructure-based models. The predictive model calculations were based on laboratory-based information concerning porosities, diffusion coefficients and sorption partition coefficients available in the task description. Microstructural characterisation of rock samples was also available and used by the teams using microstructure-based models.

Correction to Transport and redistribution of radiocesium in Fukushima fallout through rivers

谷口 圭輔*; 恩田 裕一*; Smith, H. G.*; Blake, W.*; 吉村 和也; 山敷 庸亮*; 倉元 隆之*; 斎藤 公明

Environmental Science & Technology, 55(13), P. 9394, 2021/07

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c02491

下記、投稿論文の修正 "Transport and redistribution of radiocesium in Fukushima fallout through rivers, 2019. Environmental Science and Technology, 53, 12339-12347"