High-temperature atomic diffusion and specific heat in quasicrystals

Nagai, Yuki; Iwasaki, Yutaka*; Kitahara, Koichi*; Takagiwa, Yoshiki*; Kimura, Kaoru*; Shiga, Motoyuki

Physical Review Letters, 132(19), p.196301_1 - 196301_6, 2024/05

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.196301

A quasicrystal is an ordered but non-periodic structure understood as a projection from a higher dimensional periodic structure. An anomalous increase in heat capacity at high temperatures has been discussed for over two decades as a manifestation of a hidden high dimensionality of quasicrystals. A theoretical study of the heat capacity of realistic quasicrystals or their approximants has yet to be conducted because of the huge computational complexity. To bridge this gap between experiment and theory, we show experiments and cutting-edge machine-learning molecular simulations on the same material, an Al-Pd-Ru quasicrystal, and its approximants. We show that at high temperatures, aluminum atoms diffuse with discontinuous-like jumps, and the diffusion paths of the aluminum can be understood in terms of jumps corresponding to hyperatomic fluctuations in six-dimensional space.

One-dimensional band structure in quasi-two-dimensional -MoO revealed by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and first-principles calculation

Sumida, Kazuki; Higaki, Sota*; Sato, Hitoshi*; Tsuru, Daichi*; Miyamoto, Koji*; Okuda, Taichi*; Kuroiwa, Yoshihiro*; Moriyoshi, Chikako*; Takase, Koichi*; Oguchi, Tamio*; et al.

Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 92(8), p.084706_1 - 084706_6, 2023/08

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSJ.92.084706

Evaluation of bond repair effect for ultra-high-strength concrete specimens by neutron diffraction method

Yasue, Ayumu*; Kobayashi, Kensuke*; Yoshioka, Masahiro*; Noma, Takashi*; Okuno, Koichi*; Tanaka, Seiichiro*; Hirata, Yoshikazu*; Ooka, Tokunao*; Kimura, Yoshiharu*; Nagai, Tomoya*; et al.

Journal of Advanced Concrete Technology, 21(5), p.337 - 350, 2023/05

https://doi.org/10.3151/jact.21.337

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of resin injection to repair cracks in ultra-high-strength concrete (UHSC) members. As a preliminary step, the applicability of the neutron diffraction method (NDM) to investigate the effect of repairs in UHSC specimens was examined. The experimental results showed that the NDM can measure stresses in rebars in UHSC and normal concrete specimens. Therefore, in this experiment, the NDM was used to measure the bond performance of repairs with epoxy resin around the slit in normal concrete and UHSC specimens and examine the effect of repair on the UHSC specimens. Displacement around the slit was measured using a PI-shape displacement transducer. The evaluation confirmed that the bond performance of the repaired area was recovered by resin injection regardless of the concrete strength. In addition, the displacement around the slit was smaller for the injected specimens than the noninjected specimens. These experimental results clarified that by injecting resin, the same bond repair effect could be obtained in UHSC and normal concrete specimens.

Spin excitations of the =1/2 one-dimensional Ising-like antiferromagnet BaCoVO in transverse magnetic fields

Okutani, Akira*; Onishi, Hiroaki; Kimura, Shojiro*; Takeuchi, Tetsuya*; Kida, Takanori*; Mori, Michiyasu; Miyake, Atsushi*; Tokunaga, Masashi*; Kindo, Koichi*; Hagiwara, Masayuki*

Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 90(4), p.044704_1 - 044704_9, 2021/04

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSJ.90.044704

Measurement of the angular distribution of -rays after neutron capture by La for a T-violation search

Okudaira, Takuya; Shimizu, Hirohiko*; Kitaguchi, Masaaki*; Hirota, Katsuya*; Haddock, C. C.*; Ito, Ikuya*; Yamamoto, Tomoki*; Endo, Shunsuke*; Ishizaki, Kohei*; Sato, Takumi*; et al.

EPJ Web of Conferences, 219, p.09001_1 - 09001_6, 2019/12

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201921909001

Parity violating effects enhanced by up to 10 times have been observed in several neutron induced compound nuclei. There is a theoretical prediction that time reversal (T) violating effects can also be enhanced in these nuclei implying that T-violation can be searched for by making very sensitive measurements. However, the enhancement factor has not yet been measured in all nuclei. The angular distribution of the (n,) reaction was measured with La by using a germanium detector assembly at J-PARC, and the enhancement factor was obtained. From the result, the measurement time to achieve the most sensitive T-violation search was estimated as 1.4 days, and a 40% polarized La target and a 70% polarized He spin filter whose thickness is 70 atmcm are needed. Therefore high quality He spin filter is developed in JAEA. The measurement result of the (n,) reaction at J-PARC and the development status of the He spin filter will be presented.

Measurements of gamma-ray emission probabilities in the decay of americium-244g

Nakamura, Shoji; Terada, Kazushi*; Kimura, Atsushi; Nakao, Taro*; Iwamoto, Osamu; Harada, Hideo; Uehara, Akihiro*; Takamiya, Koichi*; Fujii, Toshiyuki*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 56(1), p.123 - 129, 2019/01

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2018.1539353

Accurate data of -ray emission probabilities are frequently needed when one quantitatively determines the amount of isotope by -ray measurements or obtains neutron capture cross-sections using them. Americium-243, one of the most important minor actinides, produces Am after neutron capture. The 744-keV -ray decaying from the ground state of Am has a relatively large -ray emission probability c.a. 66%, however, its uncertainty is as large as 29%. The uncertainty of the -ray emission probability leads to a major factor of the systematic uncertainty on determining an amount of isotope, and therefore the -ray emission probability was measured by using an activation method and an examined level structure of Cm. In this study, the emission probability of 744-keV ray was derived as 66.51.1%, and its uncertainty was improved from 29% to 2%.

Measurements of neutron total and capture cross sections of Am with ANNRI at J-PARC

Terada, Kazushi*; Kimura, Atsushi; Nakao, Taro*; Nakamura, Shoji; Mizuyama, Kazuhito*; Iwamoto, Nobuyuki; Iwamoto, Osamu; Harada, Hideo; Katabuchi, Tatsuya*; Igashira, Masayuki*; et al.

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 55(10), p.1198 - 1211, 2018/10

AA2017-0628.pdf:2.06MB

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2018.1485519

Application of modified REFIT code for J-PARC/MLF to evaluation of neutron capture cross section on Gd

Mizuyama, Kazuhito; Iwamoto, Nobuyuki; Iwamoto, Osamu; Hasemi, Hiroyuki*; Kino, Koichi*; Kimura, Atsushi; Kiyanagi, Yoshiaki*

EPJ Web of Conferences, 146, p.11042_1 - 11042_4, 2017/09

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201714611042

Gadolinium has been used as neutron-absorbing material in a thermal reactor since have large thermal neutron capture cross sections. Nevertheless, there is a discrepancy between RPI data and JENDL-4.0 data for Gd. The criticality in the reactor is very sensitive to the capture cross section. The RPI data made the criticality of Gd-loaded thermal systems in ICSBEP overestimated. Recently, the neutron capture cross sections of Gd were measured by the neutron time-of-flight (TOF) method using the Accurate Neutron-Nucleus Reaction measurement Instrument (ANNRI) in the J-PARC/MLF. The pulsed neutron beam from the Japan Spallation Neutron Source (JSNS) was used with a double-bunch structure in this measurement, since the incident proton beam is normally delivered in a double-bunch scheme in the J-PARC. In addition to this, it is necessary to take into account the energy resolution of the pulsed neutron beam at the JSNS for the accurate derivation of resolved resonance parameters. In this study, using the least-squares multilevel R-matrix code REFIT modified to include the double bunch structure and the resolution function for the ANNRI, we fitted the calculated capture cross sections of Gd to the experimental data at the ANNRI. We derived the resonance parameters for some low-lying resonances of the two Gd isotopes.

Magnetic structure and dispersion relation of the =1/2 quasi-one-dimensional Ising-like antiferromagnet BaCoVO in a transverse magnetic field

Matsuda, Masaaki*; Onishi, Hiroaki; Okutani, Akira*; Ma, J.*; Agrawal, H.*; Hong, T.*; Pajerowski, D. M.*; Copley, J. R. D.*; Okunishi, Koichi*; Mori, Michiyasu; et al.

Physical Review B, 96(2), p.024439_1 - 024439_8, 2017/07

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.96.024439

Measurements of -ray emission probabilities of Am and Np

Terada, Kazushi; Nakamura, Shoji; Nakao, Taro; Kimura, Atsushi; Iwamoto, Osamu; Harada, Hideo; Takamiya, Koichi*; Hori, Junichi*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 53(11), p.1881 - 1888, 2016/11

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2016.1174167

-ray emission probabilities of Am and Np have been precisely measured with - and -ray spectroscopic methods. The activities of Am samples were determined by measuring alpha particles using a Si semiconductor detector. -rays emitted from the samples were measured with a planar type High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector. An efficiency curve of the Ge detector was derived with uncertainties of 0.7% from 50 to 1332 keV and 1.3% below 50 keV by combining measured efficiencies and Monte Carlo simulation. The -ray emission probabilities for the major -rays of these nuclides were determined with uncertainties less than 1.2%.