Improved multicomponent analysis method for electron spin resonance spectra of gamma-irradiated tooth enamel

Yamashita, Takuma*; Iwami, Satone*; Mitsuyasu, Yusuke*; Ono, Kenta*; Oka, Toshitaka; Takahashi, Atsushi*; Kino, Yasushi*; Sekine, Tsutomu*; Shimizu, Yoshinaka*; Chiba, Mirei*; et al.

KEK Proceedings 2024-6, p.85 - 90, 2024/12

To clarify the radiation effects of the accident at the TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi NPP on living organisms, it is important to accurately estimate the dose to each individual. We have developed a multi-component analysis program using random number optimization to extract only the components derived from carbonate radicals from the ESR spectra.

Model integration of the ex-vessel modules for the SFR safety analysis code SPECTRA

Aoyagi, Mitsuhiro; Makino, Toru*; Oki, Hiroshi*; Uchibori, Akihiro; Okano, Yasushi

Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 11(2), p.23-00459_1 - 23-00459_12, 2024/04

https://doi.org/10.1299/mej.23-00459

Development of the ex-vessel modules for the integrated SFR safety analysis code SPECTRA

Aoyagi, Mitsuhiro; Makino, Toru*; Oki, Hiroshi*; Uchibori, Akihiro; Okano, Yasushi

Proceedings of 30th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE30) (Internet), 7 Pages, 2023/05

Radiation exposure and oxidative stress status of wild Japanese macaques in the ex-evacuation zone of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Ishikawa, Ryoya*; Suzuki, Masatoshi*; Kino, Yasushi*; Endo, Satoru*; Nakajima, Hiroo*; Oka, Toshitaka; Takahashi, Atsushi*; Shimizu, Yoshinaka*; Suzuki, Toshihiko*; Shinoda, Hisashi*; et al.

KEK Proceedings 2022-2, p.61 - 66, 2022/11

The balance between oxidative stress and antioxidant activity, which is a defense mechanism against oxidative stress, was investigated in the liver and bladder of wild Japanese macaques captured in Fukushima Prefecture. No significant induction of oxidative stress by exposure to environmental radionuclides after the Fukushima nuclear accident was observed, suggesting that the stress defense mechanism of the organism is activated in some organs.

Detection limit of electron spin resonance for Japanese deciduous tooth enamel and density separation method for enamel-dentine separation

Oka, Toshitaka; Takahashi, Atsushi*; Koarai, Kazuma; Kino, Yasushi*; Sekine, Tsutomu*; Shimizu, Yoshinaka*; Chiba, Mirei*; Suzuki, Toshihiko*; Osaka, Ken*; Sasaki, Keiichi*; et al.

Journal of Radiation Research (Internet), 63(4), p.609 - 614, 2022/07

AA2021-0724.pdf:0.68MB

https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rrac033

Electron spin resonance (ESR) dosimetry is one of the most powerful tools for radiation dose reconstruction. The detection limit of this technique using human teeth is reported to be 56 mGy or 67 mGy; however, the absorbed dose of Fukushima residents after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) accident was estimated to be lower than this detection limit. Our aim is to assess the absorbed radiation dose of children in Fukushima Prefecture after the accident; therefore, it is important to estimate the detection limit for their teeth. The detection limit for enamel of deciduous teeth of Japanese children separated by the mechanical method is estimated to be 115.0 mGy. The density separation method can effectively separate enamel from third molars of Japanese people. As we have collected thousands of teeth from children in Fukushima, the present technique may be useful to examine their external absorbed dose after the FNPP accident.

Design for detecting recycling muon after muon-catalyzed fusion reaction in solid hydrogen isotope target

Okutsu, Kenichi*; Yamashita, Takuma*; Kino, Yasushi*; Nakashima, Ryota*; Miyashita, Konan*; Yasuda, Kazuhiro*; Okada, Shinji*; Sato, Motoyasu*; Oka, Toshitaka; Kawamura, Naritoshi*; et al.

Fusion Engineering and Design, 170, p.112712_1 - 112712_4, 2021/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2021.112712

A muonic molecule which consists of two hydrogen isotope nuclei (deuteron (d) or tritium (t)) and a muon decays immediately via nuclear fusion and the muon will be released as a recycling muon, and start to find another hydrogen isotope nucleus. The reaction cycle continues until the muon ends up its lifetime of 2.2 s. Since the muon does not participate in the nuclear reaction, the reaction is so called a muon catalyzed fusion (CF). The recycling muon has a particular kinetic energy (KE) of the muon molecular orbital when the nuclear reaction occurs. Since the KE is based on the unified atom limit where distance between two nuclei is zero. A precise few-body calculation estimating KE distribution (KED) is also in progress, which could be compared with the experimental results. In the present work, we observed recycling muons after CF reaction.

Dynamical response of transition-edge sensor microcalorimeters to a pulsed charged-particle beam

Okumura, Takuma*; Azuma, Toshiyuki*; Bennet, D. A.*; Caradonna, P.*; Chiu, I.-H.*; Doriese, W. B.*; Durkin, M. S.*; Fowler, J. W.*; Gard, J. D.*; Hashimoto, Tadashi; et al.

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 31(5), p.2101704_1 - 2101704_4, 2021/08

https://doi.org/10.1109/TASC.2021.3067793

A superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter is an ideal X-ray detector for experiments at accelerator facilities because of good energy resolution and high efficiency. To study the performance of the TES detector with a high-intensity pulsed charged-particle beam, we measured X-ray spectra with a pulsed muon beam at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) in Japan. We found substantial temporal shifts of the X-ray energy correlated with the arrival time of the pulsed muon beam, which was reasonably explained by pulse pileup due to the incidence of energetic particles from the initial pulsed beam.

Deexcitation dynamics of muonic atoms revealed by high-precision spectroscopy of electronic X rays

Okumura, Takuma*; Azuma, Toshiyuki*; Bennet, D. A.*; Caradonna, P.*; Chiu, I. H.*; Doriese, W. B.*; Durkin, M. S.*; Fowler, J. W.*; Gard, J. D.*; Hashimoto, Tadashi; et al.

Physical Review Letters, 127(5), p.053001_1 - 053001_7, 2021/07

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.053001

We observed electronic X rays emitted from muonic iron atoms using a superconducting transition-edge-type sensor microcalorimeter. The energy resolution of 5.2 eV in FWHM allowed us to observe the asymmetric broad profile of the electronic characteristic and X rays together with the hypersatellite X rays around 6 keV. This signature reflects the time-dependent screening of the nuclear charge by the negative muon and the -shell electrons, accompanied by electron side-feeding. Assisted by a simulation, this data clearly reveals the electronic - and -shell hole production and their temporal evolution during the muon cascade process.

Morphological reproductive characteristics of testes and fertilization capacity of cryopreserved sperm after the Fukushima accident in raccoon ()

Komatsu, Kazuki*; Iwasaki, Tsugumi*; Murata, Kosuke*; Yamashiro, Hideaki*; Goh, V. S. T.*; Nakayama, Ryo*; Fujishima, Yohei*; Ono, Takumi*; Kino, Yasushi*; Shimizu, Yoshinaka*; et al.

Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 56(3), p.484 - 497, 2021/03

https://doi.org/10.1111/rda.13887

We have established an archive system of livestock and wild animals from the surrounding ex-evacuation zone. Wildlife within the alert zone have been exposed to low-dose-rate (LDR) radiation for a long and continuous time. In this study, we analysed the morphological characteristics of the testes and in vitro fertilization (IVF) capacity of cryopreserved sperm of raccoons from the ex-evacuation zone of the FDNPP accident. This study revealed that the chronic and LDR radiation exposure associated with the FDNPP accident had no adverse effect on the reproductive characteristics and functions of male raccoons.

Achievement of 500 keV negative ion beam acceleration on JT-60U negative-ion-based neutral beam injector

Kojima, Atsushi; Hanada, Masaya; Tanaka, Yutaka*; Kawai, Mikito*; Akino, Noboru; Kazawa, Minoru; Komata, Masao; Mogaki, Kazuhiko; Usui, Katsutomi; Sasaki, Shunichi; et al.

Nuclear Fusion, 51(8), p.083049_1 - 083049_8, 2011/08

https://doi.org/10.1088/0029-5515/51/8/083049

Hydrogen negative ion beams of 490 keV, 3 A and 510 keV, 1 A have been successfully produced in the JT-60 negative ion source with three acceleration stages. These successful productions of the high-energy beams at high current have been achieved by overcoming the most critical issue, i.e., a poor voltage holding of the large negative ion sources with the grids of 2 m for JT-60SA and ITER. To improve voltage holding capability, the breakdown voltages for the large grids was examined for the first time. It was found that a vacuum insulation distance for the large grids was 6-7 times longer than that for the small-area grid (0.02 m). From this result, the gap lengths between the grids were tuned in the JT-60 negative ion source. The modification of the ion source also realized a significant stabilization of voltage holding and a short conditioning time. These results suggest a practical use of the large negative ion sources in JT-60SA and ITER.