First observation of O

Kondo, Yosuke*; Achouri, N. L.*; Al Falou, H.*; Atar, L.*; Aumann, T.*; Baba, Hidetada*; 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

no abstracts in English

Multipole polaron in the devil's staircase of CeSb

Arai, Yosuke*; Kuroda, Kenta*; Nomoto, Takuya*; Tin, Z. H.*; Sakuragi, Shunsuke*; Bareille, C.*; Akebi, Shuntaro*; Kurokawa, Kifu*; Kinoshita, Yuto*; Zhang, W.-L.*; et al.

Nature Materials, 21(4), p.410 - 415, 2022/04

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-021-01188-9

High temperature gas-cooled reactors

Takeda, Tetsuaki*; Inagaki, Yoshiyuki; Aihara, Jun; Aoki, Takeshi; Fujiwara, Yusuke; Fukaya, Yuji; Goto, Minoru; Ho, H. Q.; Iigaki, Kazuhiko; Imai, Yoshiyuki; et al.

High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors; JSME Series in Thermal and Nuclear Power Generation, Vol.5, 464 Pages, 2021/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/C2018-0-05383-9

As a general overview of the research and development of a High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) in JAEA, this book describes the achievements by the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) on the designs, key component technologies such as fuel, reactor internals, high temperature components, etc., and operational experience such as rise-to-power tests, high temperature operation at 950C, safety demonstration tests, etc. In addition, based on the knowledge of the HTTR, the development of designs and component technologies such as high performance fuel, helium gas turbine and hydrogen production by IS process for commercial HTGRs are described. These results are very useful for the future development of HTGRs. This book is published as one of a series of technical books on fossil fuel and nuclear energy systems by the Power Energy Systems Division of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers.

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.

Radiation monitoring using an unmanned helicopter in the evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

Sanada, Yukihisa; Kondo, Atsuya*; Sugita, Takeshi*; Nishizawa, Yukiyasu; Yuki, Yoichi*; Ikeda, Kazutaka*; Shoji, Yasunori*; Torii, Tatsuo

Exploration Geophysics, 45(1), p.3 - 7, 2014/11

https://doi.org/10.1071/EG13004

The Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011 generated a series of large tsunami waves that resulted serious damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and a large amount of radioactive materials were discharged from the NPP to the environment. In recent years, technologies for an unmanned helicopter have been developed and applied to various fields. In expectation of the application of the unmanned helicopter to airborne radiation monitoring, we had developed a radiation monitoring system. Then, we measured the radiation level by using unmanned helicopter in soil contaminated areas by radioactive cesium emitted from the NPP to evaluate ambient dose-rate distribution around the areas. Here, we reports on the measurement technique and the result.

The Aerial radiation monitoring in Japan after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Sanada, Yukihisa; Sugita, Takeshi; Nishizawa, Yukiyasu; Kondo, Atsuya*; Torii, Tatsuo

Progress in Nuclear Science and Technology (Internet), 4, p.76 - 80, 2014/04

https://doi.org/10.15669/pnst.4.76

The ambient dose-rate and the deposition concentration of radioactive cesium was measured by using helicopters in the whole area of Japan to investigate the influence of the radioactivity that released in the atmosphere due to the disaster of the Fukushima Daiichi NPP (Nuclear Power Plant), Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), occurred by the East Japan earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. As a result, the deposition of radioactive cesium on the ground discharged from the Fukushima Daiichi NPP was obtained, and it was clarified that the scattered range of the cesium had been almost limited from the southern part of Tohoku to Kanto areas. The variation distribution of the dose-rate of Japan was also revealed in this measurement.

Temperature influence on performance degradation of hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells irradiated with protons

Sato, Shinichiro; Sai, Hitoshi*; Oshima, Takeshi; Imaizumi, Mitsuru*; Shimazaki, Kazunori*; Kondo, Michio*

Progress in Photovoltaics; Research and Applications, 21(7), p.1499 - 1506, 2013/11

https://doi.org/10.1002/pip.2342

Proton degradation behaviors of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells irradiated with protons at 331 K are compared with that at 298 K (room temperature). Variations with time in the post-irradiation electrical properties are also investigated. It is found that the radiation degradation of the electrical properties at 331 K is significantly smaller than that at room temperature. Also, all the electrical properties (short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, output maximum, and fill factor) recover with time after irradiation even at room temperature. The characteristic time of thermal annealing of short-circuit current is larger as the temperature is higher. These results indicate that temperature during irradiation and elapsed time from irradiation to measurement is an important parameter for radiation degradation of a-Si:H solar cells. Therefore, these parameters should be controlled in conducting the ground radiation tests.

Distribution of radioactive cesium measured by aerial radiation monitoring

Sanada, Yukihisa; Kondo, Atsuya; Sugita, Takeshi; Torii, Tatsuo

Hoshasen, 38(3), p.137 - 140, 2012/12

https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1570009751231720192

We have measured the ambient dose-rate and the deposition amount of radioactive cesium by using four helicopters in the whole area of Japan to investigate the influence of the radioactivity that released in the atmosphere due to the disaster of the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP (Nuclear Power Plant), Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), caused by the Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. We report on the measurement technique and the result.

Anomalous enhancement in radiation induced conductivity of hydrogenated amorphous silicon semiconductors

Sato, Shinichiro; Sai, Hitoshi*; Oshima, Takeshi; Imaizumi, Mitsuru*; Shimazaki, Kazunori*; Kondo, Michio*

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 286, p.29 - 34, 2012/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2012.02.039

Electric conductivity variations of undoped hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) semiconductors induced by swift protons are investigated. The results show that the conductivity drastically increases at first and then decreases on further irradiation. The conductivity enhancement observed only in the low fluence regime lasts for a prolonged period of time when proton irradiation stops in this fluence regime. On the other hand, the photosensitivity has a minimum value around the conductivity peak. This fact indicates that non-equilibrium carriers do not play a dominant role in the electric conduction in this fluence regime. It is found that the anomalous conductivity enhancement is dominated by donor center generation in the low fluence regime. At higher fluences the variation in electric conductivity becomes dominated by non-equilibrium carriers as the generated donor centers disappear. This is a general interpretation of radiation induced conductivity in semiconductors.

Temporal donor generation in undoped hydrogenated amorphous silicon induced by swift proton bombardment

Sato, Shinichiro; Sai, Hitoshi*; Oshima, Takeshi; Imaizumi, Mitsuru*; Shimazaki, Kazunori*; Kondo, Michio*

Applied Physics Express, 4(6), p.061401_1 - 061401_3, 2011/06

https://doi.org/10.1143/APEX.4.061401

Seebeck coefficient variations of undoped hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) semiconductors due to swift proton irradiation were investigated using an in-situ thermoelectric power measurement system. Undoped a-Si:H irradiated with 3.0 MeV protons at a fluence regime of 3.110 - 5.010/cm showed a negative Seebeck coefficient although the Seebeck effect was not observed at fluences above 5.310 /cm. These results suggest that donor like centers are generated by low fluence proton irradiation, whereas the donor centers are compensated by radiation-induced defects or themselves disappear after high fluence proton irradiation. These effects decay with time, giving the donor centers a temporal nature.