Overview of PHITS Ver.3.34 with particular focus on track-structure calculation

Ogawa, Tatsuhiko; Hirata, Yuho; Matsuya, Yusuke; Kai, Takeshi; Sato, Tatsuhiko; Iwamoto, Yosuke; Hashimoto, Shintaro; Furuta, Takuya; Abe, Shinichiro; Matsuda, Norihiro; et al.

EPJ Nuclear Sciences & Technologies (Internet), 10, p.13_1 - 13_8, 2024/11

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjn/2024012

The latest updates on PHITS, a versatile radiation transport code, focusing specifically on track-structure models are presented. Track structure calculations are methods used to simulate the movement of charged particles while explicitly considering each atomic reaction. Initially developed for radiation biology, these calculation methods aimed to analyze the radiation-induced damage to DNA and chromosomes. Several track-structure calculation models, including PHITS-ETS, PHITS-ETS for Si, PHITS-KURBUC, ETSART, and ITSART, have been developed and implemented to PHITS. These models allow users to study the behavior of various particles at the nano-scale across a wide range of materials. Furthermore, potential applications of track-structure calculations have also been proposed so far. This collection of track-structure calculation models, which encompasses diverse conditions, opens up new avenues for research in the field of radiation effects.

General-purpose nuclear data library JENDL-5 and to the next

Iwamoto, Osamu; Iwamoto, Nobuyuki; Kunieda, Satoshi; Minato, Futoshi; Nakayama, Shinsuke; Kimura, Atsushi; Nakamura, Shoji; Endo, Shunsuke; Nagaya, Yasunobu; Tada, Kenichi; et al.

EPJ Web of Conferences, 284, p.14001_1 - 14001_7, 2023/05

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202328414001

Benchmark study of particle and heavy-ion transport code system using shielding integral benchmark archive and database for accelerator-shielding experiments

Iwamoto, Yosuke; Hashimoto, Shintaro; Sato, Tatsuhiko; Matsuda, Norihiro; Kunieda, Satoshi; elik, Y.*; Furutachi, Naoya*; Niita, Koji*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 59(5), p.665 - 675, 2022/05

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2021.1993372

A benchmark study of PHITS3.24 has been conducted using neutron-shielding experiments listed in the Shielding Integral Benchmark Archive and Database. Five neutron sources were selected, which are generated from (1) 43- and 68-MeV proton-induced reaction on a thin lithium target, (2) 52-MeV proton-induced reaction on a thick graphite target, (3) 590-MeV proton-induced reaction on a thick lead target, (4) 500-MeV proton-induced reaction on a thick tungsten target, and (5) 800-MeV proton-induced reaction on a thick tantalum target. For all cases, overall agreements in the results are satisfactory when using the JENDL-4.0/HE to simulate neutron- and proton-induced reactions up to 200 MeV. However, discrepancies using PHITS default settings are observed in the results. For an accurate neutron-shielding design for accelerator facilities, using JENDL-4.0/HE in the particle and heavy-ion transport code system calculation is favorable.

spectrometry of terrestrial gamma rays using portable germanium detectors in area of 80 km radius around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

Mikami, Satoshi; Tanaka, Hiroyuki*; Okuda, Naotoshi*; Sakamoto, Ryuichi*; Ochi, Kotaro; Uno, Kiichiro*; Matsuda, Norihiro; Saito, Kimiaki

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai Wabun Rombunshi, 20(4), p.159 - 178, 2021/12

https://doi.org/10.3327/taesj.J20.010

In order to know the background radiation level where the area affected by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011, terrestrial gamma rays had been measured by using portable germanium detectors repeatedly from 2013 through 2019, at 370 locations within 80 km radius area centered on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Radioactive concentrations of Uranium 238, Thorium 232, Potassium 40 and kerma rates in air due to terrestrial gamma rays were obtained at those locations based on the method of ICRU report 53. Averaged concentrations of U, Th and K were 18.8, 22.7, 428 Bq/kg, respectively, and kerma rate in air over the area was found to be 0.0402 Gy/h. The obtained kerma rates in air were compared to those reported in literatures. It was confirmed that the data were correlated with each other, and were agreed within the range of their uncertainty. This is because the kerma rate in air due to terrestrial gamma rays is depend on geology. The similar trend to previous findings was observed that the kerma rate in air at locations geologically classified as Mesozoic era, Granite and Rhyolite were statistically significantly higher than the others.

Modernization of the DCHAIN-PHITS activation code with new features and updated data libraries

Ratliff, H.; Matsuda, Norihiro; Abe, Shinichiro; Miura, Takamitsu*; Furuta, Takuya; Iwamoto, Yosuke; Sato, Tatsuhiko

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 484, p.29 - 41, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2020.10.005

Summary of temporal changes in air dose rates and radionuclide deposition densities in the 80 km zone over five years after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident

Saito, Kimiaki; Mikami, Satoshi; Ando, Masaki; Matsuda, Norihiro; Kinase, Sakae; Tsuda, Shuichi; Yoshida, Tadayoshi; Sato, Tetsuro*; Seki, Akiyuki; Yamamoto, Hideaki*; et al.

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 210, p.105878_1 - 105878_12, 2019/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.12.020

Characterizing the permeability of drillhole core samples of Toki granite, central Japan to identify factors influencing rock-matrix permeability

Kubo, Taiki*; Matsuda, Norihiro*; Kashiwaya, Koki*; Koike, Katsuaki*; Ishibashi, Masayuki; Tsuruta, Tadahiko; Matsuoka, Toshiyuki; Sasao, Eiji; Lanyon, G. W.*

Engineering Geology, 259, p.105163_1 - 105163_15, 2019/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2019.105163

Rock matrix permeability is mainly controlled by microcracks. This study aims to identify the factors influencing the permeability of the Toki granite, central Japan. Permeability of core samples, measured by a gas permeameter, largely increases in the fault and fracture zones. Although a significant correlation is identified between permeability and P-wave velocity, this correlation is enhanced by classifying the samples into two groups by the Mn/Fe concentration ratio. Thus, lithofacies is another control factor for permeability due to the difference in mineral composition. Moreover, permeability shows significant negative and positive correlations with Si and Ca concentrations, respectively. These concentrations are probably affected by dissolution of silicate minerals and calcite generation in the hydrothermal alteration process. Therefore, a combination of hydrothermal alteration and strong faulting are the predominant processes for controlling permeability.

Decreasing trend of ambient dose equivalent rates over a wide area in eastern Japan until 2016 evaluated by car-borne surveys using KURAMA systems

Ando, Masaki; Mikami, Satoshi; Tsuda, Shuichi; Yoshida, Tadayoshi; Matsuda, Norihiro; Saito, Kimiaki

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 192, p.385 - 398, 2018/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.07.009

Car-borne surveys using KURAMA systems have been conducted over a wide area in eastern Japan since 2011. The measurement data collected until 2016 was analyzed, and decreasing trend of the dose rates in regions within 80 km of Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant were examined. The averaged dose rates tended to decrease considerably with respect to the physical decay of radiocaesium, and the ecological half-lives of the fast and slow decay components were estimated. The decrease of the dose rate in the forest was slower than its decrease in other regions, and the decrease of the dose rate in urban area was the fastest. The decrease in the dose rates obtained via the car-borne survey was larger than that obtained on flat ground with few disturbances using survey meters approximately 1.5 y after the accident; hereafter, the decrease in the dose rates obtained via the car-borne survey was same as the latter measurement.

Review of reduction factors by buildings for gamma radiation from radiocaesium deposited on the ground due to fallout

Yoshida-Ouchi, Hiroko*; Matsuda, Norihiro; Saito, Kimiaki

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 187, p.32 - 39, 2018/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.02.006

Recent improvements of particle and heavy ion transport code system: PHITS

Sato, Tatsuhiko; Niita, Koji*; Iwamoto, Yosuke; Hashimoto, Shintaro; Ogawa, Tatsuhiko; Furuta, Takuya; Abe, Shinichiro; Kai, Takeshi; Matsuda, Norihiro; Okumura, Keisuke; et al.

EPJ Web of Conferences, 153, p.06008_1 - 06008_6, 2017/09

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201715306008

Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System, PHITS, has been developed under the collaboration of several institutes in Japan and Europe. It can deal with the transport of nearly all particles up to 1 TeV (per nucleon for ion) using various nuclear reaction models and data libraries. More than 2,500 researchers and technicians have used the code for a variety of applications such as accelerator design, radiation shielding and protection, medical physics, and space and geosciences. This paper briefly summarizes physics models and functions newly implemented in PHITS between versions 2.52 and 2.82.