Spallation and fragmentation cross sections for 168 MeV/nucleon Xe ions on proton, deuteron, and carbon targets

Sun, X. H.*; Wang, H.*; Otsu, Hideaki*; Sakurai, Hiroyoshi*; Ahn, D. S.*; Aikawa, Masayuki*; Fukuda, Naoki*; Isobe, Tadaaki*; Kawakami, Shunsuke*; Koyama, Shumpei*; et al.

Physical Review C, 101(6), p.064623_1 - 064623_12, 2020/06

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.101.064623

The spallation and fragmentation reactions of Xe induced by proton, deuteron and carbon at 168 MeV/nucleon were studied at RIKEN Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory via the inverse kinematics technique. The cross sections of the lighter products are larger in the carbon-induced reactions due to the higher total kinetic energy of carbon. The energy dependence was investigated by comparing the newly obtained data with previous results obtained at higher reaction energies. The experimental data were compared with the results of SPACS, EPAX, PHITS and DEURACS calculations. These data serve as benchmarks for the model calculations.

Shell structure of the neutron-rich isotopes Co

Lokotko, T.*; Leblond, S.*; Lee, J.*; Doornenbal, P.*; Obertelli, A.*; Poves, A.*; Nowacki, F.*; Ogata, Kazuyuki*; Yoshida, Kazuki; Authelet, G.*; et al.

Physical Review C, 101(3), p.034314_1 - 034314_7, 2020/03

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.101.034314

The structures of the neutron-rich Co isotopes were investigated via () knockout reactions at the Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory, RIKEN. Level schemes were reconstructed using the coincidence technique, with tentative spin-parity assignments based on the measured inclusive and exclusive cross sections. Comparison with shell-model calculations suggests coexistence of spherical and deformed shapes at low excitation energies in the Co isotopes.

Ultralow thermal conductivity from transverse acoustic phonon suppression in distorted crystalline -MgAgSb

Li, X.*; Liu, P.-F.*; Zhao, E.*; Zhang, Z.*; Guide, T.*; Le, M. D.*; Avdeev, M.*; Ikeda, Kazutaka*; Otomo, Toshiya*; Kofu, Maiko; et al.

Nature Communications (Internet), 11(1), p.942_1 - 942_9, 2020/02

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14772-5

In high-performance thermoelectric materials, there are two main low thermal conductivity mechanisms: the phonon anharmonic and phonon scattering resulting from the dynamic disorder, which have been successfully revealed by inelastic neutron scattering. Using neutron scattering and ab initio calculations, we report here a mechanism of static local structure distortion combined with phonon-anharmonic-induced ultralow lattice thermal conductivity in -MgAgSb. Since the transverse acoustic phonons are almost fully scattered by the intrinsic distorted rocksalt sublattice in this compound, the heat is mainly transported by the longitudinal acoustic phonons. The ultralow thermal conductivity in -MgAgSb is attributed to its atomic dynamics being altered by the structure distortion, which presents a possible microscopic route to enhance the performance of similar thermoelectric materials.

Shell evolution of = 40 isotones towards Ca; First spectroscopy of Ti

Corts, M. L.*; Rodriguez, W.*; Doornenbal, P.*; Obertelli, A.*; Holt, J. D.*; Lenzi, S. M.*; Menndez, J.*; Nowacki, F.*; Ogata, Kazuyuki*; Poves, A.*; et al.

Physics Letters B, 800, p.135071_1 - 135071_7, 2020/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2019.135071

Excited states in the = 40 isotone Ti were populated via the V(,)Ti reaction at 200 MeV/nucleon at the Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory and studied using -ray spectroscopy. The energies of the and transitions, observed here for the first time, indicate a deformed Ti ground state. These energies are increased compared to the neighboring Cr and Fe isotones, suggesting a small decrease of quadrupole collectivity. The present measurement is well reproduced by large-scale shell-model calculations based on effective interactions, while ab initio and beyond mean-field calculations do not yet reproduce our findings.

Comparison of heavy-ion transport simulations; Collision integral with pions and resonances in a box

Ono, Akira*; Xu, J.*; Colonna, M.*; Danielewicz, P.*; Ko, C. M.*; Tsang, M. B.*; Wang, Y,-J.*; Wolter, H.*; Zhang, Y.-X.*; Chen, L.-W.*; et al.

Physical Review C, 100(4), p.044617_1 - 044617_35, 2019/10

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.100.044617

International comparison of heavy-ion induced reaction models were discussed in the international conference "Transport2017" held in April 2017. Owing to their importance for safety assessment of heavy-ion accelerators and dosimetry of astronauts, various models to simulate heavy-ion induced reaction models are developed. This study is intended to clarify the difference among them to pinpoint their problems. In the comparison study, 320 protons and neutrons were packed in a 20-fm-large cube to calculate the number and energies of collisions during the time evolution. The author contributed to this study by running calculation using JQMD (JAERI Quantum Molecular Dynamics). This study showed that time step in the calculation is one of the biggest causes of the discrepancies. For example, the calculation by JQMD comprises 1-fm/c time steps, each of which is composed of transport, scattering and decay phases. Therefore a sequence of scattering, and decay followed by another scattering in 1 fm/c cannot be considered. Moreover, in JQMD particles are labeled by sequential numbers and scattering reactions are simulated by the order. Therefore scattering between low ID numbers, that between high ID numbers and that between the first (low ID) pair is overlooked in JQMD. Above indications obtained in this study must be kept in our mind for future JQMD upgrades.

Impact of ferrous iron dosing on iron and phosphorus solids speciation and transformation in a pilot scale membrane bioreactor

Wu, H.*; Wang, Y.*; Ikeda, Atsushi; Miller, C. J.*; Waite, T. D.*

Environmental Science; Water Research & Technology, 5(8), p.1400 - 1411, 2019/08

https://doi.org/10.1039/C9EW00225A

In this study, the distributions of iron and phosphorus species in a 1.25 m pilot scale submerged membrane bioreactor dosed with Fe(II) salts to either the membrane chamber or the 1st anoxic chamber were determined using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at the iron and phosphorus K-edges. Significant differences in the distribution of Fe species were evident at the commencement of dosing depending on the chamber to which Fe(II) was dosed though these differences were much less distinct by the time steady state conditions were achieved. Both the co-precipitation of P with Fe and adsorption of phosphorus to iron oxides play important roles with regard to the removal of phosphorus from the MBR supernatant with the results of this work suggesting that P removal via formation of Fe(III)-phosphate mineral species is preferred if Fe(II) is dosed to the membrane chamber rather than the 1st anoxic chamber.

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.

Coexistence of ferromagnetic and stripe-type antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations in YFeGe

Wo, H.*; Wang, Q.*; Shen, Y.*; Zhang, X.*; Hao, Y.*; Feng, Y.*; Shen, S.*; He, Z.*; Pan, B.*; Wang, W.*; et al.

Physical Review Letters, 122(21), p.217003_1 - 217003_5, 2019/05

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.217003

Activities of the GIF safety and operation project of sodium-cooled fast reactor systems

Yamano, Hidemasa; Vasile, A.*; Kang, S.-H.*; Summer, T.*; Tsige-Tamirat, H.*; Wang, J.*; Ashurko, I.*

Proceedings of 27th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-27) (Internet), 7 Pages, 2019/05

https://doi.org/10.1299/jsmeicone.2019.27.1025

The Generation IV (GEN-IV) international forum is a framework for international co-operation in research and development for the next generation of nuclear energy systems. Within the GEN-IV sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) system arrangement, the SFR Safety and Operation (SO) project addresses the areas of safety technology and reactor operation technology developments. The aims of the SO project include (1) analyses and experiments that support establishing safety approaches and validating performance of specific safety features, (2) development and verification of computational tools and validation of models employed in safety assessment and facility licensing, and (3) acquisition of reactor operation technology, as determined largely from experience and testing in operating SFR plants. The tasks in the SO topics are categorized into the following three work packages (WP): WP-SO-1 "Methods, Models and Codes", WP-SO-2 "Experimental Programs and Operational Experience", and WP-SO-3 "Studies of Innovative Design and Safety Systems". This paper reports recent activities within the SO project.

Pressure-induced Diels-Alder reactions in CH - CF cocrystal towards graphane structure

Wang, Y.*; Dong, X.*; Tang, X.*; Zheng, H.*; Li, K.*; Lin, X.*; Fang, L.*; Sun, G.*; Chen, X.*; Xie, L.*; et al.

Angewandte Chemie; International Edition, 58(5), p.1468 - 1473, 2019/01

https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201813120

Pressure-induced polymerization (PIP) of aromatics is a novel method to construct sp-carbon frameworks, and nanothreads with diamond-like structures were synthesized by compressing benzene and its derivatives. Here by compressing benzene-hexafluorobenzene cocrystal(CHCF), we identified H-F-substituted graphane with a layered structure in the PIP product. Based on the crystal structure determined from the in situ neutron diffraction and the intermediate products identified by the gas chromatography-mass spectrum, we found that at 20 GPa CHCF forms tilted columns with benzene and hexafluorobenzene stacked alternatively, which leads to a [4+2] polymer, and then transfers to short-range ordered hydrogenated-fluorinated graphane. The reaction process contains [4+2] Diels-Alder, retro-Diels-Alder, and 1-1' coupling, and the former is the key reaction in the PIP. Our studies confirmed the elemental reactions of the CHCF for the first time, which provides a novel insight into the PIP of aromatics.