Development of a non-destructive depth-selective quantification method for sub-percent carbon contents in steel using negative muon lifetime analysis

Ninomiya, Kazuhiko*; Kubo, Kenya*; Inagaki, Makoto*; Yoshida, Go*; Chiu, I.-H. ; Kudo, Takuto*; Asari, Shunsuke*; Sentoku, Sawako*; Takeshita, Soshi*; Shimomura, Koichiro*; et al.

Scientific Reports (Internet), 14, p.1797_1 - 1797_8, 2024/01

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52255-5

The amount of C in steel, which is critical in determining its properties, is strongly influenced by steel production technology. We propose a novel method of quantifying the bulk C content in steel non-destructively using muons. This revolutionary method may be used not only in the quality control of steel in production, but also in analyzing precious steel archaeological artifacts. A negatively charged muon forms an atomic system owing to its negative charge, and is finally absorbed into the nucleus or decays to an electron. The lifetimes of muons differ significantly, depending on whether they are trapped by Fe or C atoms, and identifying the elemental content at the muon stoppage position is possible via muon lifetime measurements. The relationship between the muon capture probabilities of C/Fe and the elemental content of C exhibits a good linearity, and the C content in the steel may be quantitatively determined via muon lifetime measurements. Furthermore, by controlling the incident energies of the muons, they may be stopped in each layer of a stacked sample consisting of three types of steel plates with thicknesses of 0.5 mm, and we successfully determined the C contents in the range 0.20 - 1.03 wt% depth-selectively, without sample destruction.

Identification of hydrogen trapping in aluminum alloys muon spin relaxation method and first-principles calculations

Tsuru, Tomohito; Nishimura, Katsuhiko*; Matsuda, Kenji*; Nunomura, Norio*; Namiki, Takahiro*; Lee, S.*; Higemoto, Wataru; Matsuzaki, Teiichiro*; Yamaguchi, Masatake; Ebihara, Kenichi; et al.

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 54(6), p.2374 - 2383, 2023/06

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-023-07024-w

Although hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility of high-strength Al alloys is recognized as a critical issue in the practical use of Al alloys, identifying the hydrogen trapping or distribution has been challenging. In the present study, an effective approach based on experiment and simulation is proposed to explore the potential trap sites in Al alloys. Zero-field muon spin relaxation experiments were carried out for Al-0.5%Mg, Al-0.2%Cu, Al-0.15%Ti, Al-0.011%Ti, Al-0.28%V, and Al-0.015%V (at.%) in the temperature range from 5 to 300 K. The temperature variations of the dipole field widths have revealed three peaks for Al-0.5%Mg, four peaks for Al-0.2%Cu, three peaks for Al-0.011%Ti and Al-0.015%V. Atomic configurations of the muon trapping sites corresponding to the observed peaks are well assigned using the first-principles calculations for the trap energies of hydrogen around a solute and solute-vacancy pair. The extracted linear relationship between the muon peak temperature and the trap energy enables us to explore the potential alloying elements and their complex that have strong binding energies with hydrogen in Al alloys.

Present status of J-PARC MUSE

Shimomura, Koichiro*; Koda, Akihiro*; Pant, A. D.*; Natori, Hiroaki*; Fujimori, Hiroshi*; Umegaki, Izumi*; Nakamura, Jumpei*; Tampo, Motonobu*; Kawamura, Naritoshi*; Teshima, Natsuki*; et al.

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 2462, p.012033_1 - 012033_5, 2023/03

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2462/1/012033

Two-step Mott transition in Ni(S,Se); SR studies and charge-spin percolation model

Sheng, Q.*; Kaneko, Tatsuya*; Yamakawa, Kohtaro*; Guguchia, Z.*; Gong, Z.*; Zhao, G.*; Dai, G.*; Jin, C.*; Guo, S.*; Fu, L.*; et al.

Physical Review Research (Internet), 4(3), p.033172_1 - 033172_14, 2022/09

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.033172

Unveiling unconventional magnetism at the surface of SrRuO

Fittipaldi, R.*; Hartmann, R.*; Mercaldo, M. T.*; Komori, Sachio*; Bjrlig, A.*; Higemoto, Wataru; Maeno, Yoshiteru*; Di Bernardo, A.*; 18 of others*

Nature Communications (Internet), 12, p.5792_1 - 5792_9, 2021/10

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26020-5

The layered oxide perovskite SrRuO, which has been intensively investigated due to its unusual properties. Whilst the debate on the symmetry of the superconducting state in SrRuO is still ongoing, a deeper understanding of the SrRuO normal state appears crucial as this is the background in which electron pairing occurs. Here, by using low-energy muon spin spectroscopy we discover the existence of surface magnetism in SrRuO at an onset temperature higher than 50 K. Our observations set a reference for the discovery of the same magnetic phase in other materials.

High-temperature antiferromagnetism in Yb based heavy fermion systems proximate to a Kondo insulator

Suzuki, Shintaro*; Takubo, Ko*; Kuga, Kentaro*; Higemoto, Wataru; Ito, Takashi; Tomita, Takahiro*; Shimura, Yasumichi*; Matsumoto, Yosuke*; Bareille, C.*; Wadachi, Hiroki*; et al.

Physical Review Research (Internet), 3(2), p.023140_1 - 023140_12, 2021/05

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.023140

We report our experimental discovery of the transition temperature reaching 20 K in a Yb-based compound at ambient pressure. The Mn substitution at the Al site in an intermediate valence state of -YbAlB not only induces antiferromagnetic transition at a record high temperature of 20 K but also transforms the heavy-fermion liquid state in -YbAlB into a highly resistive metallic state proximate to a Kondo insulator.

Negatively charged muonium and related centers in solids

Ito, Takashi; Higemoto, Wataru; Shimomura, Koichiro*

Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 89(5), p.051007_1 - 051007_8, 2020/05

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSJ.89.051007

Characterization and optimization of ultra slow muon beam at J-PARC/MUSE; A Simulation study

Pant, A. D.*; Higemoto, Wataru; Miyake, Yasuhiro; 8 of others*

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 929, p.129 - 133, 2019/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2019.02.065

We have been developing an ultra slow muon microscope, at J-PARC. We performed Monte Carlo simulations, the results of which pointed out the significant effect of a stray magnetic field at the muonium chamber on the beam profile at sample position. To minimize this effect, we steered the beam using imbalance tuning of electric quadrupoles. This paper presents the simulation study of beam transportation, optimization, and characterization in terms of beam size, time, and energy distribution at sample position in one of the experimental areas, namely, U1A.

Negative muon capture ratios for nitrogen oxide molecules

Ninomiya, Kazuhiko*; Ito, Takashi; Higemoto, Wataru; Kawamura, Naritoshi*; Strasser, P.*; Nagatomo, Takashi*; Shimomura, Koichiro*; Miyake, Yasuhiro*; Kita, Makoto*; Shinohara, Atsushi*; et al.

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 319(3), p.767 - 773, 2019/03

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-018-6366-3

Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex, 4; The Muon Facility

Higemoto, Wataru; Kadono, Ryosuke*; Kawamura, Naritoshi*; Koda, Akihiro*; Kojima, Kenji*; Makimura, Shunsuke*; Matoba, Shiro*; Miyake, Yasuhiro*; Shimomura, Koichiro*; Strasser, P.*

Quantum Beam Science (Internet), 1(1), p.11_1 - 11_24, 2017/06

https://doi.org/10.3390/qubs1010011

A muon experimental facility, known as the Muon Science Establishment (MUSE), is one of the user facilities at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex, along with those for neutrons, hadrons, and neutrinos. The MUSE facility is integrated into the Materials and Life Science Facility building in which a high-energy proton beam that is shared with a neutron experiment facility delivers a variety of muon beams for research covering diverse scientific fields. In this review, we present the current status of MUSE, which is still in the process of being developed into its fully fledged form.