Upgrade of the small-angle neutron scattering diffractometer SANS-J at JRR-3

Kumada, Takayuki; Motokawa, Ryuhei; Oba, Yojiro; Nakagawa, Hiroshi; Sekine, Yurina; Micheau, C.; Ueda, Yuki; Sugita, Tsuyoshi; Birumachi, Atsushi; Sasaki, Miki; et al.

Journal of Applied Crystallography, 56(6), p.1776 - 1783, 2023/12

https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600576723009731

The combination of the existing position-sensitive photomultiplier and the 3He main detector with focusing devices, and the newly installed front detectors in SANS-J at JRR-3 covers small-angle neutron scattering signals in the range of the magnitude of the scattering vector Q from 0.002 to 6 nm-1 gaplessly with three standard device layouts. The installation of the front detector and a graphical user interface system largely improved the usability of SANS-J.

Structural changes of polystyrene particles in subcritical and supercritical water revealed by in situ small-angle neutron scattering

Shibata, Motoki*; Nakanishi, Yohei*; Abe, Jun*; Arima, Hiroshi*; Iwase, Hiroki*; Shibayama, Mitsuhiro*; Motokawa, Ryuhei; Kumada, Takayuki; Takata, Shinichi; Yamamoto, Katsuhiro*; et al.

Polymer Journal, 55(11), p.1165 - 1170, 2023/11

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-023-00817-1

Structure and magnetic properties of Fe nanoparticles in amorphous silica implanted with Fe ions and effect of subsequent energetic heavy ion irradiation

Iwase, Akihiro*; Fukuda, Kengo*; Saito, Yuichi*; Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Semboshi, Satoshi*; Amekura, Hiroshi*; Matsui, Toshiyuki*

Journal of Applied Physics, 132(16), p.163902_1 - 163902_10, 2022/10

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0102438

Amorphous SiO samples were implanted with 380 keV Fe ions at room temperature. After implantation, some of the samples were irradiated with 16 MeV Au ions. magnetic properties were investigated using a SQUID magnetometer, and the morphology of the Fe-implanted SiO samples was examined using transmission electron microscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (EXAFS and XANES), which showed that the size of Fe nanoparticles was increasing The size of Fe nanoparticles increased with increasing Fe implantation amount; some of the Fe nanoparticles consisted of Fe oxides, and the valence and structure of Fe atoms became closer to that of metallic -Fe with increasing Fe injection amount. The magnetization-field curve of the sample implanted with a small amount of Fe was reproduced by Langevin's equation, suggesting that the Fe nanoparticles behave in a superparamagnetic manner. In addition, when a large amount of Fe was implanted, the magnetization-magnetic field curve shows a ferromagnetic state. These magnetic property results are consistent with the X-ray absorption results. Subsequent 16 MeV Au irradiation crushed the Fe nanoparticles, resulting in a decrease in magnetization.

Beta decay of the axially asymmetric ground state of Re

Watanabe, Hiroshi*; Watanabe, Yutaka*; Hirayama, Yoshikazu*; Andreyev, A. N.; Hashimoto, Takashi*; Kondev, F. G.*; Lane, G. J.*; Litvinov, Yu. A.*; Liu, J. J.*; Miyatake, Hiroari*; et al.

Physics Letters B, 814, p.136088_1 - 136088_6, 2021/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2021.136088

Cutting-edge studies on nuclear data for continuous and emerging need, 7; Challenge to high energy area

Shigyo, Nobuhiro*; Iwase, Hiroshi*; Iwamoto, Yosuke; Sato, Tatsuhiko

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai-Shi ATOMO, 60(5), p.294 - 298, 2018/05

For calculations of neutron productions and radiation damages in nuclear design of Accelerator Driven System (ADS) and exposure doses in radiation cancer therapy, radiation transport simulations with the high-energy nuclear data library evaluated with experimental data play an important role. Experimental data are needed for validation of nuclear reaction models in calculation codes. In this paper, we explain examples of nuclear data measurements in high energy region and the progress of the Particle and Heavy-Ion Transport code System (PHITS) developed in Japan.

Assessment of equivalent dose of the lens of the eyes and the extremities to workers under nonhomogeneous exposure situation in nuclear and accelerator facilities by means of measurements using a phantom coupled with Monte Carlo simulation

Yoshitomi, Hiroshi; Hagiwara, Masayuki*; Kowatari, Munehiko; Nishino, Sho; Sanami, Toshiya*; Iwase, Hiroshi*

Proceedings of 14th International Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA-14), Vol.3 (Internet), p.1188 - 1195, 2017/11

http://www.irpa.net/docs/IRPA14%20Proceedings%20Volume%203.pdf

The equivalent doses to the lens of the eye and extremities for radiation workers should be assessed properly to ensure that the dose limits are not exceeded. Recently, the following two issues has pressed demand on more appropriate evaluation of the equivalent doses of the lens of the eye and extremity. One is the new occupational dose limit for the lens of the eye the ICRP recommended. The other is growing demand on handling of highly activated materials in the maintenance works of an accelerator and contaminated materials during the decommissioning works of nuclear facility, which increases the potential exposure risk to the extremities to a wider variety of radio-nuclides. Since the points to be assessed for the exposures to the lens of the eye and the extremities are apart from the trunk, the homogeneity of the radiation fields would be significantly impact on the assessment of these equivalent doses. However, there has been no sufficient and available method to identify the nonhomogeneous situations systematically in terms of the eye lens or extremity monitoring. The goal of this study is to provide the framework to identify the nonhomogeneous exposure situations. In order to fulfil this purpose, newly proposed indices to represent the homogeneity were calculated by Monte Carlo simulation incorporated with mathematical phantom, verifying the benchmark measurements. Important parameters that significantly impact on these indices were also shown from the various trials of calculations of homogeneity indices.

Characterization of the PTW 34031 ionization chamber (PMI) at RCNP with high energy neutrons ranging from 100 - 392 MeV

Theis, C.*; Carbonez, P.*; Feldbaumer, E.*; Forkel-Wirth, D.*; Jaegerhofer, L.*; Pangallo, M.*; Perrin, D.*; Urscheler, C.*; Roesler, S.*; Vincke, H.*; et al.

EPJ Web of Conferences, 153, p.08018_1 - 08018_5, 2017/09

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201715308018

At CERN, gas-filled ionization chambers PTW-34031 (PMI) are commonly used in radiation fields including neutrons, protons and -rays. A response function for each particle is calculated by the radiation transport code FLUKA. To validate a response function to high energy neutrons, benchmark experiments with quasi mono-energetic neutrons have been carried out at RCNP, Osaka University. For neutron irradiation with energies below 200 MeV, very good agreement was found comparing the FLUKA simulations and the measurements. In addition it was found that at proton energies of 250 and 392 MeV, results calculated with neutron sources underestimate the experimental data due to a non-negligible gamma component originating from the target Li(p,n)Be reaction.

Shielding experiments of concrete and iron for the 244 MeV and 387 MeV quasi-mono energetic neutrons using a Bonner sphere spectrometer (at RCNP, Osaka Univ.)

Matsumoto, Tetsuro*; Masuda, Akihiko*; Nishiyama, Jun*; Iwase, Hiroshi*; Iwamoto, Yosuke; Satoh, Daiki; Hagiwara, Masayuki*; Yashima, Hiroshi*; Yashima, Hiroshi*; Shima, Tatsushi*; et al.

EPJ Web of Conferences, 153, p.08016_1 - 08016_3, 2017/09

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201715308016

Neutron energy spectra behind concrete and iron shields were measured for quasi-monoenergetic neutrons above 200 MeV using a Bonner sphere spectrometer (BSS). Quasi-monoenergetic neutrons were produced by the Li(p,xn) reaction with 246-MeV and 389-MeV protons. The response function of BSS was also measured at neutron energies from 100 MeV to 387 MeV. In data analysis, the measured response function was used and the multiple neutron scattering effect between the BSS and the shielding material was considered. The neutron energy spectra behind the concrete and iron shields were obtained by the unfolding method using the MAXED code. Ambient dose equivalents were obtained as a function of a shield thickness successfully. For the case of the 244 MeV neutron incidence, the multiple neutron scattering effect on the effective dose is large under 50 cm thickness of the concrete shield.

Ion species/energy dependence of irradiation-induced lattice structure transformation and surface hardness of NiNb and NiTa intermetallic compounds

Kojima, Hiroshi*; Kaneno, Yasuyuki*; Ochi, Masaaki*; Semboshi, Satoshi*; Hori, Fuminobu*; Saito, Yuichi*; Ishikawa, Norito; Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Iwase, Akihiro*

Materials Transactions, 58(5), p.739 - 748, 2017/05

https://doi.org/10.2320/matertrans.MBW201612

Bulk samples of NiNb and NiTa intermetallic compounds were irradiated with 16 MeV Au, 4.5 MeV Ni, 4.5 MeV Al, 200 MeV Xe and 1.0 MeV He ions, and the change in near-surface lattice structure was investigated by means of the grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD)and EXAFS. The NiNb and NiTa lattice structures transform from the ordered structures (orthorhombic and monoclinic structures for NiNb and NiTa, respectively) to the amorphous state by the Au, Ni, Al and Xe ion irradiations. Irrespective of such heavy ion species or energies, the lattice structure transformation to the amorphous state almost correlate with the density of energy deposited through elastic collisions.

Nanoscopic structural investigation of physically cross-linked nanogels formed from self-associating polymers

Sekine, Yurina; Endo, Hitoshi*; Iwase, Hiroki*; Takeda, Shigeo*; Mukai, Sadaatsu*; Fukazawa, Hiroshi; Littrell, K. C.*; Sasaki, Yoshihiro*; Akiyoshi, Kazunari*

Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 120(46), p.11996 - 12002, 2016/11

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b06795

The detailed structure of a nanogel formed by self-association of cholesterol-bearing pullulans (CHP) was determined by contrast variation small-angle neutron scattering. The decomposition of scattering intensities into partial scattering functions of each CHP nanogel component, i.e., pullulan, cholesterol, and the cross-term between the pullulan and the cholesterol allows us to investigate the internal structure of the nanogel. The effective spherical radius of the skeleton formed by pullulan chains was found to be about 8.1 nm. In the CHP nanogel, there are about 19 cross-linking points where a cross-linking point is formed by aggregation of trimer cholesterol molecules with the spatially inhomogeneous distribution of the mass fractal dimension of 2.6. The average radius of the partial chains can also be determined to be 1.7 nm. As the result, the complex structure of the nanogels is coherently revealed at the nanoscopical level.