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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
Times Cited Count：0The 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.
Suyama, Kenya; Ueki, Taro; Gunji, Satoshi; Watanabe, Tomoaki; Araki, Shohei; Fukuda, Kodai; Yamane, Yuichi; Izawa, Kazuhiko; Nagaya, Yasunobu; Kikuchi, Takeo; et al.
Proceedings of 12th International Conference on Nuclear Criticality Safety (ICNC2023) (Internet), 6 Pages, 2023/10
To remove and store safely the fuel debris generated by the severe accident of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in 2011 is one of the most important and challenging topics for decommissioning of the damaged reactors in Fukushima. To validate the adopted method for the evaluation of criticality safety control of the fuel debris through comparison with the experimental data obtained by the criticality experiments, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) of Japan funds a research and development project which was entrusted to the Nuclear Safety Research Center (NSRC) of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) from 2014. In this project, JAEA has been conducting such activities as i) comprehensive computation of the criticality characteristics of the fuel debris and making database (criticality map of the fuel debris), ii) development of new continuous energy Monte Carlo code, iii) evaluation of criticality accident and iv) modification of the critical assembly STACY for the experiments for validation of criticality safety control methodology. After the last ICNC2019, the project has the substantial progress in the modification of STACY which will start officially operation from May 2024 and the development of the Monte Carlo Code "Solomon" suitable for the criticality calculation for materials having spatially random distribution complies with the power spectrum. We present the whole picture of this research and development project and status of each technical topics in the session.
Osawa, Takahito; Nagasawa, Shunsaku*; Ninomiya, Kazuhiko*; Takahashi, Tadayuki*; Nakamura, Tomoki*; Wada, Taiga*; Taniguchi, Akihiro*; Umegaki, Izumi*; Kubo, Kenya*; Terada, Kentaro*; et al.
ACS Earth and Space Chemistry (Internet), 7(4), p.699 - 711, 2023/04
Times Cited Count：4 Percentile：93.95(Chemistry, Multidisciplinary)The concentrations of carbon and other major elements in asteroid samples provide very important information on the birth of life on the Earth and the solar-system evolution. Elemental analysis using muonic X-rays is one of the best analytical methods to determine the elemental composition of solid materials, and notably, is the only method to determine the concentration of light elements in bulk samples in a non-destructive manner. We developed a new analysis system using muonic X-rays to measure the concentrations of carbon and other major elements in precious and expectedly tiny samples recovered from the asteroid Ryugu by spacecraft Hayabusa2. Here we report the development process of the system in 4 stages and their system configurations, The analysis system is composed of a stainless-steel analysis chamber, an acrylic glove box for manipulating asteroid samples in a clean environment, and Ge semiconductor detectors arranged to surround the analysis chamber. The performance of the analysis system, including the background level, which is crucial for the measurement, was greatly improved from the first stage to the later ones. Our feasibility study showed that the latest model of our muonic X-ray analysis system is capable of determining the carbon concentration in Hayabusa2's sample model with an uncertainty of less than 10 percent in a 6-day measurement.
X raysOkumura, Takuma*; Azuma, Toshiyuki*; Bennet, D. A.*; Caradonna, P.*; Chiu, I. H.*; Doriese, W. B.*; Durkin, M. S.*; Fowler, J. W.*; Gard, J. D.*; Hashimoto, Tadashi; et al.
Physical Review Letters, 127(5), p.053001_1 - 053001_7, 2021/07
Times Cited Count：13 Percentile：79.44(Physics, Multidisciplinary)We observed electronic X rays emitted from muonic iron atoms using a superconducting transition-edge-type sensor microcalorimeter. The energy resolution of 5.2 eV in FWHM allowed us to observe the asymmetric broad profile of the electronic characteristic 
and 
X rays together with the hypersatellite X rays around 6 keV. This signature reflects the time-dependent screening of the nuclear charge by the negative muon and the 
-shell electrons, accompanied by electron side-feeding. Assisted by a simulation, this data clearly reveals the electronic - and -shell hole production and their temporal evolution during the muon cascade process.
, and COSYoshida, Go*; Ninomiya, Kazuhiko*; Inagaki, Makoto*; Higemoto, Wataru; Strasser, P.*; Kawamura, Naritoshi*; Shimomura, Koichiro*; Miyake, Yasuhiro*; Miura, Taichi*; Kubo, Kenya*; et al.
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 320, p.283 - 289, 2019/05
Times Cited Count：4 Percentile：41.24(Chemistry, Analytical)The role of valence electrons for the muon capture process by molecules is experimentally investigated with the aid of cascade calculations. Low-momentum muons are introduced to gas targets below atmospheric pressure. The initial states of captured muons are determined from the measured muonic X-ray structure of the Lyman and Balmer series. We propose that the lone pair electrons in the carbon atom of CO significantly contribute to the capture of a muon with large angular momenta.
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
Times Cited Count：12 Percentile：80.27(Chemistry, Analytical)Strasser, P.*; Abe, Mitsushi*; Aoki, Masaharu*; Choi, S.*; Fukao, Yoshinori*; Higashi, Yoshitaka*; Higuchi, Takashi*; Iinuma, Hiromi*; Ikedo, Yutaka*; Ishida, Katsuhiko*; et al.
EPJ Web of Conferences, 198, p.00003_1 - 00003_8, 2019/01
Times Cited Count：13 Percentile：99.06(Quantum Science & Technology)Sugiyama, Jun*; Umegaki, Izumi*; Nozaki, Hiroshi*; Higemoto, Wataru; Hamada, Koji*; Takeshita, Soshi*; Koda, Akihiro*; Shimomura, Koichiro*; Ninomiya, Kazuhiko*; Kubo, Kenya*
Physical Review Letters, 121(8), p.087202_1 - 087202_5, 2018/08
Times Cited Count：18 Percentile：74.47(Physics, Multidisciplinary)Ueno, Yasuhiro*; Aoki, Masaharu*; Fukao, Yoshinori*; Higashi, Yoshitaka*; Higuchi, Takashi*; Iinuma, Hiromi*; Ikedo, Yutaka*; Ishida, Katsuhiko*; Ito, Takashi; Iwasaki, Masahiko*; et al.
Hyperfine Interactions, 238(1), p.14_1 - 14_6, 2017/11
Times Cited Count：3 Percentile：86.59(Physics, Atomic, Molecular & Chemical)Strasser, P.*; Aoki, Masaharu*; Fukao, Yoshinori*; Higashi, Yoshitaka*; Higuchi, Takashi*; Iinuma, Hiromi*; Ikedo, Yutaka*; Ishida, Katsuhiko*; Ito, Takashi; Iwasaki, Masahiko*; et al.
Hyperfine Interactions, 237(1), p.124_1 - 124_9, 2016/12
Times Cited Count：7 Percentile：90.97(Physics, Atomic, Molecular & Chemical)Ito, Takashi; Higemoto, Wataru; Ninomiya, Kazuhiko*; Kubo, Kenya*; Kawamura, Naritoshi*; Shimomura, Koichiro*
JPS Conference Proceedings (Internet), 8, p.036014_1 - 036014_5, 2015/09
Osawa, Takahito; Ninomiya, Kazuhiko*; Yoshida, Go*; Inagaki, Makoto*; Kubo, Kenya*; Kawamura, Naritoshi*; Miyake, Yasuhiro*
JPS Conference Proceedings (Internet), 8, p.025003_1 - 025003_6, 2015/09
We report a new elemental analysis system that uses an intense negative-muon beam at J-PARC Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility, Muon Science Establishment. This paper presents the preliminary results of measurements for meteorites and standard material. The main system components are a water-cooled electromagnet, an Al flight tube, an Al sample chamber, a lead shielding body, and a Ge detector. Optimum currents for the electromagnet were determined by recording beam profiles with a CCD camera; the muon beam was shaped by collimators. The background and signal-to-noise ratio was significantly better than that obtained in a previous study, and all significant elements in the meteorite and standard samples were detected. Thus, this system can be used for muonic X-ray analysis of extraterrestrial materials.
Tampo, Motonobu*; Hamada, Koji*; Kawamura, Naritoshi*; Inagaki, Makoto*; Ito, Takashi; Kojima, Kenji*; Kubo, Kenya*; Ninomiya, Kazuhiko*; Strasser, P.*; Yoshida, Go*; et al.
JPS Conference Proceedings (Internet), 8, p.036016_1 - 036016_6, 2015/09
Ninomiya, Kazuhiko*; Kubo, Kenya*; Nagatomo, Takashi*; Higemoto, Wataru; Ito, Takashi; Kawamura, Naritoshi*; Strasser, P.*; Shimomura, Koichiro*; Miyake, Yasuhiro*; Suzuki, Takao*; et al.
Analytical Chemistry, 87(9), p.4597 - 4600, 2015/05
Times Cited Count：28 Percentile：71.03(Chemistry, Analytical)Terada, Kentaro*; Ninomiya, Kazuhiko*; Osawa, Takahito; Tachibana, Shogo*; Miyake, Yasuhiro*; Kubo, Kenya*; Kawamura, Naritoshi*; Higemoto, Wataru; Tsuchiyama, Akira*; Ebihara, Mitsuru*; et al.
Scientific Reports (Internet), 4, p.5072_1 - 5072_6, 2014/05
Times Cited Count：45 Percentile：82.6(Multidisciplinary Sciences)After the discovery of X-ray by Rontgen, mankind got a new eye to see through things. This fluoroscopy, so-called X-ray radiography that gives the density distribution of the inside of an object, has been applied to the vast research field such as natural/material/medical sciences, industry and technology. The recent development on the intense pulsed muon source at J-PARC MUSE (rate of 106 cps for 60 MeV/c) enabled us to pioneer a new frontier of analytical sciences. Here we report on a non-destructive elemental analysis by using muon capture. Controlling muon's momentum from 32.5 to 57.5 MeV/c. we successfully demonstrated a depth-profile analysis of light elements from several mm-thick layered materials, and non-destructive bulk analyses of meteorites containing organics. Now it is a beginning to utilize a new eye, muon radiography.
Fukaya, Hiroyuki; Suyama, Kenya; Sonoda, Takashi; Okubo, Kiyoshi; Umeda, Miki; Uchiyama, Gunzo
JAEA-Research 2013-020, 81 Pages, 2013/10
JAEA-Research-2013-020.pdf:3.81MB
Japan Atomic Energy Agency conducted a project "Isotopic Composition measurement of Fission Products in Spent Fuel from FY2008 to FY2011" by the entrustment of Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization. In that project, we measured the isotopic composition of neodymium isotopes which are important to evaluate the burnup value of spent nuclear fuel by using two different methods and obtained different results. So that we carried out the follow-up measurement in order to investigate the reason of the difference between two neodymium measurements. It was found that we needed correction to the measurement results of neodymium for two samples and a part of other fission products for all samples in total five samples. This report summarizes the all works carried out in this follow-up measurement and obtained results.
Oki, Shigeo; Naganuma, Masayuki; Okubo, Tsutomu; Tanaka, Kenya
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 50(1), p.59 - 71, 2013/01
Times Cited Count：6 Percentile：44.02(Nuclear Science & Technology)Ninomiya, Kazuhiko; Nagatomo, Takashi*; Kubo, Kenya*; Ito, Takashi; Higemoto, Wataru; Kita, Makoto*; Shinohara, Atsushi*; Strasser, P.*; Kawamura, Naritoshi*; Shimomura, Koichiro*; et al.
Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, 85(2), p.228 - 230, 2012/02
Times Cited Count：29 Percentile：61.4(Chemistry, Multidisciplinary)Elemental analysis of bulk materials can be performed by detecting the high-energy X-rays emitted from muonic atoms. Muon irradiation of standard bronze samples was performed to determine the muon capture probabilities for the elemental components from muonic X-ray spectra. Nondestructive elemental analysis of an ancient Chinese coin was also performed.
Okubo, Kiyoshi*; Suyama, Kenya; Uchiyama, Gunzo
Proceedings of International Conference on Toward and Over the Fukushima Daiichi Accident (GLOBAL 2011) (CD-ROM), 6 Pages, 2011/12
The amount of the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) stored at the nuclear reactor sites is increasing continuously in Japan. To correspond to such a situation, it is considered to take into account the decrease in the reactivity of SNF according to the burnup for the criticality safety control of SNF. This idea is called as burnup credit. If the negative reactivity effect of the fission product nuclides accumulated during the burnup is adopted into the burnup credit which considers only uranium and plutonium, the amount of fuel assembly that can be treated in the same facility is increased. This study reveals the reactivity effect of fission products has almost linear correlation with the increase of burnup SNF for both solution and heterogeneous systems. The negative reactivity effect of the selected fission product is equal to the increase of the burnup of approximately 20-25% for the solution system and 30-35% for the heterogeneous system respectively. It also implies that the estimation error of burnup value of 20% could be acceptable if we take the burnup credit adopting only uranium and plutonium isotopes, considering the fission products as the safety margin.
Suyama, Kenya; Murazaki, Minoru*; Okubo, Kiyoshi; Nakahara, Yoshinori*; Uchiyama, Gunzo
Annals of Nuclear Energy, 38(5), p.930 - 941, 2011/05
Times Cited Count：13 Percentile：69.64(Nuclear Science & Technology)The isotopic composition of spent nuclear fuels is vital data for studies on the nuclear fuel cycle and reactor physics. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has been active in obtaining such data for pressurized water reactor (PWR) and boiling water reactor (BWR) fuels, and some data has already been published. These data have been registered with the international Spent Fuel Isotopic Composition Database (SFCOMPO) and widely used as international benchmarks for burnup calculation codes and libraries. In this paper, postirradiation examination (PIE) data from two fuel assemblies irradiated in the Ohi-1 and Ohi-2 PWRs in Japan are shown. The PIE data from Ohi-2 has already been published. However, these data were not suitable for the benchmarking of calculation codes and libraries because several important specifications and data were not included. This paper summarizes the details of PIE data from Ohi-1 and Ohi-2 and shows in detail the data and specifications required for analyses of isotopic composition. For precise burnup analyses, the burnup values of PIE samples were re-evaluated in this study. These PIE data were analyzed using the SWAT2.1 code, and the calculation results showed good agreement with experimental results. This indicates that the quality of PIE data from Ohi-1 and Ohi-2 PWRs is high, and that these PIE data are suitable for the benchmarking of burnup calculation code systems.
