J-PARC News April 2025 (Issue #240)
■Recent Awards
(1) Young Presentation Award 2024 at the Japan Beam Physics Club (March 14th)
Mr. NAGAYAMA Shota (Special Research Student) from the Accelerator Section Ⅲ received the Young Presentation Award at the Young Research Association of the Japan Beam Physics Club 2024 for his presentation on “Development of a Non-Destructive Electrostatic Septum for Slow Extraction in a High-Intensity Proton Accelerator.”
This presentation reports on the progress made since the presentation at the Physical Society of Japan last October, which won the Student Excellent Presentation Award. In this presentation, he reported the development of a new applied voltage optimization method to achieve the target electric field distribution and confirmed the reduction of beam loss by simulation.
The research and development of non-destructive electrostatic septa leading to improved maintainability and higher beam intensity has been highly appreciated by various organizations.
(2) The Outstanding Support for Research Award in the Field of Science and Technology of FY2025, Given by the Minister of MEXT (April 15th)
Dr. MATOBA Shiro, Mr. MAKIMURA Shunsuke (currently in the Hadron Section) and Mr. SUNAGAWA Hikaru from the Muon Science Section were awarded the 2025 Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award for Research Support. This award recognizes their significant achievements in promoting research and development through advanced and specialized technical contributions, specifically for their work on the “Safe and Stable Operation of the World's Highest Intensity Pulsed Muon Source.” The award ceremony was held on April 15th.
Their efforts in safely and stably supplying the world's highest intensity 1MW pulsed muon to experimental facilities at J-PARC have been highly praised, contributing to numerous cutting-edge research projects.
The latest issue of the J-PARC quarterly magazine also features a special article on muon production. Please take a look!
The 20th issue of the Quarterly is available here (written in Japanese)
https://j-parc.jp/c/public-relations/publication.html
■Turning “Villain” Hydrogen into Ally: Neutrons Reveal Mechanisms for Enhancing Metal Strength and Ductility
- Developing Hydrogen-Resistant Metal Materials for a Safer Hydrogen Society - (April 1st )
It is generally known that when hydrogen enters the metal lattices, it typically reduces the material’s strength and ductility (elongation). However, recent reports have shown that in certain stainless steels, hydrogen enhances both strength and ductility, prompting a need for scientific validation.
At the Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) of J-PARC, the engineering materials diffractometer “TAKUMI” enables neutron diffraction while varying the material's environment. Through TAKUMI's specialty of “in situ observation,” the mechanism by which hydrogen enters the crystal lattice of metals, causing slight expansion and distortion, thereby improving the strength and ductility of stainless steel, has been elucidated.
This achievement is expected to accelerate the development of hydrogen-resistant metalic materials and significantly contribute to the safety of a hydrogen society.
■J-PARC Signs Data Science Collaboration with Hitotsubashi University (April 10th)
In the presence of JAEA Executive Director MOMMA and KEK Executive Director MICHIZONO, Hitotsubashi University President NAKANO and J-PARC Director KOBAYASHI signed the “Collaboration Agreement for the Promotion of Research and Education in Data Science Utilizing Data Associated with the J-PARC Center.” This initiative is highlighted as part of the efforts to utilize data from the J-PARC Center and is expected to further advance the center's contributions to industry and academia.
■Hello Science “Let's look at the invisible vacuum’” (March 19th)
Ms. MOROHASHI Yuko of the Accelerator Division introduced the research and development of vacuum technology being conducted at J-PARC and its applications, including experiments using vacuum equipment.
First, participants experienced interesting changes such as balloons expanding greatly and water at around 80°C beginning to boil when placed in a vacuum from atmospheric pressure. Next, she introduced the actual “vacuum transfer case” developed at J-PARC, which can transport samples while keeping a vacuum state. This container functions as a vacuum pump on the inside and can maintain an “ultra-high vacuum state” for about one month without using an external vacuum pump. This enables the transport of oxidation-prone nanomaterials and semiconductor materials in a clean state without exposure to the atmosphere. The container weighs approximately 6 kilograms and can be carried onboard an aircraft.
The new vacuum transport container technology developed at J-PARC, which is space-saving, energy-efficient, and high-performance, is expected to support various industries and significantly contribute to a carbon-neutral and sustainable society.
■The 14th Koshien of Science National Competition (March 21st-24th, Tsukuba)
The Koshien of Science National Competition, in which high school students from representative schools in each prefecture in Japan compete in the proficiency of science, took place from March 21st to 24th at the Tsukuba International Congress Center and Tsukuba Capio. With the aim of introducing science and technology in Ibaraki Prefecture where J-PARC is located to visitors, the prefectural office invited organizations to set up booths at the event. On March 23rd, during the conference, 17 organizations, including J-PARC, participated in the exhibition.
After two days of competitions, high school students had the opportunity to visit booths of interest during a short time slot from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Our center showcased a 3D mockup of ion sources, an RFQ vane mockup, a tabletop high-pressure device, and a J-PARC site model. These exhibits were presented by Dr. SHINTO Katsuhiro, Dr. YAMADA Ippei, Dr. SATO Kenichiro, and Dr. SANO Asami. Approximately 400 high school students participated in the tournament, and about half of them visited our booth.
■ J-PARC Sanpo-michi 57
The World of Ultra-High Vacuum and Ultra-High Pressure 
Above and inside the Earth we live on, there exists a world of ultra-high vacuum and ultra-high pressure. As we move away from the Earth's surface, the air becomes increasingly rarefied, and it approaches a vacuum in outer space. At altitudes above 30,000 km where the meteorological satellites orbit, the pressure is one ten-trillionth of an atmospheric pressure. In the J-PARC accelerators, which accelerate a large number of protons to near the speed of light, several types of vacuum pumps are used to maintain ultra-high vacuum in the beam line equivalent to the orbit of the meteorological satellites, minimizing the probability of protons colliding with gas molecules.
On the other hand, as we go deeper into the Earth, the pressure increases, reaching 3.6 million atmospheres near the center. To simulate the conditions of the Earth's deep interior, the high-pressure neutron diffractometer “PLANET” at J-PARC uses the six-axis multi-anvil press called “ATSUHIME” to achieve ultra-high pressures of up to 200,000 atmospheres.
At J-PARC, a wide range of pressure environments spanning 18 orders of magnitude, from 10^-13 atmospheres where the meteorological satellites fly to 10^5 atmospheres in the Earth's deep interior, serves as the stage for the development of equipment and various experiments.
