Vol.33,

The muon radiography imaging technique for high-atomic-number objects (Z) and large-volume objects via muon transmission imaging and muon multiple scattering imaging remains a popular topic in the field of radiation detection imaging. However, few imaging studies have been reported on low and medium Z objects at the centimeter scale. This paper presents an imaging system that consists of three layers of a position-sensitive detector and four plastic scintillation detectors. It acquires data by coincidence detection technique of cosmic-ray muon and its secondary particles. A 3D imaging algorithm based on the density of the coinciding muon trajectory was developed, and 4D imaging that takes the atomic number dimension into account by considering the secondary particle ratio information was achieved. The resultant reconstructed 3D images could distinguish between a series of cubes with 5-mm side lengths and 2-mm intervals. If the imaging time is more than 20 days, this method can distinguish intervals with a width of 1 mm. The 4D images can specify target objects with low, medium, and high Z values.

368

Nuclear nonproliferation is of critical importance for global security. Dangerous fissile materials including highly enriched uranium and weapons-grade plutonium are especially important to detect. Active interrogation techniques may result in much better sensitivity but are difficult with conventional portal monitors that rely on detecting thermal neutrons. Also, most conventional portal monitoring systems rely on ³He, which has a finite and continually decreasing supply. By designing a highly-segmented array of organic scintillators, we posit that we can accurately and quickly identify fissile materials, including weapons-grade plutonium and highly enriched uranium, being smuggled. We propose a new design for a fast-neutron detector that overcomes the limitations of the current generation of portal monitors. MCNP6 simulations have been performed in conjunction with the UMPBT statistical model to determine the sensitivity limitations of the proposed detector. Results suggest that the proposed detector may be ∼10 times more efficient than current-generation thermal neutron detectors and may be able to positively identify a ∼81 mg ²³⁵U source in as little as 192 seconds utilizing active interrogation techniques.

493

Controllable D-D neutron sources have a long service life, low cost, and non-radioactivity. There are favorable prospects for its application in geophysical well logging, since traditional chemical radioactive sources used for well logging pose potential threats to the safety of the human body and environment. This paper presents an improved method to measure formation density that employs a D-D neutron source. In addition, the lithological effect on the measured density was removed to better estimate the formation porosity. First, we investigated the spatial distribution of capture gamma rays through Monte Carlo simulations as well as the relationship between the ratio of capture gamma ray counts and formation density to establish theoretical support for the design of density logging tools and their corresponding data processing methods. Second, we obtained the far to near detector counts of captured gamma rays for an optimized tool structure, and then established its correlation with the density and porosity of three typical formations with pure quartz, calcite, and dolomite minerals. Third, we determined the values for correcting the densities of sandstone and dolomite with the same porosity using limestone data as the reference and established the equations for calculating the correction values, which lays a solid foundation for accurately calculating formation porosity. We observed that the capture gamma ray counts first increased then decreased and varied in different formations; this was especially observed in high-porosity formations. Under the same lithologic conditions (rock matrix), as the porosity increases, the peak value of gamma ray counts moves toward the neutron source. At different detector-source distances, the ratio of the capture gamma ray counts was well correlated with the formation density. An equation of the formation density conversion was established based on the ratio of capture gamma ray counts at the detector-source distances of 30 cm and 65 cm, and the calculated values were consistent with the true values. After correction, the formation density was highly consistent with the true value of the limestone density, and the mean absolute error was -0.013 g/cm³. The calculated porosity values were very close to the true values, and the mean relative error was 2.33%, highlighting the accuracy of the proposed method. These findings provide a new method for developing D-D neutron source logging tools and their well-log data processing methods.

695

The Shanghai High Repetition Rate XFEL and Extreme Light Facility (SHINE) project will use 600 1.3 GHz fundamental power couplers, which are modified based on TTF-III power couplers, for continuous wave operation with input power up to approximately 7 kW. The first batch of 20 sets of 1.3 GHz coupler prototypes were fabricated from three domestic manufacturers for the SHINE project. To better characterize the radio frequency conditioning phenomena for validating the performance of power couplers, a room temperature test stand was designed, constructed, and commissioned for the SHINE 1.3 GHz power couplers. In addition, a horizontal test cryostat was built to test the 1.3 GHz superconducting cavities, fundamental power couplers, tuners, and other components as a set. The results of these tests indicate that the 1.3 GHz couplers are capable of handling up to 14 kW continuous waves. Herein, the main aspects of the radio frequency design and construction of the test stand, along with the test results of the high-power conditioning of the 1.3 GHz couplers, are described.

451

Precise measurements of the cavity forward (V_f) and reflected signals (V_r) are essential for characterizing other key parameters such as the cavity detuning and forward power. In practice, it is challenging to measure V_f and V_r precisely because of crosstalk between the forward and reflected channels (e.g., coupling between the cavity reflected and forward signals in a directional coupler with limited directivity). For DESY, a method based on the cavity differential equation was proposed to precisely calibrate the actual V_f and V_r. In this study, we verified the validity and practicability of this approach for the Chinese ADS front-end demo superconducting linac (CAFe) facility at the Institute of Modern Physics and a compact energy recovery linac (cERL) test machine at KEK. At the CAFe facility, we successfully calibrated the actual V_f signal using this method. The result demonstrated that the directivity of directional couplers might seriously affect the accuracy of V_f measurement. At the cERL facility, we calibrated the Lorentz force detuning (LFD) using the actual V_f. Our study confirmed that the precise calibration of V_f significantly improves the accuracy of the cavity LFD measurement.

588

The radiation environment on the surface of Mars is a potential threat for future manned exploration missions to this planet. In this study, a simple geometrical model was built for simulating the radiation environment on the Mars surface caused by galactic cosmic rays (GCRs); the model was built and studied using the Geant4 toolkit. The simulation results were compared with the data reported by a radiation assessment detector (RAD). The simulated spectra of neutrons, photons, protons, α particles, and particle groups Z=3–5, Z=6–8, Z=9–13, and Z=14–24 were in a reasonable agreement with the RAD data. However, for deuterons, tritons, and ³He, the simulations yielded much smaller values than for the corresponding RAD data. In addition, the particles’ spectra within the 90° zenith angle were also obtained. Based on these spectra, we calculated the radiation dose that would have been received by an average human body on Mars. The distribution of the dose throughout the human body was not uniform. The absorbed and equivalent doses for the brain were the highest among all of the organs, reaching 62.0±1.7 mGy/y and 234.1±8.0 mSv/y, respectively. The average absorbed and equivalent doses for the entire body were approximately 44 mGy/y and 153 mSv/y, respectively. Further analysis revealed that most of the radiation dose was owing to α particles, protons, and heavy ions. We then studied the shielding effect of the Mars soil with respect to the radiation. The body dose decreased significantly with increasing soil depth. At the depth of 1.5 m, the effective dose for the entire body was 17.9±2.4 mSv/y, lower than the dose limit for occupational exposure. At the depth of 3 m, the effective dose to the body was 2.7±1.0 mSv/y, still higher than the accepted dose limit.

436

Doped elements in alloys significantly impact their performance. Conventional methods usually sputter the surface material of the sample, or their performance is limited to the surface of alloys owing to their poor penetration ability. The X-ray K-edge subtraction (KES) method exhibits great potential for the nondestructive in situ detection of element contents in alloys. However, the signal of doped elements usually deteriorates because of the strong absorption of the principal component and scattering of crystal grains. This in turn prevents the extensive application of X-ray KES imaging to alloys. In this study, methods were developed to calibrate the linearity between the grayscale of the KES image and element content. The methods were aimed at the sensitive analysis of elements in alloys. Furthermore, experiments with phantoms and alloys demonstrated that, after elaborate calibration, X-ray KES imaging is capable of nondestructive and sensitive analysis of doped elements in alloys.

469

An accelerator-based Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (AB-BNCT) experimental facility called D-BNCT01 has been recently completed and is currently able to generate a high-intensity neutron beam for BNCT related research. In this study, we perform several experiments involving water phantoms to validate the Monte Carlo simulation results and analyze the neutron beam characteristics. According to our measurements, D-BNCT01 may generate a neutron flux about 1.2×10⁸ n/cm²/s at the beam port using a 5 kW proton beam. Our results, also show that the thermal neutron flux depth distribution inside the water phantom is in good agreement with simulations. We conclude that D-BNCT01 may be effectively employed for BNCT research.

449

Nuclear data are the cornerstones of reactor physics and shielding calculations. Recently, China released CENDL-3.2 in 2020, and the United States released ENDF/B-VIII.0 in 2018. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively evaluate the criticality computing performance of these newly released evaluated nuclear libraries. In this study, we used the NJOY2016 code to generate ACE format libraries based on the latest neutron data libraries (including CENDL-3.2, JEFF3.3, ENDF/B-VIII.0, and JENDL4.0). The MCNP code was used to conduct a detailed analysis of fission nuclides, including ²³⁵U, ²³³U, and ²³⁹Pu, in different evaluated nuclear data libraries based on 100 benchmarks. The criticality calculation performance of each library was evaluated using three statistical parameters: δk/σ, χ2, and 〈|Δ|〉. Analysis of the δk/σ parameter showed that CENDL-3.1 and JENDL-4.0 both had >10 benchmarks that exceeded 3σ, whereas CENDL-3.2, ENDFB-VIII.0, and JEFF-3.3 had, 7, 5, and 4 benchmarks, respectively, exceeding 3σ. The ENDF/B-VII.1 library performed best, with only two benchmarks exceeding 3σ. Compared with CENDL-3.1, CENDL-3.2 offers an improvement in criticality calculations. Compared with the JEFF-3.3 and ENDF/B-VIII.0 libraries, CENDL3.2 performs better in the calculation of the ²³³U assemblies, but it performs poorly in the pusl11 series case calculation of the ²³⁹Pu assemblies, and thus further improvement is needed.

569

The advantages of once-through molten salt reactors include readily available fuel, low nuclear proliferation risk, and low technical difficulty. It is potentially the most easily commercialized fuel cycle mode for molten salt reactors. However, there are some problems in the parameter selection of once-through molten salt reactors, and the relevant burnup optimization work requires further analysis. This study examined a once-through graphite moderated molten salt reactor using enriched uranium and thorium. The fuel volume fraction (VF), initial heavy nuclei concentration (HN₀), feeding uranium enrichment (E_FU), volume of the reactor core, and fuel type were changed to obtain the optimal conditions for burnup. We found an optimal region for VF and HN₀ in each scheme, and the location and size of the optimal region changed with the degree of E_FU, core volume, and fuel type. The recommended core schemes provide a reference for the core design of a once-through molten salt reactor.

668

The transport cross-section based on inflow transport approximation can significantly improve the accuracy of light water reactor (LWR) analysis, especially for the treatment of the anisotropic scattering effect. The previous inflow transport approximation is based on the moderator cross-section and normalized fission source, which is approximated using transport theory. Although the accuracy of reactivity is increased, the P₀ flux moment has a large error in the Monte Carlo code. In this study, an improved inflow transport approximation was introduced with homogenization techniques, applying the homogenized cross-section and accurate fission source. The numerical results indicated that the improved inflow transport approximation can increase the P₀ flux moment accuracy and maintain the reactivity calculation precision with the previous inflow transport approximation in typical LWR cases. In addition to this investigation, the improved inflow transport approximation is related to the temperature factors. The improved inflow transport approximation is flexible and accurate in the treatment of the anisotropic scattering effect, which can be directly used in the temperature-dependent nuclear data library.

474

Collinear laser spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying the nuclear spins, electromagnetic moments, and charge radii of exotic nuclei. To study the nuclear properties of unstable nuclei at the Beijing Radioactive Ion-beam Facility (BRIF) and the future High Intensity Heavy-ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF), we developed a collinear laser spectroscopy apparatus integrated with an offline laser ablation ion source and a laser system. The overall performance of this state-of-the-art technique was evaluated and the system was commissioned using a bunched stable ion beam. The high-resolution optical spectra for the 4s ²S_1/2 → 4p ²P_3/2 (D2) ionic transition of ^40,42,44,48Ca isotopes were successfully measured. The extracted isotope shifts relative to ⁴⁰Ca showed excellent agreement with the literature values. This system is now ready for use at radioactive ion beam facilities such as the BRIF and paves the way for the further development of higher-sensitivity collinear resonant ionization spectroscopy techniques.

474

Configurational information entropy (CIE) theory was employed to determine the neutron skin thickness of neutron-rich calcium isotopes. The nuclear density distributions and fragment cross-sections in 350 MeV/u ^40-60Ca + ⁹Be projectile fragmentation reactions were calculated using a modified statistical abrasion-ablation model. CIE quantities were determined from the nuclear density, isotopic, mass, and charge distributions. The linear correlations between the CIE determined using the isotopic, mass, and charge distributions and the neutron skin thickness of the projectile nucleus show that CIE provides new methods to extract the neutron skin thickness of neutron-rich nuclei.

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