| On 27 Feb 2012, J-PARC hosted a ceremony and party to celebrate the resumption of user operations at all three experimental facilities following the completion of recovery work to repair the damage caused by the earthquake of 11 March 2011. Held at the Ibaraki Quantum Beam Research Center in the Tokai research precinct, the function was attended by senior representatives from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology (MEXT), the Governor of Ibaraki prefecture, local dignitaries and J-PARC Management and staff. It was also our great pleasure to host members of the J-PARC International Advisory Committee (IAC) on this occasion. |
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| ●International Symposium on the Future of Accelerator Driven Nuclear Transmutation Systems - 29 Feb 2012 |
| At a time when Japan is considering the future of its nuclear power industry, accelerator-driven transmutation technology is again topical. Regardless of the outcome of current deliberations, it is timely to re-visit the subject of ADS and examine the potential important role that this technology may play in the management of high-level nuclear waste.
At an international symposium co-hosted by JAEA and J-PARC, over 100 scientists and engineers from Japan, France, Belgium, China, Korea and India gathered in Tokyo on 29 Feb 2012 to discuss the current status and future of the ADS.
The symposium program started with a special lecture delivered by Prof. Akito Arima, a former minister of the Minister of Education, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. Eight presentations and a panel discussion session followed.
Acknowledging the individual circumstances of each country, the need for greater international cooperation in the future was recognized.
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| ●Special Report - A New Neutron Beamline at the MLF |
| < BL15: TAIKAN - A Small and Wide Angle Neutron Scattering Instrument >
The accelerators and target station at the J-PARC MLF can produce a pulsed neutron beam with a peak intensity more than 100 times greater than the neutron beams produced by existing sources such as research reactors. TAIKAN (BL15) aims to exploit this high intensity (high neutron flux) to study the structure and functional mechanism of samples including metallic and magnetic materials as well as proteins, biomolecules and other so-called 'soft matter'. TAIKAN has 5 detector banks with which to measure the intensity and angle of neutrons scattered by the atoms and molecules in the sample over a wide range. With the option of using polarized or focused neutrons TAIKAN facilitates precise measurements that provide structural information about the sample over a wide length scale ranging from 10s of nanometers (10-9 m) to 10s of microns (10-6 m). The versatility and efficiency of TAIKAN will be further enhanced by plans to introduce an automatic sample changing system and environment control apparatus that will allow conditions such as temperature and magnetic field to be freely varied through the course of an experiment. TAIKAN - one of the 5 Public Beamlines supported by CROSS-Tokai - commenced user operations in March 2012.
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| ●MLF |
| PLANET Approaches Completion! PLANET (BL11) uses neutron diffraction to study samples under high-pressure with particular application to the Geosciences. With the installation of the ATSUHIME high-pressure device, the beamline is now very close to completion and will continue commissioning operations in the coming months.
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| ●Hadron |
| North Experimental Area: The solid-state scintillation detector from KEK in Tsukuba has been installed in the K1.8BR area of the Hadron Experimental Hall. Initial testing has been performed using cosmic rays and assembly of the detector bank has been completed. Testing of the 3He cooling system is ongoing.
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| South Experimental Area: The large vacuum vessel for the KOTO experiment has been transferred from KEK to the Hadron Experimental Hall. Testing and assembling instruments for KOTO are ongoing. In the K1.1BR beamline area, realignment of the electromagnets has been completed and replacing the shielding blocks is ongoing.
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| ●Meetings at J-PARC |
< 11th A-TAC Meeting Held - 23-25 Feb 2012 >
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| The eight local and international members of the J-PARC Accelerator Technical Advisory Committee met in February to hear 19 reports and updates on progress made in recovering from the earthquake of the March the previous year and the current status. The Committee made recommendations on the future direction of accelerator development at J-PARC.
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< International Advisory Committee Meets - 26 & 27 Feb 2012 >
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| The 2012 meeting of the J-PARC International Advisory Committee (IAC2012) was convened on the 26th and 27th of February 2012. Chaired from this year by Dr. Jean-Michel Poutissou, the Deputy Director of TRIUMF (Canada), the committee was updated on earthquake recovery work, the current status of the various experimental facilities and the resumption of user operations. The IAC also received and considered the respective reports from the Neutron, Muon and Accelerator Advisory Committees (NAC, MuSAC, A-TAC). IAC made recommendations on the future direction of J-PARC.
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