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J-PARC Project Newsletter
_______ No.29 , July 2007_______
Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex under construction jointly by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) http://j-parc.jp/index-e.html
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HEADLINES AND CONTENTS
1. <<Overview>>
THE THIRD REVIEW ON J-PARC BY THE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE FINISHED.
USERS CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE AND J-PARC COUNCIL MEETINGS.
BUDGET REQUEST FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
COMPLETION OF TWO EXPERIMENTAL HALLS
2. <<Accelerator Group>>
THE BEAM COMMISSIONING OF THE RCS IS COMING SOON.
THE LINAC IS READY TO INJECT, WHILE THE RCS IS TRYING TO SOLVE THE ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY ISSUE WITH ALL THE ACTIVE ELEMENTS.
3. <<Control Group>>
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT IS BEING FOCUSED.
THE INTEGRATED TIMING SYSTEM WITH THE LINAC AND THE RCS HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
4. <<Nuclear and Particle Physics Group>>
CONSTRUCTION OF REMAINING NEUTRINO FACILITY HAS BEEN STARTED TEST OF TWO NEUTRINO HORNS HAS STARTED HADRON EXPERIMENTAL HALL IS COMPLETED
5. << Exotic Nuclear Science Group >>
DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF THE ASTROPHYSICAL 8Li(d, t)7Li REACTION REVEALED UNEXPECTEDLY LARGE REACTION CROSS SECTIONS.
A NEW GAS COUNTER FOR REACTION STUDIES WITH INTENSE RADIOACTIVE NUCLEAR BEAMS (RNBs) HAS BEEN DEVELOPED.
6. <<Materials & Life Science Division (Neutron Facility) >>
ON APRIL 20, 2007, THE MATERIALS & LIFE SCIENCE EXPERIMENTAL FACILITY ( MLF ) BUILDING WAS COMPLETED IN ITS CONSTRUCTION.
7. <<Muon Science Group>>
INSTALLATION OF THE M2 LINE PILLOWSEAL ASSEMBLIES, AND FUTA IRON SHIELD PLATES WERE COMPLETED
8. <<Nuclear Transmutation Group>>
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION WITH EUROPEAN PROJECT “EUROTRANS”
HAS BEEN LAUNCHED
9. <<Radiation Safety Group>>
THE LICENSE FOR THE 3GeV SYNCHROTRON WAS ISSUED BY MEXT
10. <<Announcement of Symposia and Meetings>>
11. <<Editorial Note>>
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1. <<Overview>> By Shoji NAGAMIYA
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THE THIRD REVIEW ON J-PARC BY THE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE FINISHED.
A long review on the J-PARC by the Government Committee is over. It started in early December and ended in the middle of June.
The final report was published recently.
The Committee held nine meetings plus a site tour. The following are the major conclusions and recommendations:
1) The project is moving well, including the recent success of beam acceleration in the Linac.
2) Linac energy recovery to 400 MeV must be started from the next fiscal year.
3) Priority setting is required for the Phase 2 program. Concerning the Phase 2 program on nuclear transmutation, reviews by the Atomic Energy Commission will be needed.
4) An important milestone has been achieved for the operation of the J-PARC by creating the J-PARC Center. After a few years of the operation of the J-PARC, however, another review is needed to investigate if a further improvement of the system is needed to operate the J-PARC.
5) It is appropriate to set the beam-time charge free for those scientific programs that are open to public. For a profit-oriented work an appropriate beam-time fee has to be charged.
6) For any proposals to use the beams, the proposed mechanism to collect and evaluate all proposals at the J-PARC Center is appropriate.
7) The usage of the J-PARC by industries must be encouraged.
Mechanisms of how to encourage this usage, such as an invention of a trial use of the J-PARC, must be developed at the J-PARC Center.
Employment of the coordinators to support industrial usage must be considered.
8) The Committee understood the reason why a high operational cost is needed to operate J-PARC. Further efforts in the cost reduction are, however, still needed.
9) It is important to open the J-PARC facility to international users.
For the usage of the J-PARC by non-Japanese users, the establishment of a user support system at the international level is needed urgently. Also, reasonable living conditions for non-Japanese users must be arranged soon by consulting local village and local government.
10) The Committee desires that the J-PARC become the world center in neutron science and particle and nuclear physics. Naturally, the international branch of public relations must be established.
The J-PARC Center received seriously all recommendations and comments described above. We will soon create action items and propose them to appropriate committees and agencies.
USERS CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE AND J-PARC COUNCIL MEETINGS.
Immediately after the above recommendations were published, the Users Consultative Committee meeting was held on June 18 and, subsequently, the J-PARC Council Meeting on June 27. At the Users Council meeting the J-PARC Center asked this Committee to start to consider the Phase 2 project, in particular, setting priorities among the Phase 2 programs. Also, we plan to ask this Committee to review the status of our preparation work for the commissioning of the J-PARC to user communities.
BUDGET REQUEST FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
Fiscal year of 2008 is an important year for us. The construction of J-PARC Phase 1 will be completed during this fiscal year.
Significant operational money is also needed for this fiscal year. In addition, the energy recovery for the Linac must be initiated from JFY2008. Budget request from the J-PARC was first reviewed by both KEK and JAEA and, then, it was discussed at the J-PARC Council. Finally, the proposal was explained at the Ministry of Education, etc. and Technology (MEXT), which is our funding agency. The budget request will be reviewed within the MEXT soon before the submission to the Ministry of Finance.
COMPLETION OF TWO EXPERIMENTAL HALLS
Two experimental halls were recently completed, the Materials and Life Science Experimental Hall and the Hadron Experimental Hall. The only remaining construction, which is underway, is the Neutrino Beam Line.
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2. <<Accelerator Group>> by Yoshishige YAMAZAKI
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THE BEAM COMMISSIONING OF THE RCS IS COMING SOON.
THE LINAC IS READY TO INJECT, WHILE THE RCS IS TRYING TO SOLVE THE ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY ISSUE WITH ALL THE ACTIVE ELEMENTS.
It is our plan to start the beam commissioning of the 3-GeV Rapid-Cycling Synchrotron ( RCS ) on September 19th. On June 29th, the final beam test of the linac was finished to be ready for injecting the beam to the RCS. The linac can inject many kinds of the beams to study the beam characteristics of the RCS. In the RCS, all the magnets, all the RF components, all the injection components have been installed except for some septum magnets and steering magnet power supplies.
All the bending magnets, all the quadrupole magnets, the kickers and the bumps have been powered to the 181-MeV injection and the 3-GeV acceleration at a repetition rate of 25 Hz. The main issue which is being solved is that of electromagnetic compatibility through the grounding.
In particular, the noise from the pulsing magnets on the beam position monitor signals should be reduced far down below the signal level, which is very low at the beginning stage of the beam commissioning.
The vacuum evacuation is ongoing section to section. The magnetic field mapping of the septum magnets is at the final stage. Afterwards they will be installed in the tunnel. The manufacturing of the power supplies for the steering magnets will be a little late. Our staff is at the factory where the power supplies are under fabrication. The system test of the RCS will start in August with everything there.
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3. <<Control Group>> by Noboru YAMAMOTO
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SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT IS BEING FOCUSED.
THE INTEGRATED TIMING SYSTEM WITH THE LINAC AND THE RCS HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
For the LINAC beam operations, many pieces of software based on XAL/JCE were improved and newly developed, where XAL and JCE are a Java class hierarchy representing an accelerator developed at SNS and the J-PARC Commissioning Environment, respectively. The JCE, which is developed by J-PARC, is the software development environment built on top of XAL. A program to scan the RF phase of a cavity is one of them.
It automatically scans the RF phase of a designated klystron and measures the beam energy by means of the time-of-flight method with two FCTs ( fast current transformers ) nearby downstream of the corresponding cavity. Then the software analyzes scanned data to find optimized operating points. It is an important step toward automation of the accelerator operation.
A timing system in the J-PARC realizes synchronization for the equipment of three accelerators and four experimental facilities. As for the LINAC part, the timing system has been working since the start of LINAC commissioning in last November without major problems.
Recently, the RCS ( 3GeV Rapid Cycling Synchrotron ) timing system has been connected with the LINAC timing system toward the start of beam commissioning of the RCS in this autumn. The integrated system was confirmed to work well as expected.
Software development for J-PARC MR ( 50GeV Main Ring ) is well in progress including the device support programs for a function generator, a real-time spectrum analyzer, an arbitrary wave form generator, and others. These devices are equipped with GP-IB interface or VXI-11 ( you may think of it as the Ethernet version of GP-IB ). The GDL ( GP-IB device Description Language ) tool from the KEKB project makes it possible to develop device support software for these types of devices quickly.
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4. <<Nuclear and Particle Physics Group>> by T.Tsukamoto and J.Imazato
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CONSTRUCTION OF REMAINING NEUTRINO FACILITY HAS BEEN STARTED
The Target Station (TS) construction is going on for installation of the Helium vessel in August. Construction of the remaining neutrino facility has been just started. Subsurface investigation for the down stream half of the Decay Volume (DV) and the Neutrino Monitor (NM) facility was carried out in the middle of June, and then preparation for civil engineering is going on.
TEST OF TWO NEUTRINO HORNS HAS STARTED
The 3rd neutrino horn was delivered in March and a re-arrangement of the test setup was done for the test with the 1st and 3rd horns connected in series, which is the same configuration as in the TS. The test has been started in June by 320kA pulse peak current which is same as for the 1st horn test. It will continue in this summer and then the test with the real support frame and remote services will be done.
HADRON EXPERIMENTAL HALL IS COMPLETED
The Hadron Hall for the slow extraction beam experiments was completed on June 29 and handed over to the particle and nuclear physics division from the KEK construction department. The 60 m wide and 56 m long hall is now connected to the switchyard which had already been equipped with beamline magnets and is ready for the installation of the primary A line. The target station T1, the downstream collimator, and the beam dump are the developed high-power components and also wait for installation. The primary line is shielded by 10-m high 6~8-m thick concrete walls embedded partially with iron blocks. The secondary lines of K1.8, K1.1 and KL will be installed using the three slots cut beforehand in the walls. The first proton beam delivery is planned in December '08 to the first experiment at the Day-1 secondary beamline of K1.8BR.
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5. << Exotic Nuclear Science Group >> by Hiroari MIYATAKE
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DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF THE ASTROPHYSICAL 8Li(d, t)7Li REACTION REVEALED UNEXPECTEDLY LARGE REACTION CROSS SECTIONS.
The nuclear reactions involving 8Li are thought to play important roles for nucleosynthesis at an early stage of r-process and the early universe. The excitation function of the 8Li(d, t) reaction has been measured using a 8Li beam from TRIAC and the analysis has been completed, so far. Unexpectedly large cross sections observed around Ecm = 0.8 MeV result in roughly a ten times larger reaction rate than the previous one. The abundance of elements heavier than lithium are now studied based on this result with various models of the early universe.
A NEW GAS COUNTER FOR REACTION STUDIES WITH INTENSE RADIOACTIVE NUCLEAR BEAMS (RNBs) HAS BEEN DEVELOPED.
A three dimensional position sensitive gas counter, GEM-MSTPC ( gas electron multiplier - multiple sampling and tracking proportional chamber), has been developed under the collaboration of the Osaka Electro-Communication University. A heavy-ion reaction with RNB and counter gas can be detected with almost 100% efficiency, when the RNB injects directly into this counter. The acceptable injection rate will be increased up to 106 pps being 100 times higher than the one at the previous MSTPC, since the segmented proportional wires in the old MSTPC are replaced by GEM foils. An off-line test is in progress at KEK.
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6. << Materials & Life Science Division (Neutron Facility) >>
by
Yujiro
IKEDA
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ON APRIL 20, 2007, THE MATERIALS & LIFE SCIENCE EXPERIMENTAL FACILITY ( MLF ) BUILDING WAS COMPLETED IN ITS CONSTRUCTION.
In the proton beam transfer line from the 3-GeV synchrotron to the materials and life science facility (MLF), accurate alignments for all the magnets have been progressed by 50% to finalize their installation positions. Shield blocks are being installed at the ceiling parts of the proton-beam line tunnel in the MLF building, which is the final installation work for the neutron source facility construction. Mercury, volume of 1.5 m^3, was fed in the target system and off-beam commissioning tests concerning mercury target treatments and a handling of the moderator system are in progress. A series of off-beam commissioning tests will be completed by the end of FY 2007.
We successfully made contracts with companies to construct Multi-disk Chopper Instrument, AMATERAS, synonym of Japanese god of sun, and Engineering Diffractometer( stress analysis diffractometer ), TAKUMI, synonym of craftsman. In order to reduce their construction costs, we broke the specification into more than 20 key components, such as shielding, guides, vacuum tank, detectors, data acquisition electronics, framework software, data analysis software, sample environment equipments etc. and made them into individual bits. Since the beginning of JFY2007 in April very active real construction works have been started with companies. Extended building constructions for TAKUMI and Super High Resolution Powder Diffractometer, which has a 100m flight-path, have been started and are scheduled to be finished at the end of this year. Construction for the Ibaraki Prefecture instruments, Versatile Powder Diffractometer and Bio-molecule Diffractometer are almost on schedule to be ready by the end of this fiscal year, except for scintillation detector system for Bio-molecule Diffractometer. We are developing a wave-shifting fiber 2D-scintillation detector system for it. Quite recently NEDO ( New Energy Development Organization of the Ministry of Economy and Industry ) has decided to provide construction costs for the Versatile Total Scattering Diffractometer to study hydrogen storage materials and fuel cells materials, and also the University of Tokyo has been awarded a MEXT grant to construct high pressure equipment for neutron scattering in J-PARC. Those will be constructed in two to three years.
A power capacitor bank for pulsed high field magnets has been transferred and installed in the MLF experimental hall by Tohoku University. They are aiming at producing more than 60T pulsed field for neutron scattering. A Ni/Ti supermirror with a critical angle of m = 6 and with a large area of 40cm x 10cm has been successfully deposited using large-scale ion-beam instruments on a glass substrate for neutron focusing devices.
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7. << Muon Science Group>> by Yasuhiro Miyake
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INSTALLATION OF THE M2 LINE PILLOWSEAL ASSEMBLIES, AND FUTA IRON SHIELD PLATES WERE COMPLETED
We have been developing a KEK Muon model pillow seal for the vacuum connection of the proton beam lines in the M2 line.
This allows us remote handling installation of beam-line components from the maintenance area at 4m above the floor level . The pillow is actuated by compressed air, achieving good vacuum by additional differential pumping between the contact gap and enabling smooth and precise remote installation by using pantograph mechanism with guide rails and positioning pins. We have just completed installation of 21 pillow seal assemblies ( 20 with 250 mm diameter, and one with 360 mm ) of a set of gate valve assembly and two sets of profile monitor chambers. At the moment, we have achieved a vacuum of
3*10^-4 Pa without any significant leaks in the M2 line. Also we have just completed installation of iron-plate shields, so called "FUTA", all over the M2 line at 2.5m above the beamline ( at 4m above the floor line).
The FUTA plates consist of 50 iron plates with a thickness of 190 mm (eg. 450mm x 420 mm), about 100 plates with a thickness of 100mm ( eg. 3000mm x 230 mm), and 13 plates with a thickness of 210 mm( eg. 1000 mm x 1770 mm). Those plates were placed not only for the purpose of shielding radiation toward the ceiling, but also for the purpose of fixing the magnets and guide shields in place.
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8.<<Nuclear Transmutation Group >> By Hiroyuki Oigawa
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INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION WITH EUROPEAN PROJECT “EUROTRANS”
HAS BEEN LAUNCHED
International Collaboration with European Project for the R&D of the Accelerator-Driven System ( ADS ), called “ EUROTRANS ”, started recently by joining into the Consortium Agreement of EUROTRANS. The collaboration covers a wide range of areas such as the design study of ADS, the simulation experiment of ADS, the nuclear fuel for transmutation of long-lived radioactive wastes, the materials and technologies for lead-bismuth eutectic ( LBE ) as a spallation target and subcritical reactor coolant, and the nuclear data for transmutation. This collaboration is expected to be a basis to establish an international roadmap for the ADS including the Transmutation Experimental Facility in Phase-II of J-PARC.
As for the development of the LBE spallation target, the post-irradiation test for specimens irradiated in SINQ Target-4 is underway. Microstructure was observed for austenitic steel specimens irradiated up to 20 DPA. Tiny He bubbles, whose size was a couple of nanometers, were observed. Bubbles density investigation will give us a value of void swelling, which is one of the design parameters for the beam window of the spallation target.
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9. <<Radiation Safety Group>> by Taichi MIURA and Hiroshi NAKASHIMA
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THE LICENSE FOR THE 3GeV SYNCHROTRON WAS ISSUED BY MEXT
The license for the 3GeV synchrotron ( RCS ) was issued on June 28, 2007, by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ( MEXT ). Together with this license, other
applications: the acceleration power increase in the LINAC and its injection into the 3GeV RCS, the radiation controlled areas for radioactive materials in the muon, hadron, and neutrino beam line facilities, were also granted. Before accelerating beam in the 3GeV RCS, an inspection by the Nuclear Safety Technology Center ( NUSTEC ) is compulsory: in the first inspection, items written in the application ( shielding, radiation markings, fence, control system, etc ) will be examined. Then the 3GeV RCS can be operated to achieve about several tens percent of the beam power proposed in the application to take the second inspection during the operation. Through these processes the 3GeV RCS will receive the license for the formal operation. The applications for the operation of the 50 GeV synchrotron ( MR ) and the Materials and Life Science Facility ( MLF ) have been prepared to submit to MEXT in August. Several hearings were held at the Ibaraki Prefecture Government and MEXT in the last two months. On July 30, the Safety Deliberative Committee on Radiation Safety of J-PARC is scheduled to meet to discuss the radiation safety scheme.
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10. Announcement of Symposia and Meetings
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Conference/Workshop schedule related to accelerator controls
1) WAO07: 6th International Workshop on Accelerator Operations, Sep, 24-28, 2007, Trieste, Italy http://www.elettra.trieste.it/wao07/
2) ICALEPCS2007:
Oct, 15-19, 2007, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA http://neutrons.ornl.gov/conf/icalepcs07/
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11. <<Editorial Note>>
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Editorial Board:
Masatoshi ARAI (chair): masatoshi.arai@j-parc.jp Yujiro IKEDA: yujiro.ikeda@jaea.go.jp Nobuo OUCHI: nobuo.ouchi@jaea.go.jp Shinya SAWADA: shinya.sawada@kek.jp Toshifumi TSUKAMOTO toshifumi.tsukamoto@kek.jp English Editor: Dick Mischke mischke@triumf.ca
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