2026 Japan Radioisotope Association Encouragement Award
Dr. OKUDAIRA Takuya, Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, and Visiting Researcher at the Fundamental Technology Development Section, Materials and Life Science Division, J-PARC Center, has received the 2026 Japan Radioisotope Association Encouragement Award.
Dr. OKUDAIRA has been conducting spin-polarized neutron experiments using a neutron polarization device, a 3He spin filter, and successfully developed a high-performance 3He spin filter at J-PARC. The device has been put into practical use at various neutron beamlines at J-PARC. In particular, he applied polarized epithermal neutron beams to fundamental research on time-reversal symmetry violation in neutron absorption reactions by atomic nuclei. Experiments at J-PARC MLF BL04 "ANNRI" revealed that the gamma rays emitted after atomic nuclei absorb polarized epithermal neutrons exhibit an angular distribution. In addition, at BL22 "RADEN," he successfully measured the spin dependence of the cross section between polarized nuclei and polarized epithermal neutrons by polarizing a 139La nuclear target using a superconducting magnet and a dilution refrigerator.
By comparing these results with nuclear theory models, he demonstrated that time-reversal symmetry violation can be extremely strongly enhanced in the neutron absorption reaction of 139La.
The award ceremony was held on July 10 at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan).
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