The 6th Neutron and Muon School The 6th Neutron and Muon School

Course Descriptions

* The hands-on training on the instruments at JRR-3 (FONDER and SANS-U) is available ONLY for domestic participants who have already taken radiation worker training at their own organization


BL01: 4SEASONS, MLF

The Study of Lattice Dynamics in a Crystalline Material using Inelastic Neutron Scattering

Inelastic neutron scattering is an experimental method that is used to observe micro-vibration (dynamics) of atoms and spins in a material. By observing the difference in energy between the incident and scattered neutrons, the magnitudes, distances, and directions of the forces acting between the atoms or spins in the material can be determined.

In this course, students will learn how to measure atomic vibrations (phonons) in a single crystal as a function of momentum and energy by inelastic neutron scattering using the chopper spectrometer 4SEASONS. By analyzing the data, students will learn what kinds of forces act between atoms and how they affect the macroscopic properties.

BL02: DNA, MLF

Quasielastic neutron scattering experiment

Quasielastic neutron scattering enables us to observe ion, atomic, and spin dynamics over a wide dynamic range from picoseconds to nanoseconds.

In this course, participants will learn how to prepare and measure samples of Nafion, which is used as a proton exchange membrane, and how to analyze the data.

BL14: AMATERAS, MLF

Study of Spin Dynamics by using Inelastic Neutron Scattering

By using inelastic neutron scattering technique, we can observe motions of atoms and spins (atomic magnets) in a material. Neutron scattering data tell us how these atoms and spins are coupled with each other in the system. We can extract lots of underlining microscopic information, which is indispensable to material science studies, from the data.

In this course, students will learn about how to measure the collective motions of spins in a material on AMATERAS, a cold-neutron disk-chopper-type inelastic neutron scattering instrument. The students can experience basic of study on spin dynamics in a magnetic material and its data analysis.

BL19: TAKUMI, MLF

Materials strength by neutron diffraction

Careful analysis of the Bragg peaks in a neutron diffraction pattern can reveal important structural details of a sample material such as internal stresses, phase conditions, dislocations, texture etc. Such information is often crucial in engineering applications and the ability to carry out either ex-situ or in-situ measurements makes neutron diffraction particularly useful in this respect.

In this course, students will learn how to measure, analyze data, and understand phenomena in in situ neutron diffraction experiments of metallic materials under deformation or residual stress measurement experiments of mechanical parts.

FONDER, JRR-3

Single crystal structure analysis by neutron diffraction experiment

Practical training for single crystal structure analysis by neutron diffractometer FONDER.
- Measurement of nuclear neutron diffraction from NaCl single crustal.
- Measurement of integrated intensities of several nuclear diffraction for structure analysis.
(Demonstration by instrument team members)
- Calculating the structure factor of NaCl
- Comparing the observed structure factor and the calculated structure factor
- Optimizing Debye-Waller factor using excel application

BL17: SHARAKU, MLF

Structure analysis of surface/interface by neutron reflectometry

As different materials meet at surfaces and interfaces, they show characteristic properties and various functions due to their peculiarity, which attract chemists, biologists, and physicists. Neutron reflectometry (NR) is a powerful tool for investigating the surface and interfaces of soft matters, magnetic materials etc. on the nanometer to sub-micrometer length scale with taking advantage of the unique characteristics of neutrons. Neutrons can distinguish an interesting part labeled with deuterium and/or can observe an interface between solid and liquid through a substrate. Polarized neutron reflectometry can observe magnetic moment behavior on the surfaces and interfaces of magnetic materials.

In this course, students will perform an experiment of the NR with polarized neutrons using the SHARAKU reflectometer. The structure of magnetic thin films and polymer membrane on silicon substrates will be analyzed according to the Parratt formalism.

SANS-U, JRR-3

Small-angle neutron scattering experiment

Participants will perform small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements on soft materials using SANS-U spectrometer. They can learn how to measure scattering patterns, convert the 2-D SANS patterns into 1-D scattering profiles, and analyze the scattering profiles to obtain structural information.

BL22: RADEN, MLF

Energy resolved neutron imaging system RADEN

Neutron imaging is a nondestructive investigation method effective for visualizing the internal structure of objects by utilizing the neutron's unique characteristics, such as large transmission power for heavy elements and high sensitivity to light elements like hydrogen. In addition, energy-resolved neutron imaging techniques enable us to visualize the distribution of crystallographic, elemental, and magnetic information.

In this course, students will be introduced to the following contents;
- Principles of pulsed neutron imaging for both conventional and energy-resolved techniques.
- Fundamentals of neutron imaging experiments: the experimental setup, detector system and related devices.
- Processing and visualization of neutron imaging data: evaluation of spatial resolution using test patterns, CT measurement, and energy-dependent imaging.

S1: ARTEMIS, MLF

Positive muon spin relaxation (μSR)

Positive muon in a material stops at an interstitial site, observes magnetic fields of the environment and exhibits Larmor spin precession. By measuring the decay positrons emitted from muons, time dependent behavior of the muon spin in a material is known. This is the spectroscopy called (positive) muon spin relaxation (μSR). This technique yields the information of the magnetic property of a material, including magnetism and superconductivity and the hydrogen state in a material with the muon being a light hydrogen isotope.

Positive muon in a material stops at an interstitial site, observes magnetic fields of the environment and exhibits Larmor spin precession. By measuring the decay positrons emitted from muons, time dependent behavior of the muon spin in a material is known. This is the spectroscopy called (positive) muon spin relaxation (μSR). This technique yields the information of the magnetic property of a material, including magnetism and superconductivity and the hydrogen state in a material with the muon being a light hydrogen isotope.

In contrast to neutron, muon is a local magnetic probe in real space with a unique time scale, being a powerful probe of spin relaxation phenomena.

In this course, students will perform μSR measurement at the S1-ARTEMIS spectrometer and will receive instruction of data analysis. Introductory lectures on μSR and other muon measurements will also be given as a part of the school.

U1A: Muon U1, MLF

Ultra-Slow Muon Spin Spectroscopy

At J-PARC MLF, MUSE provides the world-highest flux of pulsed muon beams. U-Line, one of the four beamlines in the facility, features an intense surface muon beam from Super-Omega and Ultra-Slow Muon (USM) by laser ionization of thermal muonium. The beamline has two branches: U1A for μSR studies using USM and U1B for transmission muon microscope.

USMs can be selectively implanted on surfaces and interfaces in materials, enabling depth-resolving muSR. Furthermore, the time width of the beam is much narrower than that of the pulsed proton beam, so the frequency range of observable dynamics is wide.

The generation of USM brings together advanced technologies in various fields, and is an interdisciplinary study that combines laser physics, atomic physics, ion transport optics, and surface science. In this course, participants will learn the mechanism of USM generation and the transport scheme, and experience USM-muSR through spectrometer data analysis.