Tsukuba campus (KEK)

Photon Factory: PF / Slow Positron Facility: SPF
Synchrotron Radiation

Slow Positron

Our Own New Science:Materials Structure Science
Photon Factory

The Institute of Materials Structure Science (IMSS) wasfounded in 1997, as one of 17 Inter-University Research Institutes belonging to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology, Japan. The Inter-University ResearchInstitute is leading academic research in national universities
and specialized research organizations, by performing collaborative research among its member groups and international
collaborators. The IMSS is pioneering a new field called materials structure science.

1-1 Oho, Tsukuba-shi,
Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan

Tsukuba

In materials structure science, we can determine atomic-leveland electronic structures of any material, including living
systems, natural and artificial materials, and even materials
from outer space. Knowledge of these material structures
makes it possible to synthesize new materials for technologicaldevelopment.

TokaiTokyo

Tokai campus (J-PARC)

Materials and Life Science
Experimental Facility: MLF
NeutronMuon

In the 20th century, the science of materials was based on
the extraction of components contained within the materials
themselves. However, the characterization of each component
is not sufficient to fully understand the properties of materials,
because they have multi-functionalities, and the interactionsof components govern this phenomenon. A key concept in materials structure science, starting around the turn of the 21stcentury, is the multi-characterization of the multi-functionalityof materials.
The IMSS leads materials structure science by combining scientific skills and knowledge via our unique research environment,
which utilizes multi-quantum beams, such as photons, neutrons,muons, and positrons in the study of materials.

203-1 Shirakata, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun,Ibaraki 319-1106, Japan

High Energy Accelerator Research Organization

J-PARC
Materials and Life Science
Experimental Facility

Satisfying your“curiosity”

The structure ofsurface and interface

Crystral structure

A crystal is a solid material whose atoms or molecules arearranged in a repeating pattern. Then transfer pctrorotarrangement of atoms can beein
elen
determined by the diffraction ofparticles, such as X-rays andneutrons. X-ray crystallography isthe most commonly used diffraction method for protein structure
analysis.
CrystaProteins are large, complicatedmolecules that play an essential
role in life. Determining the three-dimensional (tertiary) structure of proteins canprovide important insights into their
Structure of the cancer-causing
biological functions.
protein CagA derived from
Helicobacter pylori(Professor Toshiya Senda)

Chemical-state
imaging

Synchrotron radiation is highly brilliant
light with a wide range of wavelengths,
including vacuum ultraviolet and X-rays.
Synchrotron radiationinteracts with electrons
nucleusin matter, and is used toinvestigate the configurationof atoms and the behavior ofphotovarious materials.
electronSlow Positron
A positron is the antiparticle of an electron. It ishighly sensitive to material surfaces, due to its
electronic properties, and can be used toinvestigate details of the atomic arrangementof the outermost and near-surface layers.
Turbine

5μｍ
3D imaging of degradationand voids(Professor Masao Kimura)

NeutronSynchrotron Radiation

Neutrons, having no electriccharge, are useful for observing thestructure of light elements, such ashydrogen and lithium. Neutrons canidentify isotopes with high contrast,
and can observe the structure insidematerials due to their high penetrating power.

electron

X-ray microscopes canperform three-dimensional
imaging of chemicalstates as well as
microstructuresand elements.

One recent target isthe structural material
used in airplanes, such as
jet turbine blades.

Reactions by catalysts and those inbatteries occur at the surface andinterface of materials. For example,
the efficiency of batteries can beimproved
byunderstanding
detailed mechanisms of thestructural changes in theelectrodes during charge anddischarge.

Light and particle beams generated by accelerators enable us
to observe materials in atomic scale .
Complementary use of synchrotron radiation, neutrons, muons, andslow positrons is effective for materials structure science.

(Miki Senda
Assistant Professor)

Protein structures are also important for theunderstanding of diseases and the development of therapeutic drugs.

The surface and the interface, where materials meet eachother, are important sites for chemical reactions. Surface
diffraction and reflection can examine the layer-by-layer atomicstructure at the surface, the electronic behavior at the surface andinterface, and the structural changes during the reactions.

Accelerators arehuge microscopes

A4ph,Bls ofa

We identified why East
Asian strains of Helicobacter
pylori have a higher
carcinogenic risk.

Inter-University Research Institute

Muon
Muons created in an accelerator
have polarized spins. Using them as
atomic scale compasses, the local
magnetic field of a material can bemeasured. Negative muons are used
for elemental analyses, because
the muons produce
characteristic X-rays
with energies specificfor the element.

Elemental imaging

Magnetic structure is examinedusing polarized X-rays, spin ofneutrons, and muons. Magnetic moment, momentum, and temporal andspatial fluctuations arewidely studied.
Magnetic domain structureof a neodymium magnet(Professor Kanta Ono)

The time scale of chemical reactions
ranges from a long period of time to a
femtosecond (10-15 seconds). Usinga pulsed light source, reactions
can be captured and displayed
as single frames like the imagesof a high-speed camera.

Ancient Egyptian mosaic glass(Professor Izumi Nakai, Tokyo University of Science)

pfexconsult@pfiqst.kek.jp

Consultation desk for MLF experiments
j_proposal@ml.j-parc.jp
Center for Integrative Quantum Beam Science(CIQuS)

The IMSS is a partner of SOKENDAI (the Graduate
University for Advanced Studies) and co-manages
the Department of Materials Structure Science in
the School of High Energy Accelerator Science. In
addition to accepting students from SOKENDAI,
the IMSS also enrolls graduate students fromuniversities throughout Japan and all over the world.
Students receive the highest level of training, andlearn state-of-the-art scientific techniques preparing
them for a future career in science.
Research Cooperation Division,
Graduate Education Section

kyodo2@mail.kek.jp

Academic-industrial collaboration

In Tempo oval gold coins,
the gold is richer at thesurface than inside.

International collaboration
At the PF, the Indian Beamline has been preferentially used by researchers from India
since 2009. The IMSS has been working on synchrotron research collaboration in theAsia-Oceania region, and has been contributing to the construction of the SESAME
accelerator in the Middle East.
The Japan-UK agreement, since 1986, resulted in the construction of the neutron
chopper spectrometer, MARI, at ISIS in the UK with long-term visiting researchers
thereafter. This formed the foundation of neutron science technology at MLF, J-PARC.
The IMSS sponsors the exchange of researchers with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI)
in Switzerland, and the Tri-University Meson Factory (TRIUMF) in Canada, conducting
advanced experiments using muon beams as well as the collaborative development ofexperimental devices and analytical techniques.

(including Slow Positron experiments)

Graduate education

High-speed reaction

The distribution of trace elements can be examined
non-destructively using a micro/sub-micro beam.

Consultation desk for PF experiments

Structural Biology Research Center(SBRC)

Magnetism and spin

The development of
rare-metal-free magnets
and heat resistant magnets has
led to better performance andmore energy-saving motors inelectric and hybrid vehicles.

The IMSS operates large accelerators and associated facilities, as an Inter-University ResearchInstitute, which are difficult for individual universities
to run. The Photon Factory (PF), the Slow Positron
Facility (SPF) in Tsukuba Campus, and the Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) of
the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex(J-PARC) in Tokai Campus are open to users at universities and public research institutions, including
those outside Japan, at no charge.

Materials evaluation and characterization areindispensable for manufacturing industries.
The PF and the MLF provide materials evaluation
and analytical techniques, which lead to the creationof new products and quality improvement.

Outreach
The IMSS organizes many events and lecturesin science museums and schools, where people
can learn about and enjoy materials science.
In 2016, the IMSS’s poster of “Hydrogen” wasadopted in the “one for every household” posters
project by the Ministry of Education, Culture,Sports, Science and Technology. This poster has
been distributed nationwide to elementary, junior,and high schools, and cooperative science
museums.
Accepting students from Africa at the PF

Interfacility collaboration
IMSS established the Scientific Innovation Center(S.I.Center) in April 2023.
The S.I.Center leads new scientific fields toward"integrated quantum beam science" by cultivating
multiprobe facility staff members and technologies
not only for our advanced research infrastructures
but also for similar quantum beam facilities in universities and domestic and international institutions.
Copyright : Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology