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Harbin Engineering University Establishes Research Institute for Spent Fuel Reprocessing and Advanced Materials

On August 31, the inauguration ceremony of the Research Institute for Spent Fuel Reprocessing and Advanced Materials at Harbin Engineering University was held at the university's Qihang Activity Center. More than 150 participants attended the meeting, including academicians and experts in the field of nuclear science and technology, representatives from industry and enterprises, peer institutions, and alumni. The newly established institute will address the needs of nuclear energy safety assurance and sustainable development by integrating the university's advantageous disciplinary resources in nuclear science, materials, and chemical engineering, focusing on breakthroughs in spent fuel reprocessing processes, advanced materials development, and related key core technologies, while promoting the coordinated development of basic research, technological breakthroughs, and commercialization of research outcomes. At the meeting, several attending experts noted that spent fuel reprocessing is a critical part of the nuclear f...

2026-09-01

U.S. Heavy-Ion Collision Research Suggests Protons and Neutrons May Not Be Just "Three Quarks"

The STAR Collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory recently proposed, based on heavy-ion collision data studies, that baryons such as protons and neutrons may not be simply composed of three valence quarks, and that their baryon number may be more closely related to "baryon junctions" in the gluon field. The findings were published in the journal *Science*. In the traditional valence quark model, each quark is assigned a baryon number of 1/3, so baryons such as protons and neutrons, composed of three quarks, carry a baryon number of +1. However, this model is not a fundamental requirement of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). As early as the 1970s, alternative explanations had been proposed in the theoretical community; in 1996, Dmitri Kharzeev proposed a model suggesting that the baryon number is not necessarily carried by the quarks themselves, but may instead be concentrated at the Y-shaped junction formed by the gluon field—the "baryon junction."

2026-08-31

Japanese Team Achieves Femtosecond Soft X-ray Hyperspectral Microscopy, Simultaneously Acquiring Spatial and Energy Information with Single Pulse

On August 21, the Japan Science and Technology Agency, RIKEN, and the University of Tokyo announced that a research team comprising Assistant Professor Yoko Takeo and Associate Professor Takashi Kimura from the Institute for Solid State Physics at the University of Tokyo, Assistant Professor Satoru Egawa from the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, and Team Leader Makina Yabashi from the RIKEN SPring-8 Center, among others, successfully developed and implemented a femtosecond soft X-ray hyperspectral microscope. The findings were published on August 20 in the U.S. scientific journal *Optica*. This technology utilizes a single soft X-ray pulse from an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) to simultaneously acquire soft X-ray spectra transmitted through different positions of a sample, enabling...

2026-08-31

First experiments at Russia's SKIF microfocus station to target "invisible" gold deposits and extraterrestrial particle research

On August 19, 2026, the microfocus station, one of the first-stage experimental stations of the Russian SKIF Collective Use Center, announced its initial experimental directions. The station will utilize synchrotron radiation-based analytical techniques to study the elemental composition and structural characteristics of objects, serving fields such as geology, geophysics, microelectronics, and materials science. At the SKIF opening ceremony, Russian President Vladimir Putin inspected the microfocus station. According to the presentation, the station's first experiments will focus on the exploration and extraction of hard-to-recover gold, platinum, rare earth elements, and oil reserves. Ore sample research is a critical step in the development of new mineral deposits. By determining the elemental composition of rocks, researchers can...

2026-08-31

Japan's J-PARC Uses Negative Muon Non-Destructive Analysis to Reveal Gold-Rich Surface Structure of Nagoya Castle's Golden Shachi Scales

A joint research team comprising the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), the J-PARC Center, the Nagoya Castle Research Center, and the National Museum of Nature and Science, among others, used the negative muon beam at the J-PARC Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) to conduct non-destructive depth analysis on seven surviving scales of the golden shachi (ornamental dolphin-tiger fish) on Nagoya Castle's keep, confirming that five of the scales have a layered structure with high gold content within approximately 10 micrometers of the surface. The golden shachi on Nagoya Castle's keep was largely destroyed in the air raids of 1945, with some scales rescued and preserved to this day. Previously, researchers had examined these scales using X-ray fluorescence analysis, but the results showed that some scales with a bright golden appearance did not necessarily have a high average gold content.

2026-08-31

Russian Research Team Proposes New Method for Measuring Proton and Deuteron Electric Dipole Moments in a Single Storage Ring

Physicists from several Russian research institutions have proposed a new method for searching for the electric dipole moments of protons and deuterons, potentially enabling the study of both particle types in a single storage ring. The participating institutions include the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, and the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The research was published in the journal *Nuclear Science and Technology* and was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation. The electric dipole moment reflects whether there is a tiny asymmetry between the internal charge distribution of a particle and its spin direction. According to Standard Model predictions, the electric dipole moments of the proton and deuteron are nonzero but extremely small, on the order of 10...

2026-08-31

Japanese research team visualizes cellular metabolic changes during fracture healing using hyperpolarized MRI

August 21, 2026, Gifu Pharmaceutical University and Gifu University announced that a multi-institutional Japanese research team successfully visualized changes in the redox state of skeletal progenitor cells during fracture healing in living mice using hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging technology. The findings were published online on August 15, 2026, in the British academic journal *npj Imaging*. The study was led by Takuya Kubo, a graduate student in the Department of Pharmacology at Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Professor Eiichi Hinoi, and related research teams at Gifu University, in collaboration with the University of Tokyo, Osaka University, the Research Institute of National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, and other institutions. After a fracture occurs, a tissue called a...

2026-08-31

German Photon and Neutron Research Data Alliance Receives €8.3 Million in Second-Phase Funding

The German National Research Data Infrastructure consortium for photon and neutron experimental data (DAPHNE4NFDI) will enter its second funding phase, receiving initial funding of €8.3 million, with the funding period running until the end of 2028. Since 2021, the consortium has been working to improve the management of research data from photon and neutron experiments, making the data easier to find, access, and reuse over the long term. DAPHNE4NFDI is one of the disciplinary consortia under the German National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI), with members including the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY), Kiel University (CAU), and other universities and research institutions. The funding decision is based on a recommendation from the German Research Foundation (DFG). Since January 2026...

2026-08-31

China's First Enterprise-Level Synchrotron Radiation Technology Application Research Platform Inaugurated in Shanghai

The Sinopec Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility Energy and Chemical Science Laboratory, invested by Sinopec and jointly built with the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and based on the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) major scientific infrastructure, was recently inaugurated in Shanghai Zhangjiang Science City. This laboratory is the first enterprise-level synchrotron radiation technology application research platform in China. According to reports, the laboratory consists of three beamline stations and auxiliary laboratories, and will provide technical support and services for basic scientific research conducted by Sinopec and public users, with a focus on oil and gas exploration and development, petroleum refining and chemical engineering, and new energy and new materials. Once the platform is completed, it will help enhance the enterprise's capabilities in forward-looking and fundamental research, and provide scientific research support for cultivating new quality productive forces in China's energy and chemical industry.

2026-08-29

Japanese Nuclear Regulator Inspects Horonobe Geological Disposal Research Facility for High-Level Radioactive Waste

On August 28, Shinya Nagasaki and other members of Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) inspected an underground research facility in Horonobe Town, Japan. The facility, operated by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), conducts technical research on deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste involves encapsulating the waste and burying it deep underground, achieving long-term isolation through engineered and natural geological barriers. During the inspection, Nagasaki and his delegation examined test facilities used to evaluate the corrosion resistance of iron containers. The tests simulate the environment of containers holding heat-generating radioactive waste after being buried underground...

2026-08-30

France's ITER research program may start before 2034

Scientific preparation work for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is currently about 7 months ahead of the original schedule, and the research program may start earlier than the previously set target of 2034. Anatoly Krasilnikov, Director of the ITER Project Center at Rosatom, revealed this progress during the Technoprom-2026 forum. Krasilnikov stated that the project team no longer uses the milestone term "first plasma," but has instead adjusted the objective to "start of the research program," with a target date of 2034. Based on the current progress, the work is 7 months ahead of schedule, and there is a possibility of achieving the goal ahead of time...

2026-08-28

First Seven Experimental Stations of Russia's SKIF Synchrotron Planned for Commissioning in Summer 2027

The first seven scientific experimental stations at the Siberian Circular Photon Source (SKIF) shared center, located near Novosibirsk, Russia, are planned to begin beam testing in August 2027. According to the center's relevant official, all experimental station equipment has been fully installed, and experts are currently conducting commissioning work. Construction of the SKIF synchrotron was completed in June 2026. Once the project becomes operational, it will utilize synchrotron radiation to help researchers observe the internal structure of matter, obtaining high-precision data on material structure and behavior, which can serve fundamental research and related industrial R&D. As planned, the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences will launch beam operation in the main storage ring in September...

2026-08-28

Japan to Build Fusion Tritium Fuel Research Base in Aomori Prefecture

Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has decided to establish a new fusion power generation research base in Aomori Prefecture, focusing on tritium fuel handling technology. The base will target the development needs of fusion demonstration projects in the 2030s, promoting joint research and development among industry, government, and academia. MEXT plans to include approximately 100 billion yen in fusion development-related funding in its budget request for the next fiscal year. Fusion power generation releases energy through the fusion reaction of deuterium and tritium nuclei, a principle similar to the energy generation process inside the sun. Unlike traditional nuclear power that relies on nuclear fission chain reactions, fusion reactions carry a lower risk of runaway, leading many countries to view it as an important direction for future energy technology...

2026-08-28

South Korean research team evaluates pipe rupture risk in nuclear power plants using probabilistic analysis

Researchers from Seoul National University of Science and Technology in South Korea have recently proposed a sensitivity analysis method based on probabilistic fracture mechanics to evaluate the rupture frequency of main coolant piping systems in nuclear power plants. This method can analyze the impact of uncertainties and modeling assumptions on prediction results, helping engineers distinguish extremely low-probability events from relatively more likely failure scenarios. In nuclear power plants, the main coolant piping system plays a critical role in maintaining structural integrity under normal reactor operating conditions. A pipe rupture could trigger a loss-of-coolant accident, and therefore this system has long been included in the key scope of nuclear power plant safety design and assessment.

2026-08-28

U.S. Advanced Light Source Upgrade to Enhance Nanoscale Research Capabilities for Quantum Materials

The Advanced Light Source (ALS) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the United States is enhancing its quantum materials research capabilities through an upgrade project. As a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science user facility, ALS has supported researchers worldwide over the past 30+ years in studying quantum materials such as superconductors, topological insulators, and correlated electron materials, leveraging its synchrotron soft X-ray, ultraviolet, and full-spectrum X-ray experimental capabilities. Doctoral students Wei Francis He (left), Kate Matthews (second from right), and Robin Greifke (right) from the University of California, San Diego, are from the Alex Frañó research group at the ALS COSMIC beamline (7.0.1)...

2026-08-27