Construction status and prospects of the Hyper-Kamiokande project

The Hyper-Kamiokande project is a 258-kton Water Cherenkov together with a 1.3-MW high-intensity neutrino beam from the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). The inner detector with 186-kton fiducial volume is viewed by 20-inch photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and multi-PMT modules, and thereby provides state-of-the-art of Cherenkov ring reconstruction with thresholds in the range of few MeVs. The project is expected to lead to precision neutrino oscillation studies, especially neutrino CP violation, nucleon decay searches, and low energy neutrino astronomy. In 2020, the project was officially approved and construction of the far detector was started at Kamioka. In 2021, the excavation of the access tunnel and initial mass production of the newly developed 20-inch PMTs was also started. In this paper, we present a basic overview of the project and the latest updates on the construction status of the project, which is expected to commence operation in 2027

Prospects for neutrino astrophysics with Hyper-Kamiokande

Hyper-Kamiokande is a multi-purpose next generation neutrino experiment. The detector is a two-layered cylindrical shape ultra-pure water tank, with its height of 64 m and diameter of 71 m. The inner detector will be surrounded by tens of thousands of twenty-inch photosensors and multi-PMT modules to detect water Cherenkov radiation due to the charged particles and provide our fiducial volume of 188 kt. This detection technique is established by Kamiokande and Super-Kamiokande. As the successor of these experiments, Hyper-K will be located deep underground, 600 m below Mt. Tochibora at Kamioka in Japan to reduce cosmic-ray backgrounds. Besides our physics program with accelerator neutrino, atmospheric neutrino and proton decay, neutrino astrophysics is an important research topic for Hyper-K. With its fruitful physics research programs, Hyper-K will play a critical role in the next neutrino physics frontier. It will also provide important information via astrophysical neutrino measurements, i.e., solar neutrino, supernova burst neutrinos and supernova relic neutrino. Here, we will discuss the physics potential of Hyper-K neutrino astrophysics

Striking multiple synergies in novel three-phase fluoropolymer nanocomposites by combining titanium dioxide and graphene oxide as hybrid fillers

In this study, novel three-phase polymer nanocomposites comprising of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and graphene oxide (GO) were prepared using colloidal blending. The PVDF/TiO2/GO nanocomposites were characterized by FTIR, XRD, TGA, optical microscopy, SEM, AFM and contact angle analysis. The dielectric properties of these three-phase polymer nanocomposites were investigated using broadband dielectric spectroscopy in the frequency range 50 Hz–20 MHz and temperature in the range 40–150 °C. The FTIR and XRD results infer good interaction between the constituents of nanocomposites. The microscopic studies infer homogeneous dispersion and distribution of TiO2 nanoparticles and GO within the PVDF matrix. A notable improvement in the thermal stability of PVDF was observed by the addition of TiO2 and GO as hybrid fillers. The dielectric performance of PVDF/TiO2/GO nanocomposite films was significantly improved as compared to PVDF/TiO2 (90/10) nanocomposite film. The dielectric constant increases from 18.57 (50 Hz, 150 °C) for PVDF/TiO2 (90/10) nanocomposite film to 165.16 (50 Hz, 150 °C) for PVDF/TiO2/GO nanocomposite film containing 7 wt% TiO2 and 3 wt% GO loading. In addition, the dielectric loss also increases from 1.71 (50 Hz, 150 °C) for PVDF/TiO2 (90/10) nanocomposite film to 3.68 (50 Hz, 150 °C) for PVDF/TiO2/GO nanocomposite film containing 7 wt% TiO2 and 3 wt% GO loading. These intriguing properties of PVDF/TiO2/GO nanocomposites could shed some light on the incorporation of different types of hybrid fillers in a suitable polymer matrix for the development of novel three-phase nanocomposites as intelligent materials for embedded passive applications.One of the authors, Kalim Deshmukh would like to acknowledge the financial support from the management of B. S. Abdur Rahman University, Chennai, 600048, TN, India in terms of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) to carry out this research work.Scopu

Electrical and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) shielding properties of hexagonal boron nitride nanoparticles reinforced polyvinylidene fluoride nanocomposite films

The hexagonal boron nitride nanoparticles (h-BNNPs) reinforced flexible polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanocomposite films were prepared via a simple and versatile solution casting method. The morphological, thermal and electrical properties of h-BNNPs/PVDF nanocomposite films were elucidated. The electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties of prepared nanocomposite films were investigated in the X-band frequency regime (8–12 GHz). The EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) was increased from 1 dB for the PVDF film to 11.21 dB for the h-BNNPs/PVDF nanocomposite film containing 25 wt% h-BNNPs loading. The results suggest that h-BNNPs/PVDF nanocomposite films can be used as lightweight and low-cost EMI shielding materials.The author, Dr. M. Basheer Ahamed would like to acknowledge Department of Science and Technology- Science and Engineering Research Board (DST-SERB), Government of India (project No: EMR/2016/006705) for providing financial assistance to carry out this research work.Scopu

Newly developed biodegradable polymer nanocomposites of cellulose acetate and Al2O3 nanoparticles with enhanced dielectric performance for embedded passive applications

In this study, biopolymer nanocomposites of cellulose acetate (CA) and Al2O3 nanoparticles (Al2O3 NPs) were successfully obtained using solution blending method. The effect of Al2O3 NPs loading on the microstructure, morphology, thermal and dielectric prop erties of CA/Al2O3 nanocomposites was investigated using FTIR, XRD, TGA, optical microscopy, SEM, AFM and impedance spectroscopy technique. The FTIR results infer good interaction between CA and Al2O3 NPs. The XRD and microscopic studies demonstrated that Al2O3 nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed in the CA matrix. The TGA results indicate that the onset degradation temperature of CA/Al2O3 nanocomposites is shifted towards higher temperature in the presence of Al2O3 NPs. The contact angle measurements infer reduction in the wettability of CA matrix with increasing Al2O3 NPs loading. On the other hand, the dielectric properties of CA were improved due to an incorporation of Al2O3 NPs. The dielectric constant increases from 8.63 (50 Hz, 30 C) for neat CA matrix to 27.57 (50 Hz, 30 C) for CA/Al2O3 nanocomposites with 25 wt% Al2O3 loading. Similarly, the dielectric loss also increases from 0.26 (50 Hz, 30 C) for neat CA matrix to 0.64 (50 Hz, 30 C) for CA/Al2O3 nanocomposites with 25 wt% Al2O3 NPs loading. How ever, very low values of tan d (below 1) were observed for all the samples. These results suggest that CA/Al2O3 nanocomposites with improved dielectric properties seem to be a promising candidate for designing electronic devi ces such as embedded passivesOne of the authors, Kalim Deshmukh would like to acknowledge the financial support from the management of B. S. Abdur Rahman University, Chennai - 600048, TN, India in terms of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) to carry out this research work.Scopu

Eco-Friendly Synthesis of Graphene Oxide Reinforced Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose/Polyvinyl Alcohol Blend Nanocomposites Filled with Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles for High-k Capacitor Applications

Polymer/inorganic nanocomposites comprising of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and polyvinyl alcohol as a polymer matrix and unique combination of graphene oxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles as fillers have been prepared using colloidal processing technique and characterized using various analytical methods. The dielectric properties of the nanocomposites are investigated using impedance analyzer. The nanocomposites show improvement in the dielectric properties compared to hydroxypropyl methylcellulose/polyvinyl alcohol (50/50) blends, which results from the homogeneous dispersion of fillers into the polymer matrix. The results indicate that these nanocomposites have a potential to meet the technological demands of high-k dielectrics and/or embedded capacitors.Scopu

Not Available

Not AvailableA field dissipation study was conducted to evaluate the pre-harvest interval (PHI) and processing factor (PF) for kresoxim methyl (Ergon 44.3 SC) residues in grapes and during raisin making process at recommended dose (RD) and double the recommended dose (DRD). Kresoxim methyl residues dissipated following 1st-order kinetics with a half-life of 10 and 18 days at RD and DRD, respectively. The PHIs with respect to the European Union maximum residue limit (EU-MRL) of 1 mg/kg for grapes were 13 and 30 days at RD and DRD, respectively. The degradation data during grape to raisin making process were best fitted to nonlinear 1st+1st-order kinetics with a half-life ranging between 4 and 8 days for both shade drying and with raisin dryer at different doses. The PFs were 1.19 and 1.24 with shade drying and 1.09 and 1.10 with raisin dryer, respectively, which indicates concentration of the residues during raisin making process. The dietary exposure of kresoxim methyl on each sampling day was less than the respective maximum permissible intake both at RD and DRD. The residues of kresoxim methyl in market samples of grapes and raisins were well below the EU-MRL and were also devoid of any risk of acute toxicity related to dietary exposure.Not Availabl