Reactor Laboratory Experiments at Kyoto University Critical Assembly

This open access is an educational text on reactor physics experiments and is described based on a careful examination of the contents and pedagogical benefits obtained from the book Nuclear Reactor Physics Experiments by T. Misawa, H. Unesaki, and C. H. Pyeon (2010) from Kyoto University Press, Japan. The current volume comprehensively covers basic and applied topics on experiment using nuclear reactors, including exponential experiment, uranium enrichment measurement and subcriticality measurements, in addition to approach-to-criticality experiment, control rod calibration experiment, and reaction rate measurement by the activation foil method.

This book is intended for graduate students who have already studied reactor physics and radiation detection in an undergraduate program. Readers who have not yet studied these two areas or who wish to review them are recommended to read the companion book Introduction to Nuclear Reactor Experiments, by G. Wakabayashi, T. Yamada, T. Endo, and C.H. Pyeon (2023) from Springer, covering basic concepts and theories of reactor physics and radiation detection. This volume provides a systematic understanding of reactor physics experiments, complemented by its companion book by Wakabayashi et al.

Kyoto University Critical Assembly.- Basics of Reactor Physics.- Approach to criticality Experiment.- Control Rod Calibration Experiments.- Measurements of Reaction Rate.- Determination of Neutron Flux.- Exponential Experiments with Natural Uranium.- Measurement of Uranium Enrichment.- Neutron Detection.- Measurements of Subcriticality.

Cheol Ho Pyeon is an associate professor at the Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science, Kyoto University. He received his Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University in 2000. He joined the Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University as an assistant professor in 2002, and has served in his current position since 2012. He is also the vice editor-in-chief of the Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology (JNST) published by the Atomic Energy Society of Japan (AESJ). He was honored with the JNST Most Cited Article Award in 2014 and 2015, and the AESJ Academic Achievement Award in 2020.

Tomohiro Endo is an associate professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University in Japan. He received his Ph.D. in engineering from the Department of Materials, Physics and Energy Engineering, Nagoya University in Japan, where he became an assistant professor in 2010 and was appointed to his current position at the Department of Applied Energy in 2019. He was honored with the 50th and 56th AESJ Best Paper Awards in 2018 and 2024, respectively.

Kenichi Watanabe is a professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University in Japan. He received his Ph.D. in engineering from the Department of Nuclear Engineering, Nagoya University in 2003. He started his professional carrier as a research assistant at Nagoya University in 2000 and advanced to the position of associate professor in the Graduate School of Engineering in 2007. Since 2021, he has served as a professor in the Department of Applied Quantum Physics and Nuclear Engineering at Kyushu University.

Go Chiba is a professor at the Research Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University in Japan. He received his Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University in 2008.  He became an assistant professor at Hokkaido University in 2011 and was appointed to his current position in 2023.