A positron pulsing system has been constructed for variable energy positron lifetime spectroscopy. The system consists of a reflection type chopper, a sub-harmonic prebuncher, and a double harmonic buncher. By operating the system with an intense slow positron beam generated by an electron linac, positron lifetime spectra have been successfully measured in an extended time range of more than 45 ns with a good time resolution (250 ps). Furthermore, Doppler broadening profiles of annihilation radiations can be obtained simultaneously with the lifetime measurements.

New measurements of the photoneutron reaction on ${}^{181}\mathrm{Ta}$ have been conducted with the AIST-LCS (laser Compton scattering) beam in the $7.8\lesssim E\left[\mathrm{MeV}\right]\lesssim 12$ energy range. The major advantage of the present $\gamma$-ray experiment is its intense peaking in the energy window of astrophysical interest, i.e., close to the neutron threshold. Details on photon beams from the laser Compton scattering, neutron counting, and experimental determination of the ${}^{181}\mathrm{Ta}$ photoneutron cross section are given. The present experimental data are in good agreement with the IAEA evaluation. Reaction rate calculations in the Hauser-Feshbach statistical model are performed and confronted with the experimental data. The data provide constraints on the low-energy tail of the dipole strength function. It is found that among the three different models for the $E1\mathrm{}$-strength considered, only the microscopic quasiparticle random phase approximation model can reproduce the extra strength observed in the ${}^{181}\mathrm{Ta}(\gamma {,n)}^{180}\mathrm{Ta}$ reaction at energies of about 8.5 MeV. Such an experiment helps to improve the determination of the corresponding stellar photodisintegration rate of ${}^{181}\mathrm{Ta}$ which directly influences the p-process production of ${}^{180}\mathrm{Ta}.$

Spin-flip $M1$ strengths in ${}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ have been measured in photon scattering experiments with a quasi-monochromatic, linearly polarized photon beam. The data resolve an $M1$ giant resonance into at least seven, possibly eight, discrete transitions at excitation energies between 7.1 and 7.4 MeV below the neutron separation energy. The $M1$ strengths are measured with uncertainties considerably smaller than those in a previous study, which leads to a reexamination of the total strength. Experimental results are compared with an estimation of self-consistent random phase approximation using a semirealistic interaction.

We have performed for the first time the simultaneous measurement of the two-body and three-body photodisintegration cross sections of ${}^4\mathrm{He}$ in the energy range from 21.8 to 29.8 MeV using monoenergetic pulsed photons and a 4π time projection chamber containing ${}^4\mathrm{He}$ gas as an active target in an event-by-event mode. The photon beam was produced via the Compton backscattering of laser photons with high-energy electrons. The ${}^4\mathrm{He}$($\gamma ,p$)${}^3\mathrm{H}$ and ${}^4\mathrm{He}$($\gamma ,n$)${}^3\mathrm{He}$ cross sections were found to increase monotonically with energy up to 29.8 MeV, in contrast to the result of a recent theoretical calculation based on the Lorentz integral transform method that predicted a pronounced peak at around 26–27 MeV. The energy dependence of the obtained ${}^4\mathrm{He}$($\gamma ,n$)${}^3\mathrm{He}$ cross section up to 26.5 MeV is marginally consistent with a Faddeev-type calculation predicting a flat pattern of the excitation function. The cross section ratio of ${}^4\mathrm{He}$($\gamma ,p$)${}^3\mathrm{H}$ to ${}^4\mathrm{He}$($\gamma ,n$)${}^3\mathrm{He}$ is found to be consistent with the expected value for charge symmetry of the strong interaction within the experimental uncertainty in the measured energy range. The present results for the total and two-body cross sections of the photodisintegration of ${}^4\mathrm{He}$ are compared to previous experimental data and recent theoretical calculations.

Photoneutron cross sections were measured for ${}^9\mathrm{Be}$ in the energy range from 1.78 to 6.11 MeV with laser-induced Compton backscattered $\gamma$ rays. Resonance parameters $[E_R,B(E1\mathrm{}),{\Gamma }_n]$ for the ${1/2}^{+}$ and ${5/2}^{+}$ states were deduced from the least-squares fit to the data, while ${\Gamma }_{\gamma }$ for the ${5/2}^{-}$ state was deduced from the energy-integrated cross section. The reaction rate $〈\alpha \alpha n〉$ is discussed.

This article presents the optimal placement of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in an active integrated distribution grid with photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems (BESS), respectively. The increase in the population has enabled people to switch to EVs because the market price for gas-powered cars is shrinking. The fast spread of EVs depends solely on the rapid and coordinated growth of electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs). Since EVCSs can cause power losses and voltage variations outside the permissible limits, their integration into the current distribution grid can be characterized by the growing penetration of randomly dispersed photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage (BESS) systems, which is complicated. This study used genetic algorithm (GA) optimization and load flow (accommodation of anticipated rise in the number of electric cars on the road) analysis with a forward and backward sweep methodology (FBSM) to locate, scale and optimize EVCSs from a distribution grid where distributed PV/BESSs are prevalent. Power optimization was demonstrated to be the objective issue, which included minimizing active and reactive power losses. To verify the proposed optimal objective solutions from the active distribution grid, an IEEE 33 bus distribution grid was considered for EVCSs’ optimization under the penetration of photovoltaic and BESS systems. MATLAB simulations for the integrated EVCS-PV-BESS system on the distribution grid for five different zones were performed using detection from zone 1 (ranging from 301.9726 kW to 203.3872 kW), reducing the power losses (accounting for 33%) in the system to a minimum level.