Rika Takahashi | 9 June 2011Janice Nelson and Glen White from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the US are the first overseas scientists to visit KEK after the earthquake.
Category: Feature | Tagged: earthquake, KEK, SLAC
Rika Takahashi | 2 June 2011On 26 May, a first test beam steered through the linac of the Accelerator Test Facility at KEK, Japan, with the same energy as before the March 2011 earthquake. Engineers are now working on the magnet alignment at the beam transportation line.
Category: Around the World | Tagged: ATF, earthquake, KEK, test beam
Rika Takahashi | 26 May 2011Shin-ichi Kurokawa is a mover and shaker in the world of accelerator physics, both excelling in science and effectively bringing the community together to form strong, productive relationships. The European Physical Society has recognized Kurokawa's accomplishments, awarding him the Rolf Widerøe Prize.
Category: Feature | Tagged: accelerator prize, EPS, KEK, Rolf Widerøe Prize
Rika Takahashi | 7 April 2011Atsuto Suzuki, director general of KEK in Tsukuba, Japan, states that despite the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on 11 March, no changes have been made to KEK’s ILC-related plans.
Category: Feature | Tagged: CPDG, ILCSC, KEK, multinational laboratory
Rika Takahashi | 17 March 2011As many people in the world already know, Japan is currently dealing with its worst disaster: Japan's biggest earthquake on record and the fourth largest in history. Thousands of lives have been lost. Tens of thousands people are forced to evacuate and live without basic necessities. Hundreds of thousands are still missing.
Category: Feature | Tagged: earthquake, Japan, KEK
Rika Takahashi | 27 January 2011There is a question almost always asked when talking about science - “OK, this is interesting. But is it useful for something?” Not too many scientists working on basic science are good at answering this question. “Dr. Masatoshi Koshiba sometimes says that the neutrino, his main research subject, is not useful at all. Well, a Nobel laureate could say that, but not us. I try to talk more about useful accelerators these days,” said Atsuto Suzuki, the Director General of KEK, at a symposium held in Kyoto, Japan, in November, which was organised by the Advanced Accelerator Association promoting science and technology (AAA).
Category: Around the World | Tagged: AAA, accelerator research, Japan
Rika Takahashi | 9 December 2010Designing and fabricating an optimal accelerating cavity is not so simple. There are two important parameters scientists are looking for: the gradient of 35 megavolts per meter (MV/m) and the quality factor (Q0) of greater than 0.8×10^10. A Japanese cavity now fulfilled those requirements for the first time at a test which took place at the Superconducting radiofrequency Test Facility (STF) at KEK, adding momentum towards future mass production.
Category: Feature | Tagged: accelerating gradient, cavity gradient, KEK, Kyoto camera, nine-cell cavity, quality factor, STF
Rika Takahashi | 24 November 2010What will happen when the ILC is built? One hopes discoveries will change the way we see the universe. It will answer the questions about what the universe is made of. And maybe it will help generate new Nobel Prize winners...
Category: Feature | Tagged: ILC site, Japan
Leah Hesla and Rika Takahashi | 28 October 2010Fermilab and KEK scientists recently hooked up a new cavity tuning system to the various cavities in the so-called cavity-tuner zoo at KEK. This zoo, comprising eight superconducting radiofrequency cavities fabricated by four different vendors from three different regions, was the testing ground for a new development in what is called Lorentz force detuning (LFD) compensation.
Category: Around the World | Tagged: Fermilab, KEK, LFD compensation, Lorentz force detuning
