On 17 March, the Science Council of Japan, a special organisation of scientists under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister for the purpose of promoting science and having it reflected into national policy, released a recommendation on the major research programmes heading in the mid-term-about ten years, and issued a “Master Plan” (in Japanese) where […]
Seiya Yamaguchi: introducing the new head of the Linear Collider Office at KEK
April is the season of beginnings in Japan: beginning of spring, beginning of the school year, and beginning of the business fiscal year. Tokyo is not quite in the beginning of spring yet, as snow fell on Saturday, 17 April, matching a 41-year-old record for the season’s latest snowfall. Regardless of the late arrival of […]
Meeting Min Zhang
The ILC community welcomed a new ILC communicator from China at the Linear Collider Workshop 2010. “I feel so lucky to become an ILC communicator and to work with the other communicators,” said Min Zhang. Zhang, based at the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Science (IHEP), will be sharing the […]
Thank you Shuichi!
From the end of March to the beginning of April it is one of the most festive times of the year in Japan, when the cherry blossom trees all over Japan come in to bloom for about ten days and people hold outdoor parties to view and enjoy them. The cherry blossoms are also symbols […]
Quantum-beam symposium – communicating the significance of the research
The word quantum beam, or Ryo-shi beam in Japanese, defined as high-quality beams produced with accelerated leptons or hadrons applying quantum mechanics, isn’t really an academic word, but rather a key word for advanced technology. But it is gradually getting its recognition in Japan as a technology that will achieve breakthroughs in many fields, such as […]
Successful beginning of S1 global at KEK
Four superconducting accelerating cavities have been successfully assembled at KEK’s Superconducting RF Test Facility (STF). From 14 to 22 January, the assembly team of technical staff from DESY and Fermilab visited KEK, and completed cavity-string assembly work in the STF cleanroom, making a wonderful start for S1 global, a crucial system test towards realising the International […]
From SLAC Today: ATF2 Narrows the Focus
Last month the KEK facility in Japan hosted the ninth Project Meeting for the Accelerator Test Facility 2, or ATF2, and a few SLAC staff traveled overseas to participate. The group reviewed progress made in 2009, plans for 2010, and the possibility of extended studies beyond the primary ATF2 goals in 2011, 2012 and beyond. A total […]
From KEK: Cryomodule for “S1-global” arrived from Italy
A big Christmas gift arrived at KEK from Italy. On 25 December, KEK’s Superconducting radiofrequency Test Facility (STF) welcomed the cryomodule for “S1-global” – a crucial system test towards realizing the International Linear Collider (ILC), a proposed next generation electron-positron collider. “S1” refers to one of the priority milestones (so-called “S” milestones) for ILC R&D, […]
From KEK: Call for opinions: Japan faces severe science budget cut
The research program at High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) is facing a grave possibility of a severe budget cut, as recommended by the recently issued Public Budget Review by Japanese government. This affects Japanese renowned research programs including the ones hosted by KEK, such as elementary particle physics and related fields in astrophysics, material […]
Start your dream from the Asia Science Camp
A total of 182 high school and university students from 19 Asian countries and regions relished the life-changing opportunity to learn directly from eminent scientists, including seven Nobel laureates in the fields of physics and chemistry: the Asian Science Camp 2009 was held from 2 to 8 August at Tsukuba International Congress Center, Ibaraki, Japan. […]