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Ultra-High Pressure Science (HPS) Lab
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A lab that creates ultrahigh-pressure states using shock waves from high-intensity lasers.
AboutAbout the lab
Creating a world of ultrahigh pressure with high-intensity lasers
The Ultra-High Pressure Science group studies how to create ultrahigh-pressure states using shock waves that high-intensity lasers generate inside matter.
The pressures obtained with lasers far exceed those at the center of the Earth (about 3.5 million atmospheres), reaching conditions inside Jupiter and at the center of the Sun.
The lab is pioneering methods that control shock waves in time and space to create states above 1 billion atmospheres, and applies the resulting states to research on the interiors of the Earth and planets.
It is also working on applications to materials processing technologies such as laser peening, and on developing fusion ignition schemes driven by shock waves.
Key terms
- Shock wave
- A strong wave generated inside matter when it is irradiated with a high-intensity laser. It instantaneously produces very high pressure.
- Peening
- A processing method that applies compressive force (stress) to a material. Until now, the mainstream method has been to strike the material at high speed with small steel balls or similar.
- Implosion
- Compression by high-intensity lasers. In laser fusion, it is used to create the ultrahigh-temperature, high-density state in which fusion reactions occur.
NewsLab news
Assistant Professor Nakatsuji received the Osaka University Kondo Prize (Emerging Paper Award)
A paper on ultrafast observation of plasma dynamics inside nanowires was published in Scientific Reports
A master's student won the M1 Poster Award at the Institute of Laser Engineering's year-end report meeting
A paper first-authored by a doctoral student was published in Physics of Plasmas
ResearchResearch themes
The lab is pioneering methods to create ultrahigh-pressure states above 1 billion atmospheres by controlling, in time and space, the shock waves that high-intensity lasers generate in matter. It applies the resulting states to research on the interiors of the Earth and planets, materials processing, and fusion ignition.
*Illustrative imageGenerating pressures at the billion-atmosphere level
Pressure is said to be capped at 10 terapascals (100 million atmospheres) no matter how intense the laser. The lab aims to reach 100 terapascals (1 billion atmospheres) or more by controlling shock waves in time and space, using methods such as convergent shock waves and fast-electron-driven shock waves.
*Illustrative imageReproducing the interiors of the Earth and planets
The lab applies ultrahigh-pressure states obtained with laser-driven shock waves to the same conditions as the interiors of the Earth and planets, and investigates internal structures and states that are difficult to observe directly. Phenomena such as crater formation from meteorite impacts are also reproduced with lasers, in collaborative research.
*Illustrative imageModifying materials with shock waves
The aim is to make peening, which applies compressive force to materials with shock waves, a processing method that works at higher pressures and is easier to control. It is expected to extend to a wide range of processing such as cutting and forming, and the lab focuses on research into the elementary processes.
*Illustrative imageFusion ignition with ultrahigh-pressure shock waves
Laser fusion requires creating, through implosion, an ultrahigh-pressure state of extremely high temperature and density in which fusion reactions occur. The lab studies generating and spatially controlling gigabar shock waves in the final stage of implosion and applying them to fusion ignition conditions.
MembersFaculty
Members of the Ultra-High Pressure Science group consist of faculty and master's and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorKeisuke Shigemori
- Assistant ProfessorChiharu Nakatsuji
- Project Professorhiroyuki Daido
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Illustration of Shock Wave Around Millisecond Pulsar (2005-47tuc-more-1 - 47tuc ill)” (Illustration: NASA/CfA/S.Bogdanov) / Public domain (cropped)
- Generating pressures at the billion-atmosphere level: “Shockwave pattern around a T-38C observed with Background-Oriented Schlieren photography (1)” NASA & US Air Force: J.T. Heineck / Ed Schairer / Maj. Jonathan Orso / Maj. Jeremy Vanderhal / Public domain (cropped)
- Reproducing the interiors of the Earth and planets: “Dating Planetary Core Formation” Viranga13 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Modifying materials with shock waves: “Inlet shock waves at Mach 2” NASA Glenn Research Center / Public domain (cropped)
- Fusion ignition with ultrahigh-pressure shock waves: “NIF implosion converging beams” Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Extreme Plasma (KGP) Lab): “The moment a high-power laser pulse interacts with a target to produce a plasma is captured at the Vulcan PW facility ( )” Science and Technology Facilities Council / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Laser Astrophysics (LAP) Lab): “Supernova remnant CTB 37A” Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Morehead State Univ/T.Pannuti et al; Radio: Molonglo Obs. Synthesis .; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Ultra-Intense Field Science (LF) Lab): “Plasma without and with magnetic field” Gerritse / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Plasma Photonics (PPD) Lab): “Orion target chamber” Colin N. Danson et al. / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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