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Nakajima Lab
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The lab uses neutron scattering to study how atoms and spins are arranged inside materials.
AboutAbout the lab
Probing spin arrangements with neutrons
The Nakajima Lab studies the properties of solids using neutron scattering.
Neutrons are particles that carry no electric charge but have spin, so they can reveal both the positions of atoms and the arrangement of magnetism inside a material.
Because neutrons cannot be produced in a university laboratory, the lab travels to facilities in Tokai Village, Ibaraki Prefecture, such as the JRR-3 research reactor and the J-PARC high-intensity proton accelerator facility, to carry out experiments.
The lab searches for unusual magnetic orders in which neighboring spins are arranged at an angle to one another, and for the phenomena that arise from them.
Key terms
- Neutron scattering
- A measurement technique in which neutrons are directed at a material, and the crystal structure and magnetic arrangement are read from how the neutrons are scattered
- Magnetic skyrmion
- A particle-like magnetic structure in which spins wind in a vortex. It appears at the nanometer scale
- Uniaxial stress
- A force applied by pressing or pulling a crystal along one fixed direction. It can change the symmetry of the crystal
NewsLab news
Paper published on uniaxial stress and helical magnetic order (includes experiments at PONTA)
Paper published on long-period magnetic order and the magnetocaloric effect (includes experiments at J-PARC)
Paper published on emergent electric fields from domain wall motion (includes experiments at PONTA)
A master's student received an Excellence Poster Award from the Japanese Society for Neutron Science
Paper published on an altermagnet that can be read and written at room temperature (includes experiments at PONTA)
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies how spins are arranged inside solids and the physical phenomena this arrangement gives rise to. Centered on neutrons, it also uses other quantum beams, such as synchrotron X-rays, as complementary probes of materials.
*Illustrative imageDetermining magnetic structures with polarized neutrons
The lab manages and operates PONTA, a polarized neutron triple-axis spectrometer at the JRR-3 research reactor. From the polarization of the scattered neutrons, the symmetry of a magnetic structure can be determined efficiently.
*Illustrative imageSkyrmions in crystals with inversion symmetry
Materials that host magnetic skyrmions even though their crystals have inversion symmetry have been discovered. The lab studies rare-earth materials developed by collaborators at RIKEN and the University of Tokyo, using resonant X-ray magnetic scattering and neutron scattering.
*Illustrative imageTime-resolved neutron scattering
The lab measures, over time, the phenomena that occur when a spin system is driven out of equilibrium. Together with researchers at RIKEN and the University of Tokyo, it has realized stroboscopic measurements at J-PARC in which current pulses are synchronized with neutron pulses.
*Illustrative imageControlling material properties with uniaxial stress
In systems where spin, charge, and orbital degrees of freedom are strongly coupled, even a slight change in symmetry can produce a large response. The lab applies uniaxial stress to crystals to control their symmetry, and carries out neutron and X-ray scattering experiments in that state.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Nakajima Lab consist of faculty, researchers, administrative assistants, and master's students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorTaro NakajimaPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorHiraku SaitoPublications ↗
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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: “J-PARC Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility Experimental Hall No. 1 Neutron Instruments” Kestrel / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Determining magnetic structures with polarized neutrons: “VULCAN diffractometer ( )” Oak Ridge National Laboratory / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Skyrmions in crystals with inversion symmetry: “Neel skyrmion coneplot” Forschungszentrum Jülich / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Time-resolved neutron scattering: “TOF-diffraction” Perditax / Public domain (cropped)
- Controlling material properties with uniaxial stress: “Strain” Damontallen / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kofu Lab (KOFU Group)): “J-PARC Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility Experimental Hall No. 1 Neutron Instruments” Kestrel / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Arima-Tokunaga Lab): “SPring- img pano” en:User:Artorius / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kimura Lab): “Ilmenite-155036” Robert M. Lavinsky / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Saitoh Lab): “Wiki-YIG” Krizu / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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