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Yokoyama-Nakajima Lab
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A particle physics experiment lab that catches neutrinos to take on the mysteries of the universe and elementary particles.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring the universe and elementary particles with neutrinos
The Yokoyama-Nakajima Lab conducts experiments in particle physics and astroparticle physics using neutrinos.
Its research takes place at Super-Kamiokande in Gifu Prefecture and its successor, Hyper-Kamiokande.
Alongside studying the properties of neutrinos, the lab searches for phenomena that have not yet been found, such as proton decay.
The lab also works on observations that capture astronomical objects in the universe through neutrinos.
Key terms
- Neutrino
- A very light elementary particle that passes through almost all matter. Neutrinos arrive from all over the universe
- Neutrino oscillation
- A phenomenon in which a neutrino changes into a different type of neutrino while in flight
- Proton decay
- A phenomenon predicted by grand unified theories of elementary particles, in which a proton breaks down and turns into other particles. It has not yet been observed
NewsLab news
Super-Kamiokande experiment detects hints of the diffuse supernova neutrino background
Assistant Professor Aoki receives the 2025 ATLAS Thesis Award
Excavation of the huge underground cavern that will house the Hyper-Kamiokande detector is completed
A student wins the Best Presentation Award for an oral presentation at the Spring School on High Energy Physics
A doctoral student wins a Poster Award at the Japan-US Science and Technology Cooperation Program mini-symposium
ResearchResearch themes
The lab conducts experiments and observations in particle physics and astroparticle physics. Using Super-Kamiokande and Hyper-Kamiokande, it studies the properties of neutrinos, searches for new phenomena such as proton decay, and observes astronomical objects through neutrinos.
*Illustrative imageSuper-Kamiokande
An underground detector consisting of a cylindrical water tank about 40 m in diameter and 42 m high, lined with photomultiplier tubes. Since 2020, gadolinium has been added to the water to raise its sensitivity for measuring neutrino reactions.
*Illustrative imageT2K Experiment
A neutrino beam produced by an accelerator in Ibaraki Prefecture is fired at Super-Kamiokande, 295 km away, to observe neutrino oscillation with high precision. The goal is to discover a difference in the properties of matter and antimatter.
*Illustrative imageHyper-Kamiokande
A next-generation detector an order of magnitude larger than Super-Kamiokande, under construction for the start of operation in 2028. The lab is in charge of development research, including performance testing of photomultiplier tubes and establishing calibration methods.
*Illustrative imageDeveloping New Experimental Technologies
Looking ahead to future experiments, the lab plans to develop tracking detectors that use organic liquid, as well as detectors that search for dark matter and double beta decay. Development of photomultiplier tubes and semiconductor photodetectors also continues.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Yokoyama-Nakajima Lab consist of faculty members, doctoral and master's students, and project researchers.As of 2026
- ProfessorMasashi YokoyamaPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorYasuhiro NakajimaPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorTakumi AokiPublications ↗
- Project Assistant ProfessorRyotaro TsujiPublications ↗
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Moriyama LabFaculty of Science, Department of PhysicsCosmic-Ray and Particle Physics (Direct Dark Matter Searches…The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
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: “MiniBooNE” Fred Ullrich / Public domain (cropped)
- Super-Kamiokande: “Groeeser.Hamamatsu.Photomultiplier” Bautsch / CC0 (cropped)
- T2K Experiment: “J-PARC Main Ring P7311328” Kestrel / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Hyper-Kamiokande: “HK ID PMT” Jan Kisiel (Silesia U.) for the Hyper-Kamiokande collaboration / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Developing New Experimental Technologies: “SiPM IRST” GLevi / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Itow Lab): “Neutrino detector - National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo - DSC07827” Daderot / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Nakamura Lab): “Artist's Illustration of Neutron Star (2009-cassio-more-2 - neutron)” X-ray: NASA/CXC/Southampton/W. Ho et al.; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Liang Lab): “NuclideMap stitched 2” NuclideMap.PNG: The viewer derivative work: Neokortex (talk) / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Moriyama Lab): “Neutrino detector - National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo - DSC07824” Daderot / CC0 (cropped)
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