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Hirose Lab
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The lab uses diamonds to create ultra-high pressures and temperatures, and works to solve the mysteries of Earth's deep interior and the planets.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring the past, present, and future of planets with diamonds.
The Hirose Lab studies the true nature of Earth's deep interior and how planets form, using a method called ultrahigh-pressure and high-temperature experiments.
Using a device called a diamond anvil cell, made with natural diamonds, the lab creates conditions of pressure and temperature that exceed those at the center of the Earth, and can synthesize any material found inside the Earth in the laboratory.
In addition to phase transitions of materials in the deep mantle and core, the lab investigates the speed at which seismic waves travel, how easily electricity and heat are conducted, how materials melt, and how elements separate from one another.
Even undergraduate and master's students can take on challenges in world-leading research.
Key terms
- Diamond anvil cell
- A device that squeezes a small sample between two diamonds to create ultrahigh pressures like those at the center of the Earth
- Phase transition
- A change in the crystal structure of a material, caused by changes in pressure or temperature, that gives it different properties
- Core
- The part at the center of the Earth, made mainly of iron. It consists of a liquid outer core and a solid inner core
NewsLab news
A doctoral student received the Student Outstanding Presentation Award at the JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting 2026
Prof. Hirose received the Wadati Prize
A doctoral student received the Research Encouragement Award from the Graduate School of Science
Paper: A study showing that most of the Earth's hydrogen and carbon is in the core was published in Nature Communications (joint research with Hokkaido University and others)
A doctoral student received the Student Poster Award at AIRAPT-29
ResearchResearch themes
The lab uses laser-heated diamond anvil cells, which combine natural diamonds with high-power lasers, to create ultrahigh-pressure and high-temperature conditions that exceed those at the center of the Earth. By reproducing in experiments the conditions inside the Earth, which humans cannot reach, the lab studies the materials found there and how they behave.
*Illustrative imageWhat are the deep interiors of the Earth and other planets like?
Many of the materials found near the Earth's surface undergo phase transitions under high pressure, changing their crystal structure and properties. The lab investigates phase diagrams at high pressures and temperatures, using synchrotron X-ray observations under high pressure as well as observations of the texture and chemical composition of recovered samples.
*Illustrative imageHow was the Earth formed?
The early Earth is thought to have separated into the atmosphere, mantle, and core through events such as the giant impact, the magma ocean, and the separation of the core from the mantle. To identify the light elements contained in the core, the lab studies the properties of iron alloys and the chemical equilibrium between the mantle and the core at high pressures and high temperatures.
*Illustrative imageHow has the Earth evolved?
To understand the thermal and chemical evolution of the Earth, the lab measures properties such as thermal conductivity, viscosity, and how elements separate from one another, under conditions found in the deep Earth. A device called a focused ion beam (FIB) system has also made it easier to study chemical reactions and the partitioning of elements under ultrahigh pressure.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Hirose Lab consist of faculty, project researchers, and doctoral and master's students.As of 2026
- ProfessorKei HirosePublications ↗
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Write a lab reviewAnonymous · Your draft is saved if you stopRelatedLabs similar to Hirose Lab
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Mochizuki Lab (Marine Seismology)Faculty of Science, Department of Earth and Planetary PhysicsMarine seismologyThe 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: “DiamondAnvilCell 003” National Institute of Standards and Technology / Public domain (cropped)
- What are the deep interiors of the Earth and other planets like?: “SPring- img pano” Artorius / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- How was the Earth formed?: “Protoplanet” Pablo Carlos Budassi / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- How has the Earth evolved?: “Iron-Meteorite - surface grinding with Widmanstätten pattern” Ra'ike (see also: de:Benutzer:Ra'ike) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Miura Lab): “Tropical Cyclone Robyn” NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Takei Lab): “Olivine in polarizing light” Islam90 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Araya Lab): “Interferenz-michelson” FL0 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Mochizuki Lab (Marine Seismology)): “Test des sismomètres OBS (Ocean Bottom Seismometer) en bassin d'essais (Ifremer )” Olivier Dugornay (Ifremer) / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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