LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Kofu Lab (KOFU Group)
Machine-translated · View original
The lab uses neutrons to study the motion of atoms and spins inside materials.
AboutAbout the lab
Measuring anything interesting with neutrons
The Kofu Lab directs neutrons at materials to study the motion of atoms, molecules, and spins inside them.
Neutrons are well suited to observing light elements such as hydrogen, as well as spins, and provide information that X-rays cannot.
Experiments are carried out mainly at the JRR-3 research reactor and the J-PARC accelerator facility in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, and sometimes at facilities overseas.
Graduate students usually work at the Kashiwa Campus, where they carry out measurements such as X-ray diffraction and heat capacity, and analyze the data.
Key terms
- Neutron scattering
- A method that directs neutrons at a material and uses the way they scatter to study the arrangement and motion of atoms and spins
- Spin
- A property of electrons and other particles that makes them behave like tiny magnets. It is the origin of magnetism in materials
- Spin glass
- A state of a magnetic material in which the spin directions remain disordered rather than aligned, and their motion becomes frozen below a certain temperature
NewsLab news
Discovery of a vortex-like order in monolayer ice, in a collaborative study led by Shizuoka University
Kofu Lab was established at the Institute for Solid State Physics
A paper by Prof. Kofu and colleagues was published in Physical Review Research
ResearchResearch themes
The lab uses neutron scattering to study the motion of atoms, molecules, and spins in a wide variety of materials, aiming to discover new phenomena hidden in matter and the common principles behind them. Following the motto "measure anything interesting with neutrons," it pursues research without being limited to physics or chemistry.
*Illustrative imageProbing the state of hydrogen with neutrons
Making use of the strength of neutrons in observing hydrogen, the lab investigates the positions and motion of hydrogen inside materials. Going forward, it aims to understand how protons and hydride ions move, and to capture the quantum motion of hydrogen.
*Illustrative imageSpin dynamics in single-molecule magnets
The lab uses neutron scattering to study the magnetic properties of single-molecule magnets, in which each individual nanoscale molecule behaves like a magnet. Currently, it is focusing on a rare inorganic compound that shows single-molecule-magnet behavior.
*Illustrative imageMagnetic dynamics in spin glasses
The lab uses neutron scattering to study the magnetic dynamics characteristic of spin glasses. It observes local magnetic dynamics that are common regardless of whether the material is crystalline or amorphous, or an insulator or a metal, and considers them a phenomenon that appears widely in disordered materials.
*Illustrative imageIon dynamics in ion conductors
The lab studies the motion of ions at the atomic level in ion conductors, materials in which ions move through the material and carry electric current. It combines measurements at neutron scattering instruments in Japan and abroad with measurements such as heat capacity and dielectric constant.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Kofu Lab are faculty, master's students, and administrative assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorMaiko KofuPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorPiyawongwatthana PharitPublications ↗
- Assistant Professor秋葉 宙
VoicesStudent voices
Ratings and reviews reflect the experiences of individual current or former students, not the lab's official views. Whether a lab has reviews, or how many, says nothing about the lab itself.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
Student ratings (0 students)
--
--
--
--
--
--
Student voices answer questions like these
- What's great about this lab?
- What did you learn after joining?
- What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
- Who is this lab for?
- Where do graduates go?
Your experience can help younger students choose their lab. Your name won't be shown.
Write a lab reviewAnonymous · Your draft is saved if you stopRelatedLabs similar to Kofu Lab (KOFU Group)
Nakajima LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Applied PhysicsSolid-state physics research using neutron scattering (and s…
Yoshimi LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Applied PhysicsCreation of topological quantum materials (thin films and he…
Suetsugu LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Applied PhysicsTopological quantum phenomena in strongly correlated materia…
Saitoh LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Applied PhysicsSpintronics, quantum electronic properties, energy conversio…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: “J-PARC Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility Experimental Hall No. 1 Neutron Instruments” Kestrel / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Probing the state of hydrogen with neutrons: “Palladium (46 Pd)” Hi-Res Images of Chemical Elements / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Spin dynamics in single-molecule magnets: “D sup et inf à 0 et taille barrière” HShtt / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Magnetic dynamics in spin glasses: “CMOS Mäanderdomänen” Matesy GmbH / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Ion dynamics in ion conductors: “J-PARC” Tamatukurikei / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Nakajima Lab): “J-PARC Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility Experimental Hall No. 1 Neutron Instruments” Kestrel / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Yoshimi Lab): “Molecular Beam Epitaxy System” SJMW1987 / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Suetsugu Lab): “Gold Cryostat 8K-4” Onri Jay Benally / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Saitoh Lab): “Wiki-YIG” Krizu / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
About LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.