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Nishiura Lab
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The lab recreates planetary magnetospheres in the laboratory, and measures and heats fusion plasmas.
AboutAbout the lab
Designing and operating the frontier of fusion research, firsthand
The Nishiura Lab studies high-temperature plasmas with the aim of realizing fusion energy.
At the Kashiwa Campus, the lab uses RT-1, a planetary magnetosphere-type device, to create plasma resembling a planetary magnetosphere in the laboratory, and investigates the mechanism of self-organization, in which plasma spontaneously forms structures.
At the National Institute for Fusion Science (Toki, Gifu Prefecture), the lab develops methods to measure and analyze the high-energy ions produced in fusion plasmas.
Research is driven mainly by students, combining experiments on actual devices, analysis, and simulation.
Key terms
- Dipole magnetic field
- The simplest form of magnetic field, with one north pole and one south pole, like Earth's
- Self-organization
- The process by which a large collection of particles spontaneously forms an organized structure, without the form being imposed from outside
- Gyrotron
- A device that emits high-power millimeter waves (electromagnetic waves) used to heat plasma
NewsLab news
A paper summarizing results on collective Thomson scattering measurement was published in Journal of Fusion Energy
A paper on tomography for imaging spectroscopy measurement was published in Review of Scientific Instruments
A US patent was granted for millimeter-wave filter technology
Individual lab tours and online consultations are accepted at any time
A Project Researcher won a poster award at a plasma research workshop for young scientists
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies plasma generation, heating, and measurement toward realizing fusion energy. Combining experiments, analysis, and simulation, it conducts experiments on RT-1, a planetary magnetosphere-type device, and develops technologies to measure and heat fusion plasmas.
*Illustrative imageRecreating Planetary Magnetospheres in the Laboratory
The magnetospheres of Earth and Jupiter efficiently confine high-pressure plasma within a dipole magnetic field. The lab recreates this with RT-1, a planetary magnetosphere-type device in which a superconducting coil is levitated in vacuum, aiming to clarify plasma self-organization and stability and to apply the results to compact, high-performance fusion reactors.
*Illustrative imageDiagnosing and Visualizing Plasma
The core of a fusion plasma exceeds 100 million degrees, and its state cannot be determined from visible light alone. The lab develops new measurement instruments and data analysis methods. Using coherence imaging spectroscopy with birefringent crystals, it has made it possible to measure ion temperature and flow velocity as high-resolution two-dimensional images.
*Illustrative imageHeating Plasma with Electromagnetic Waves
The lab heats plasma by exploiting the property that ions and electrons resonate with electromagnetic waves at specific magnetic field strengths. By optimizing antennas and electric field distributions with electromagnetic field simulation, it has demonstrated ion heating in the planetary magnetosphere-type device. At the National Institute for Fusion Science, it also carries out research and development using high-power gyrotrons.
*Illustrative imageDiagnosing Alpha Particles with Collective Thomson Scattering
In a fusion reactor, the power generation scenario depends on the high-energy alpha particles produced by fusion reactions continuing to sustain the burning of the plasma. The lab has developed collective Thomson scattering measurement using millimeter waves, making it possible to diagnose the distribution and energy state of alpha particles. Deep learning is used for data analysis.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Nishiura Lab consist of faculty members and doctoral students.As of 2026
- Visiting Associate ProfessorMasaki Nishiura
VoicesStudent voices
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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: “LHD plasma vacuum vessel” National Institute for Fusion Science / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Recreating Planetary Magnetospheres in the Laboratory: “Ultraviolet Aurora borealis on Jupiter from Hubble 1998” J. Clarke (Univ. Michigan), NASA / Public domain (cropped)
- Diagnosing and Visualizing Plasma: “Calcite and double refraction (GeoDIL number - 670)” Twyla Baker / CC0 (cropped)
- Heating Plasma with Electromagnetic Waves: “Gyrotron plateforme” Rama / CC BY-SA 2.5 (cropped)
- Diagnosing Alpha Particles with Collective Thomson Scattering: “Large Helical Device 2014” National Institute for Fusion Science / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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