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Cosmic Observation Experiment Lab
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The lab catches neutrinos in Antarctic ice to peer into the extremes of the universe.
AboutAbout the lab
Turning Antarctic ice into a telescope on the universe
The lab pursues new approaches to observing the universe, centered on two fields: neutrino astronomy and multimessenger astronomy.
The Neutrino Astronomy division to which the lab belongs is the only institution from Japan participating in the IceCube experiment, an international collaboration of 12 countries conducted at the South Pole.
Photodetectors embedded in the glacier capture the Cherenkov light emitted by neutrinos, elementary particles that cannot be seen.
The lab also works on hardware, including the development of new photodetectors for next-generation experiments.
Key terms
- neutrino
- An elementary particle that carries no electric charge and barely interacts with other matter, which makes it hard to catch
- Cherenkov light
- Faint blue light emitted when a charged particle travels through water or ice faster than light travels in that medium
- multimessenger astronomy
- An approach that studies astronomical objects by combining multiple signals with different properties, such as neutrinos, X-rays, and gamma rays
NewsLab news
Paper showing neutrino signals from distant active galactic nuclei published in Physical Review D
Paper on the search for ultra-high-energy neutrinos selected for the annual selection of Physical Review Letters
Construction of the IceCube Upgrade at the South Pole completed, with the D-Egg photodetectors developed in the lab installed
First optical follow-up observation of a cosmic neutrino multiplet event, published in The Astrophysical Journal
Paper on the search for ultra-high-energy neutrinos published in Physical Review Letters and chosen as an Editors' Suggestion
ResearchResearch themes
The lab analyzes data observed by the IceCube experiment at the South Pole and measures high-energy neutrinos arriving from sources such as supermassive black holes. By combining information from multiple kinds of particles, it also explores the origins of high-energy cosmic phenomena.
*Illustrative imageNeutrino Astronomy with IceCube
5,160 photodetectors are embedded in the glacier at the South Pole to capture the Cherenkov light emitted by neutrinos passing through the ice. By analyzing arrival directions and other properties, the lab aims to clarify where and how cosmic rays are produced.
*Illustrative imageMultimessenger Astronomy
By combining information from multiple kinds of particles, namely neutrinos, X-rays, and gamma rays, the lab investigates where high-energy cosmic phenomena occur.
*Illustrative imageDevelopment of New Photodetectors
D-Egg, a new photodetector developed in the lab, was adopted for the IceCube Upgrade. The lab is also developing new photodetectors for the expansion to the next-generation experiment IceCube-Gen2.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members are faculty, project researchers, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorShigeru Yoshida
- ProfessorAya Ishihara
- Associate ProfessorKoji Noda
- Assistant ProfessorNobuhiro Shimizu
- Assistant ProfessorWataru Iwakiri
- Assistant ProfessorMaximilian Meier
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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: “IceCube Neutrino Observatory in 2023 02” Christopher Michel / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Neutrino Astronomy with IceCube: “ICECUBE dom taklampa” Amble / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Multimessenger Astronomy: “Gamma Ray Observatory grasped by Atlantis' Canadarm (S )” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
- Development of New Photodetectors: “Photomultiplier Tube (PMT)” Motokoka / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Astrophysics Lab): “Artist’s impression of merging neutron stars (ann17040a)” ESO/L. Calçada/M. Kornmesser / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Experimental Particle Physics Lab): “FASER” Brice, Maximilien / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Optical Properties and Quantum Transport Physics Lab): “Cold atoms experiment 01” Tomasz Kawalec / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Nonlinear and Soft Matter Physics Lab): “Ripples on Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes” National Park Service / Public domain (cropped)
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