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Cosmic Ray Imaging Lab
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A lab that uses cosmic-ray muons to see inside pyramids and nuclear reactors.
AboutAbout the lab
Seeing inside giant structures with cosmic rays.
The Cosmic Ray Imaging Lab researches and develops "cosmic ray imaging," which uses muons, elementary particles contained in cosmic rays, to see inside huge structures without destroying them.
Muons decrease in number as they pass through an object, so by measuring the arrival directions of the muons that make it through, the lab can visualize differences in internal density, much like X-ray imaging.
For detectors, the lab uses nuclear emulsion unique to Nagoya University, and develops technologies ranging from detector hardware development to analysis.
Regardless of target or field, the lab takes on new research using cosmic ray imaging, including archaeological sites such as pyramids, nuclear reactors and blast furnaces, volcanoes, and social infrastructure.
Key terms
- muon
- An elementary particle contained in the secondary cosmic rays produced when cosmic rays collide with Earth's atmosphere. It decreases in number as it passes through matter
- nuclear emulsion
- A solid-state track detector of the silver halide photographic film type. It records the tracks of elementary particles in three dimensions. It requires no electric power and is lightweight
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies technology that uses muons contained in cosmic rays to visualize, without destroying them, the interiors of objects too thick for X-ray imaging and similar methods to reach. While developing nuclear emulsion detectors and simulations, it studies targets such as archaeological sites, industrial plants, volcanoes, and social infrastructure.
Surveying Archaeological Sites such as Pyramids
The lab drives ScanPyramids, an international collaboration that investigates the pyramids of Egypt with cosmic ray imaging. It discovered a corridor-like space (2016) and a huge void in the central part (2017) in Khufu's Pyramid, and continues observation and analysis to clarify their three-dimensional shape.
*Illustrative imageDiagnosing the Interior of Nuclear Reactors and Blast Furnaces
The lab develops technology to visualize and diagnose the interior of industrial plants such as nuclear reactors and blast furnaces. It visualized the core meltdown at Unit 2 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake, and has conducted joint research with companies on observing the bottom of reactors and the interior of blast furnaces.
*Illustrative imageVolcano Observation
The lab takes part in research on targets such as Stromboli volcano in Italy and Mt. Omuro in Shizuoka Prefecture. Because very few muons pass through a volcanic body, the lab is advancing technology development for long-term observation with large-area detectors, as well as detector structures designed to remove noise.
*Illustrative imageInspection Technology for Social Infrastructure
The lab develops disaster prevention technology to prepare for accidents caused by aging infrastructure and for disasters caused by concentrated heavy rain. By using cosmic rays to detect underground cavities that cause road collapses and weak parts of levees, it aims to diagnose the deterioration of ground and civil engineering structures early.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Cosmic Ray Imaging Lab consist of faculty members and students in the doctoral, master's, and undergraduate programs.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorKunihiro Morishima
- Project LecturerNobuko Kitagawa
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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: “Great Pyramid of Giza - Pyramid of Khufu” Douwe C. van der Zee / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Diagnosing the Interior of Nuclear Reactors and Blast Furnaces: “Nuclear reactor at TINT” Azitc / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Volcano Observation: “Pocket Crater Ice Springs Volcanic Field GVP-04589” Lee Siebert / Public domain (cropped)
- Inspection Technology for Social Infrastructure: “RENFE Class 730 Viaducto Martin Gil” Kabelleger / David Gubler (http://www.bahnbilder.ch) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Fundamental Particle Physics (F) Lab): “Fermilab g-2 (E989) ring” Reidar Hahn / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (High Energy Particle Physics Lab (N)): “Accelerator Desy 2” Milkodromeda / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Elementary Particle Properties (Φ) Lab): “Institute of nuclear and particle physics 00048 REP SDR-62 (0659)” DimitrisSideridis / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Complexity Science Theory (ΣT) Lab): “Experimental hall of the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator at IPP Greifswald 03” Siarhei Besarab / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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