Hirokatsu Ohata, engineer at the Cryogenics Science Center, receives the 2020 MEXT Outstanding Support for Research Award
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(English Translation 2024-07-08)
Hirokatsu Ohata, an engineer at the Cryogenics Science Center of the Applied Research Laboratory, received the 2020 MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) Outstanding Support for Research Award. The award-winning achievement was "Contribution to neutrino experiments through the construction and operation of a large-scale cryogenic system."
Since its discovery, experiments to elucidate the phenomenon of neutrino oscillation, in which a neutrino transforms into a different type of neutrino while in flight, have been underway around the world. The T2K experiment using J-PARC's high-intensity proton beam is one example, and has achieved remarkable results, such as the discovery of oscillations from muon neutrinos to electron neutrinos. The high-intensity proton beam is transported by a superconducting magnet system about 150 meters to the target station where it produces neutrinos. Building and operating this system required a high level of experience and technology.
The support that was awarded this time was the construction and operation of a large-scale cryogenic system to cool the system itself, which is essential for the superconducting magnet system mentioned above, and a large-scale cryogenic system to conduct performance tests of the system's superconducting magnets, and greatly contributed to the stable results of the T2K experiment. Also, while operating the system, we further optimized the operation control, contributing to a significant improvement in operational efficiency. As a result, it has won the KEK Technology Award 2010.
Although the award ceremony scheduled for April was not held due to measures against the new coronavirus, the award certificates and supplementary awards were presented by the KEK Director at the KEK Director's Office on May 28th. Engineer Ohata said, “I consider this award was not for me personally, but for the staff involved in the construction and operation of the neutrino superconducting system, including Prof. Ogitsu, the former leader of the cryogenic section, and Prof. Makida, the current leader of the cryogenic section."
