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In December 2023, Dr. Takumi Yamaga joined the Hadron Group at IPNS as assistant professor.

We interviewed him about what sparked his interest in the world of particle physics, the research he has conducted, and how he refreshes his mind when faced with challenges in his work.

When I saw the “Positron Rifle” in Neon Genesis Evangelion, I was astonished by the scale of the particle accelerator. The moment I saw this spectacle, I had a strong desire to someday conduct experiments using an accelerator myself. I was also fascinated by “imaginary” nuclear and particle physics through many science fiction works. Then one day, I read Katsuhiko Sato’s “A Book to Enjoy Theory of Relativity” and “A Book to Enjoy Quantum Theory,” and I felt as if fantasy and reality were connected and my world had been greatly expanded. This experience inspired me to become a physicist studying elementary particles and nuclei.

I have been conducting research at the J-PARC Hadron Experimental Facility continuously since I entered graduate school. My research theme is “anti-K meson nuclei. Normal nuclei are composed of “protons” and “neutrons,” which are Fermi particles, but anti-K meson nuclei contain “anti-K mesons,” Bose particles, in this structure. We are investigating the properties of these strange nuclei. So far, we have focused on the question, “Do anti-K meson nuclei really exist?” and succeeded in confirming its existence experimentally. Now our next goal is to explore the nature of these nuclei more deeply.

In addition to my previous research on nuclear and hadron physics, I would like to work on fundamental research to enable many experiments to be conducted at J-PARC. When I conducted experiments at J-PARC as a user, I did not really think about the importance of J-PARC, but now I see that J-PARC itself represents a culmination of numerous research achievements. When I started working at KEK, I realized that physics experiments at J-PARC cannot be conducted without various fundamental research. While I am still learning, I would like to contribute to accumulating research achievements to ensure that world-leading research is conducted at J-PARC. In particular, I would like to focus on the Hadron Experimental Facility extension project.

Playing with my kids is my favorite thing to do! When I get stuck in my research, I sometimes think about the problem all the time, but playing with my kids makes me forget about everything. I have six children, so playing with them is really exhausting, but I sleep well afterwards. And the next day, I am able to make great progress in my research.

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We look forward to your future activities at the IPNS!