Institute of Particle and Nuclear Study
Thanks to the previous management, IPNS is successfully running two major experiments, Belle and K2K. Bell is an experiment studying the B-meson system using the asymmetric e+e- collider, KEKB. The most remarkable thing is that KEKB achieved the monumental luminosity of 1034 cm-2s-1 recently. With this high performance of KEKB, the Belle group has accumulated the data corresponding to the integrated luminosity of 158 fb-1 so far. They have already established CP violation in the B-meson system and obtained many new results on the properties of the Bmeson. It is necessary, however, to explore the B-meson system further, because it provides very important information on new physics beyond the standard model.
K2K is the first accelerator-based experiment of long-baseline neutrino oscillation. Neutrinos produced by the 12 GeV proton synchrotron of KEK are measured at the Super-Kamiokande 250 km away from KEK. Recovering from the accident of the Super-Kamiokande, they restarted measurement in the last December. They plan to double the data obtained before the accident and the shutdown of the KEK PS.
KEK and JAERI are constructing an accelerator complex called J-PARC in the Tokai-campus of JAERI. J-PARC is a multipurpose project ranging from pure science to the transmutation of nuclear waste. Among the experiments related to particle and nuclear physics, to which IPNS is responsible, study of the hyper nucleus is one of the unique features of the project. It is also very important that we can start a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment as soon as possible using the neutrino beam produced by 50 GeV proton synchrotron of the complex.
The world community of the high energy physics desires to have a linear collider. In order to realize it the International Staring Committee was organized and the technology choice of the accelerator is in a critical stage. We, IPNS, wish to construct the linear collider in Japan and for this purpose we will make our best effort.
Besides these major projects, there are many activities that are giving wider spectrum to the research at IPNS. In particular those activities that could be seeds of a future project should be encouraged.
|
The author of this article, Prof. Makoto Kobayashi, is the new director of the Institute of Particle and Nuclear Study. He is a well known theorist, especially by the Kobayashi-Maskawa theory.
|
post.kek.jp