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Satoru Takakura

QUP Senior Scientist

Assistant Professor

e-mailsatoru.takakura-at-kek.jp

To study the beginning of the universe, we need to measure very tiny signals. Then, the challenge is to control the measurement error (noise). Noise is an obstacle, but it may lead to surprising discoveries such as the cosmic microwave background radiation. As a physicist, I am working on investigating the cause of noise and its reduction.

Research Content

I have been participated in the POLARBEAR experiment, a ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment at the Atacama Desert in Chile. An inevitable problem for ground-based telescopes is the Earth's atmosphere. I have developed an instrument called a continuous rotating half-wave plate to reduce noise from atmospheric fluctuations and to improve the sinsitivity to the B-mode signal of primordial gravitational waves. Meanwhile, I found that some noise remained even with the continuously rotating half-wave plate. I identified that the noise could be caused by the nonlinearity of the detector and clouds in the atmosphere.

Various technologies used in the POLARBEAR experiment, such as superconducting detectors and half-wave plates, will be incorporated into the LiteBIRD satellite. I will work on the development of the LiteBIRD applying my past experiences.

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