Projects

At iTHEMS, we pursue a wide range of research activities that cross disciplinary and institutional boundaries, with mathematical sciences as a common language.

These include projects led by iTHEMS researchers, interdisciplinary initiatives involving other RIKEN centers, and international collaborations with universities and research institutions in Japan and abroad. Together, they span a broad range of research fields and take many different forms.

Through these projects, researchers in mathematics, physics, computational science, life sciences, quantum science, and other fields work together to explore new areas of research and tackle questions that are difficult to address within the boundaries of a single discipline.

Here we introduce some of the major research projects and platforms in which iTHEMS is involved.

RIKEN Quantum

RIKEN Quantum is a research platform that brings together researchers from different RIKEN centers and disciplines to tackle fundamental scientific problems that have been difficult to solve using conventional approaches, with the aim of achieving breakthroughs through quantum computational science. It was launched in April 2023 with iTHEMS as its hub, as one of the foundations of RIKEN’s Transformative Research Innovation Platform of RIKEN Platforms (TRIP) initiative. Centered on the new computational principles of quantum computing, RIKEN Quantum brings together researchers from a broad range of fields, including physics, chemistry, computational science, information science, life sciences, and the humanities, to pursue interdisciplinary research and explore new areas of research beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries.

RIKEN–Berkeley Mathematical Quantum Science Initiative (RBMQ)

The RIKEN–Berkeley Mathematical Quantum Science Initiative is an international collaborative research project between RIKEN’s Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS) and the Network for Neutrinos, Nuclear Astrophysics, and Symmetries (N3AS) at UC Berkeley. Researchers from both institutions work across disciplinary boundaries in four closely related areas at the forefront of quantum science: quantum matter, quantum computing, quantum universe, and quantum mathematics. The project also aims to foster early-career researchers and provide opportunities for extended research stays, strengthening long-term research exchange and academic networks between Japan and the United States and opening up new directions in quantum science. This project is supported by the Adopting Sustainable Partnerships for Innovative Research Ecosystem (ASPIRE) program of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).

Mathematical Foundation of Quantum Information (MFQI)

Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Information is a RIKEN Pioneering Project that brings together three theoretical pillars—operator algebra theory, quantum resource theory, and fault-tolerant quantum computing—to develop a unified mathematical framework for quantum information in the presence of noise. By establishing a common theoretical foundation across mathematics, physics, and information theory, the project seeks to connect insights developed in these different fields and open up new directions in quantum information science. Through this interdisciplinary approach, it aims to pursue research that embodies the vision of a “von Neumann for the 21st century.”