Press Release
62 news
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2025-01-10
Press Release
Discovery of Measurement-Induced Spectral Phase Transition in Quantum Systems
A collaborative research team, including Ryusuke Hamazaki (Senior Research Scientist, iTHEMS / RIKEN Hakubi Team Leader, Nonequilibrium Quantum Statistical Mechanics RIKEN Hakubi Research Team, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research (CPR)), has discovered a spectral phase transition in quantum systems under measurement. This research is expected to bridge the gap between two seemingly distinct phenomena: the recently emerging field of “measurement-induced phase transitions in nonequilibrium quantum systems" and the long-studied "phase transitions in equilibrium quantum systems." By discovering the analogy between these transitions, this work paves the way for a deeper understanding of quantum many-body systems. Using a method known as Lyapunov analysis, the team demonstrated the existence of spectral phase transitions in quantum systems under measurement. Furthermore, they found that the critical point of these spectral phase transitions coincides with the critical point of entanglement transitions. For more details, please refer to the related link.
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2025-01-02
Press Release
Ancient DNA unlocks new understanding of migrations in the first millennium AD
A new study published in Nature reveals waves of human migration across Europe during the first millennium AD using a more precise method of analysing ancestry with ancient DNA. Led by Leo Speidel, ECL Unit Leader at RIKEN iTHEMS, formally a Sir Henry Wellcome postdoctoral researcher at the Francis Crick Institute and UCL, alongside Pontus Skoglund at the Francis Crick Institute, this study reports a new data analysis method called Twigstats. Applied to over 1500 ancient genomes, the new approach reveals previously unknown details of migrations in Europe during the first millennium AD (year 1 to 1000), encompassing the Iron Age, the fall of the Roman Empire, the early medieval ‘Migration Period’ and the Viking Age. The new approach can be applied to populations across the world and may enable researcher to reveal more missing pieces of the puzzle in future. Please refer to the press release by the Francis Crick Institute for further details.
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2024-10-22
Press Release
Discovery of a Sustained Magnetic Flow in Ultracold Atomic Gases
An international research group, including Yuta Sekino (Postdoctoral Researcher, iTHEMS / Postdoctoral Researcher, Nonequilibrium Quantum Statistical Mechanics RIKEN Hakubi Research Team) has discovered a mechanism that generates a long-lasting magnetic flow using ultracold atomic gases. This research result is expected to contribute to the realization of quantum simulators, which are essential for the development of highly efficient next-generation magnetic memory. For further details, please refer to the related link.
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2024-10-17
Press Release
Creation of the Quantum Universe and Precise Calculation of the Wave Function of the Universe
In modern cosmology, the idea that the universe was created from nothing through quantum effects has been a topic of active research. However, a long-standing debate has persisted regarding which of two prominent hypotheses—the no-boundary proposal or the tunneling proposal—is correct. A research team, including Hiroki Matsui (Postdoctoral fellow, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics), Kazumasa Okabayashi (Postdoctoral fellow, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics), Masazumi Honda (Senior Research Scientist, RIKEN), and Takahiro Terada (Research Assistant Professor, Nagoya University), has made significant progress in this debate by calculating the wave function of the universe from first principles, without the need for arbitrary assumptions about either proposal. Previous analyses left mathematical ambiguities unresolved, but this team eliminated those ambiguities using a method called resurgence theory. Their calculations rigorously demonstrated, under certain assumptions, that the wave function of the universe aligns with predictions from the tunneling proposal, not the no-boundary proposal. This result is a giant step forward in resolving the longstanding debate between these two hypotheses. For more details, please refer to the Kyoto University press release via the related links.
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2024-09-20
Press Release
Energy Transmission Requires Information: Approaching the Physics of Boundary Interfaces
A research group, including Yuya Kusuki (Associate Professor, Institute for Advanced Study, Kyushu University / Visiting Scientist, iTHEMS), has demonstrated a clear inequality in 2-dimensional conformal quantum field theory. The inequality links the energy transmission rate, the information transmission rate, and an indicator of the size of the Hilbert space in quantum field theory (specifically, the growth rate of the number of states at high energy) as follows: (energy transmission rate) ≤ (information transmission rate) ≤ (indicator of the size of the Hilbert space). For more details, please refer to Kyushu University's website via the related links below.
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2024-09-13
Press Release
How should the isolation of Mpox patients be ended? - Development of a simulator to verify the timing of isolation termination
A research group led by Professor Shingo Iwami (Professor, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University / Visiting Scientist, iTHEMS), in collaboration with Dr. Fuminari Miura (Ehime University / Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)), has developed a new simulator (simulation software) to verify the timing for ending the isolation of Mpox (Clade II) patients. For further details, please visit the Nagoya University Research Information website via the relevant links.
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2024-07-24
Press Release
Decoding Protein Condensation - Predicting Condensation of Proteins from Amino Acid Sequences -
The research team of Kyosuke Adachi (Research Scientist, iTHEMS / Research Scientist, Nonequilibrium Physics of Living Matter RIKEN Hakubi Research Team, RIKEN BDR) and Kyogo Kawaguchi (Team Leader, Nonequilibrium Physics of Living Matter RIKEN Hakubi Research Team, RIKEN BDR / Associate Professor, Institute for Physics of Intelligence, The University of Tokyo) has proposed a theory that predicts the condensation of protein molecules and demixing of condensates based on amino acid sequences. This research is expected to contribute to elucidating the mechanisms for the formation of membraneless organelles in cells and, in the future, to develop into a theory that predicts the effect of mutations in proteins sequences on cellular functions. For more details, please refer to the related link.
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2024-07-11
Press Release
Data and Mathematics toward Understanding the Mysteries of Hibernation
Body temperature of small mammals during hibernation drops close to the ambient temperature (< 10℃). However, it doesn't stay low throughout hibernation but fluctuates multiple times between this low temperature and their normal body temperature. These significant temperature changes are a crucial part of hibernation, but their physiological significance and control mechanisms are not well understood. Using high-precision experimental data and mathematical model, an international collaborative research group (including Shingo Gibo and Gen Kurosawa, iTHEMS) has challenged to understand what occurs during these temperature changes. They found a model that simultaneously reproduces data of multiple hibernators.This collaboration includes Yoshifumi Yamaguchi (Hokkaido University), Isao Tokuda (Ritsumeikan University), Elena Gracheva (Yale University), Sviatoslav Bagriantsev (Yale University). Paper was published in npj Biological Timing and Sleep, a new journal from Nature Portfolio. For more details, please refer to the related link.
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2024-06-05
Press ReleaseRICOH and RIKEN Develop a Proprietary Algorithm to Detect Indicators of Technology Commercialization
RICOH Company, Ltd. (President and CEO: Akira Oyama) and the RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS; led by Senior Visiting Scientist Hideaki Aoyama and Visiting Scientist Wataru Souma) have developed a new algorithm that applies their previously developed technology to perform multi-analysis of keywords commonly appearing in both patents and academic papers.
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2024-05-20
Press Release
Discovery of a Method to Systematically Create New Types of Anyons: Potential New Applications for Quantum Computers
In physics, understanding phases of matter, such as liquids, solids, and gases, is a crucial task, as substances can exist in different states (phases) depending on the conditions. In modern classification of phases, anyons —quasiparticles with fractional charge— are of significant importance and are also being studied for their potential applications in quantum computing. A collaborative research group, including Masazumi Honda (Senior Research Scientist, iTHEMS) and Taiichi Nakanishi (Junior Research Associate, iTHEMS), has discovered a theoretical framework to systematically construct a new type of anyons with restricted motion. For more details, please refer to the press release article from Kyoto University available through the related link.
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2023-12-20
Press ReleaseBlack Hole Recorder Selected for DIG SHIBUYA Art Event Co-Sponsored by Shibuya Ward
The science art piece "Black Hole Recorder," created in 2021 by iTHEMS in collaboration with external creators based on the quantum black hole theory, has been selected for the collaborative project (open call) of the "DIG SHIBUYA" art event, co-hosted by the SHIBUYA CREATIVE TECH Executive Committee and Shibuya Ward. As part of the program within "DIG SHIBUYA," the artwork is scheduled for exhibition at the Shibuya Ward Workers' Welfare Hall from January 12th (Friday) to January 14th (Sunday), 2024, spanning three days. For more information, please see the related links.
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2023-10-26
Press Release
"Genuine Tetraquark" Consisting of Four Quarks - Supercomputer Fugaku unravels a new particle discovered in accelerator experiment -
The international research group including Yan Lyu (former Student Trainee from Peking Univ., iTHEMS), Takumi Doi (Senior Research Scientist, iTHEMS) and Tetsuo Hatsuda (Program Director, iTHEMS) has theoretically unraveled the properties of the genuine tetraquark state Tcc, composed of four quarks. This research achievement is expected to contribute to the understanding of a fundamental question in modern physics: how quarks, the elementary particles, can combine to form new states of matter. For more details, please refer to the press release article in the related link.
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2023-10-06
Press Release
Success in Calculating Cluster Occurrence Probability for New Coronavirus Infections
A research group led by Shingo Iwami (Professor, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University / Visiting Scientist, RIKEN iTHEMS) in collaboration with the University of Oxford (UK), has achieved the world's first successful calculation of the probability of cluster occurrence due to new coronavirus infections. For more details, please visit Nagoya University's website (in Japanese) or EurekAlert! (in English) through the related links.
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2023-08-23
Press Release
Deciphering the Buckwheat Genome - High-Precision Genome Sequence Illuminates the Past and Future of Buckwheat -
As the world population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, the dependence on the three major cereals - rice, wheat, and corn - is becoming a concern. In response, interest in "orphan crops" is increasing, which have high value as food but whose research has lagged, leaving their potential untapped. Determining the genomes of orphan crops using next-generation sequencing technology is expected to promote their efficient breeding and contribute to the achievement of SDGs such as eradicating hunger and improving nutrition. An international collaborative research group (including Jeffrey Fawcett, iTHEMS) deciphered the genome sequence of buckwheat, an orphan crop cultivated in Eurasia that is used for making soba noodles in Japan, at the chromosomal level with high precision, revealing the evolution of the buckwheat genome and the origin of cultivated buckwheat. Moreover, they modified the predicted genes using methods that do not rely on genome editing technology. As a result, they successfully developed a glutinous buckwheat and a new self-pollinating buckwheat that did not previously exist. The breeding methods used in this study are expected to contribute to the improvement of a wide variety of orphan crops in which genome editing technology cannot be used. For more information, please see the Kyoto University press release article at the related links.
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2023-06-22
Press Release
Control Simulation Experiments of Extreme Events - New Theories for Extreme Weather Control
A collaborative research team led by Takemasa Miyoshi (Team Leader, Data Assimilation Research Team, RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS) / Deputy Program Director, iTHEMS) has revealed the controllability to prevent the occurrence of extreme phenomena such as heavy rainfall and high temperatures through low-dimensional ideal experiments. This research achievement is expected to contribute to the development of theoretical research aimed at controlling intensifying typhoons and torrential rains, thereby mitigating the threat of extreme weather disasters. For more details, please visit the related link.
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2023-06-20
Press Release
Evidence for the utility of quantum computing before fault tolerance
Quantum computing promises to offer substantial speed-ups over its classical counterpart for certain problems. However, the implementation of fault-tolerant quantum circuits is out of reach for current processors. The recent paper by Yantao Wu (RIKEN iTHEMS) together with the IBM and UC Berkeley teams demonstrates the measurement of accurate expectation values on a noisy IBM-Q 127-qubit processor for circuit volumes at a scale beyond brute-force classical computation. In the regime of strong entanglement for the temporal dynamics of the transverse-field Ising model, the quantum computer provides correct results for which leading classical approximations such as the tensor network methods break down. This represents evidence for the utility of quantum computing in a pre-fault-tolerant era. At the same time, their results will motivate and help advance classical approximation methods as both approaches serve as valuable benchmarks of one another.
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2023-06-14
Press Release
Ricoh and RIKEN Develop Unique Algorithm to Visualize Changing Points of Technological Trends from Literature Data
Ricoh Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Akira Oyama) and RIKEN iTHEMS (Aoyama Hideaki, Senior Visiting Scientist / Wataru Soma, Visiting Scientist) have jointly developed an algorithm to quantitatively measure and understand the points of change in new trends from existing technical literature data. For more details, please visit Ricoh group's website through the related link below.
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2023-03-31
Press Release
Predicting crypto asset price bursts using the correlation tensor of trading networks - towards secure crypto assets and the digital economy -
Cryptoassets are becoming an integral part of the digital economy. RIKEN and Kyoto University are collaborating on theoretical research to detect anomalous events such as money laundering and fraud, and to predict price bursts, by making full use of the mathematical science of networks. A research group led by Yuichi Ikeda (Professor at Kyoto Univ.), Abhijit Chakraborty (Assistant Professor at Kyoto Univ. and Visiting Research Scientist at RIKEN iTHEMS) and Tetsuo Hatsuda (RIKEN iTHEMS), has developed a novel method to analyse the spectrum of the correlation tensor corresponding to a trading network for cryptographic assets, and has developed a new method for predicting price bursts. They found that the maximum singular value of the tensor shows a significant negative correlation with the price of cryptoasset prices. Using this finding, the group gained the prospect of providing an early indicator of price bursts. For details, please refer to Kyoto University's press release article at the related links below.
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2022-12-02
Press Release
Universal Force Appearing in Quantum Fluids at Cryogenic Temperatures - Intermolecular Force in Atomic Superfluids Guided by Quantum Fluctuation
The concept of "forces acting between materials," as exemplified by the universal law of gravitation, has continued to occupy an important position in physics. An international research group including Masaru Hongo (Assistant Professor, Faculty of Science, Niigata University / Visiting Scientist, RIKEN iTHEMS) and Keisuke Fujii (Postdoctoral Researcher, University Heidelberg, Germany) have revealed from theoretical calculations that the same intermolecular force known as van der Waals force acts between particles floating in a quantum fluid at cryogenic temperatures over long distances. Atomic groups cooled to near absolute zero (several tens of nano-Kelvin) by laser technology have attracted attention in recent years as a system in which quantum states can be controlled with high precision, and they are an ideal stage for investigating forces in the microscopic world. This research has newly revealed that a universal long-range force due to quantum fluctuation acts on impurity particles in atomic superfluids realized at cryogenic temperatures. For more details, please visit Niigata University's website from the related link below.
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2022-10-27
Press Release
Probing Quark Matter with Gravitational Waves - Reading Traces of Ultra-Dense Matter from Gravitational Waves after Neutron Star Mergers
An international research group including Yongjia Huang (Student Trainee, iTHEMS) and Shigehiro Nagataki (Deputy Program Director, iTHEMS) has performed numerical simulations based on general relativity for the merger of binary neutron stars and shown that the waveform of gravitational waves emitted after the merger provides detailed readings of the properties of ultra dense matter with a density of over 1 trillion kg per cm3. This research result is expected to contribute to the clarification of the internal structure of neutron stars and the properties of ultra-dense matter in gravitational wave astronomy. For details, please see the related link.
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2022-08-29
Press Release
Is it possible to shorten isolation of people infected with new coronavirus? -Development of a simulator to verify the timing of quarantine termination
Professor Shingo Iwami (Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University / Visiting Scientist, iTHEMS), in collaboration with Assistant Professor Keisuke Ejima (Indiana University, USA), has developed a new simulator (computer simulation) to verify when to end isolation of persons infected with a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) through antigen testing. This will allow us to propose a flexible and safe isolation strategy that can terminate isolation of COVID-19-infected patients as early as possible with negative results of a predetermined number of antigen tests. Isolation of infected patients is an important means of preventing the spread of infection. While prolonged isolation reduces the risk of secondary infection, it also places various burdens on the person being isolated and the society that supports them. Using the simulator they have developed, the research group has successfully calculated "the risk of (prematurely) terminating isolation of infectious patients" and "the duration of unnecessary isolation of patients who are no longer infectious (the burden associated with isolation)." As a result, we are now able to propose an appropriate isolation strategy that takes into account individual differences and uses antigen testing to simultaneously reduce risk and burden. As we enter the era of with-colonization, in which social activities are resumed and maintained while infection prevention measures are thoroughly implemented, the successful use of antigen testing will allow for the safe implementation of educational and social activities. In contrast to the current situation where different isolation standards based on clinical and epidemiological data and empirical rules are adopted in different countries, this study is expected to contribute to the establishment of flexible isolation guidelines based on mathematical models, which are required not only in Japan but also worldwide. For more details, please visit the Nagoya University research results dissemination site from the related link.
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2022-06-06
Press Release
Common Laws of Evolution and Ecological Dynamics
The research team of Kyosuke Adachi (Special Postdoctoral Researcher, iTHEMS / Special Postdoctoral Researcher, Nonequilibrium Physics of Living Matter RIKEN Hakubi Research Team, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR)), Ryosuke Iritani (Research Scientist, iTHEMS) and Ryusuke Hamazaki (Senior Research Scientist, iTHEMS / RIKEN Hakubi Team Leader, Nonequilibrium Quantum Statistical Mechanics RIKEN Hakubi Research Team, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research (CPR)) have proposed a broadly valid formula for theoretical models of evolutionary and ecological population dynamics using methods from information theory and statistical physics. The results of this research are expected to lead to a unified framework for understanding complex population dynamics in evolutionary and ecological systems over time. For more information, please see the related link.
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2022-05-09
Press Release
Discovering Speed Limits for Macroscopic Transitions - A Unified Approach Based on the Equation of Continuity
Ryusuke Hamazaki (RIKEN Hakubi Team Leader, Nonequilibrium Quantum Statistical Mechanics RIKEN Hakubi Research Team / Senior Research Scientist, iTHEMS) has discovered a new inequality for the “speed limit," or transition rate, which is useful for physical processes that involve "macroscopic transitions". The research results are expected to have implications for nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, including the time scale of thermalization of quantum many-body systems. They are also expected to contribute to the fundamental understanding of quantum technology, e.g., the control of macroscopic quantum systems, which has become important in recent years. Please see related link for more details.
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2022-05-09
Press Release
Clear Visualization of Lamb Waves from Tonga's Undersea Volcano Eruption -The Full Picture of the Waves Captured by the Himawari-8
Takemasa Miyoshi (Deputy Program Director, iTHEMS / Team Leader, Data Assimilation Research Team, RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS)) and Shigenori Otsuka (Research Scientist, iTHEMS / Research Scientist, Data Assimilation Research Team, RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS)) have developed an original method to clearly visualize "Lamb waves," a type of sound wave associated with Tonga's undersea volcanic eruption in January 2022, using images from the Himawari 8 meteorological satellite. Furthermore, we developed a method to automatically extract the Lamb waves from this image and clarified the relationship between the distribution of arrival times and ground pressure observations. The results of this research are expected to contribute to the scientific understanding and monitoring of atmospheric waves and associated tidal fluctuations caused by volcanic eruptions, and to the development of advanced simulations and future forecasting methods by integrating observation data with large-scale atmospheric and oceanographic calculations. Please see related links for more details.
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2022-04-01
Press Release
RIKEN iTHEMS, the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University Launch New Inter-University Lecture Program Using Online Classes
The RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS), the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Tokyo and the Faculty of Science of Kyoto University will launch a new inter-university collaborative online lecture system in April 2022, offering courses on various aspects of mathematical sciences to students in both faculties. In addition to faculty members from the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University, young researchers from RIKEN and other research institutes will give a series of lectures, which students can take as courses at their respective universities and earn credits. This new lecture format allows students to learn the fundamentals and applications of mathematical science, which form the foundation of modern society, from front-line researchers as early as their undergraduate years. At the same time, it enables the development of young human resources beyond the boundaries of universities. Active discussions between young researchers and students in class are expected to lead not only to the development of basic scientific research, but also to the development of human resources who will create innovations in society in the future. For more information, please see the related link.
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2022-03-31
Press Release
Chaos theory provides hints for controlling the weather
A research team led by Takemasa Miyoshi (Deputy Program Director, iTHEMS) has devised a new theory of control simulation experiments to study weather controllability. Under a project led by the RIKEN Center for Computational Science, researchers have used computer simulations to show that weather phenomena such as sudden downpours could potentially be modified by making small adjustments to certain variables in the weather system. They did this by taking advantage of a system known as a “butterfly attractor” in chaos theory, where a system can have one of two states—like the wings of a butterfly—and that it switches back and forth between the two states depending on small changes in certain conditions. To read more, please see the related link.
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2022-03-09
Press Release
Negative string tension of a higher-charge Schwinger model via digital quantum simulation
It is known that particles with the same positive (negative) charge usually are repulsed, while particles with opposite positive and negative charges are attracted to each other. Recently, however, it was pointed out that such "common knowledge" that an attractive force acts between particles with opposite positive and negative charges does not always hold true under special situations. The research group succeeded in realizing a situation in which a repulsive force acts between particles with opposite charges in a one-dimensional quantum system called the Schwinger model by numerical simulation. This is a new application of the algorithm used in quantum computers (quantum algorithm), and is expected to contribute to our understanding of important problems such as the time evolution and the phase structure of the early universe in finite density regions, which have been difficult to analyze using conventional methods. For more details, please see the press release article from Kyoto University at related links.
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2022-03-07
Press Release
Simulation Improves Accuracy of Forecasting Heavy Rainfall in Linear Precipitation Zones -What if the most advanced weather radar could cover all of Kyushu-
A joint research team led by Dr. Takemasa Miyoshi, Team Leader of the Data Assimilation Research Team at the RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS) (Chief Scientist, Predictive Science Laboratory, Deputy Program Director, RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS)), and Dr. Yasumitsu Maejima, Postdoctoral Researcher, has announced that simulation showed significant improvement of forecasting disastrous heavy rainfall in July 2020. The results of this study showed that the state-of-the-art phased-array weather radar can significantly improve the accuracy of forecasting heavy rainfall associated with linear precipitation zones. The results of this research are expected to improve the forecasting accuracy of linear precipitation zones, which are increasingly threatened by global warming, and to lead to the proposal of new forecasting techniques and observation systems to mitigate the damage. To read more, please see the related link.
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2022-01-24
Press Release
Origin of Diverse Response Patterns in Signal Transduction - Determining Response Properties by Integrating Experiment and Theory
The ERBB family of receptors, consisting of ERBB1, ERBB2, ERBB3, and ERBB4, is a group of receptors that receive external signaling molecules. When the ERBB receptors receive signaling molecules, they bind to one another and induce phosphorylation reactions, leading to macroscopic responses such as cell proliferation and differentiation. However, it is difficult to measure the details of the binding and phosphorylation reactions of the ERBBs, and it has not been known how the various responses to signals are produced. In this study, we conducted experimental measurements using cells with various compositions of ERBBs and multiple signaling molecules and constructed a mathematical model, which incorporates all possible reactions of ERBBs. By applying the mathematical model, we succeed in explaining and predicting the experimental results on phosphorylation responses. Furthermore, we identified the reactions that play an essential role in the diversity of the phosphorylation responses. Our findings may allow us to control cell responses such as proliferation and differentiation in the future. For more details, please see the press release article from Kyoto University at related links.
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2021-12-27
Press Release
Simplifying Complex Chemical Reaction Networks - a reduction method using homological algebra
A team of researchers, Yuji Hirono (Visiting Scientist, iTHEMS), Takashi Okada (Senior Research Scientist, iTHEMS), Hiroyasu Miyazaki (Senior Research Scientist, iTHEMS) and Yoshimasa Hidaka (Visiting Scientist, iTHEMS), has developed a new method for simplifying complex chemical reaction networks using a mathematical technique called “homological algebra”. Using this method, complex networks can be simplified while preserving their important features and their properties can be studied more efficiently. The research is conducted by a team of physicists, a mathematician, and a biologist, and demonstrates the effectiveness of a cross-disciplinary approach. To read more, please see the related link.
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2021-12-15
Press Release
Universal chords played by black holes - Toward the verification of general relativity by black hole fluctuations
Naritaka Oshita (Special Postdoctoral Researcher, iTHEMS) has revealed the "universal combination" of vibration patterns of black holes that are most easily excited from theoretical calculations. This research result is expected to contribute to the measurement of the weight and rotation speed of black holes by observational data of space-time ripples (gravitational waves) propagating immediately after the merger of a binary black hole, and to the precise test of Einstein’s general theory of relativity. To read more, please see the related link (in Japanese).
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2021-10-20
Press Release
Increased number of drought-responsive genes in a tropical rainforest tree, Shorea leprosula (Dipterocarpaceae)
A collaborative research group including Dr. Jeffrey Fawcett (Senior Research Scientist, iTHEMS) has sequenced the genome of a tropical tree species, Shorea leprosula (Dipterocarpaceae), which is important for the global environment and as an imported timber. Although the trees grow in tropical East Asia, which is blessed with abundant rainfall, they unexpectedly showed an increase in drought-responsive genes, revealing the importance of rare droughts in the tropics. Global environmental change is exacerbating large-scale drought associated with El Niño Southern Oscillations (ENSO) in the tropics, and it is expected that the results of this study will be applied toward sustainable forestry and tropical rainforest conservation. For more information, please visit the Yokohama City University website.
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2021-09-17
Press Release
A New Mechanism to Explain Multispecies Coexistence in Plants - Evolutionary Rescue Caused by the Evolution of Self-Fertilization before Flowering
Koki Katsuhara (Assistant Professor, Okayama University; at the time: Kobe University), Yuuya Tachiki (Assistant Professor, Tokyo Metropolitan University), Ryosuke Iritani (Research Scientist, iTHEMS; at the time: University of California, Berkeley, University of Exeter) and Atsushi Ushimaru (Professor, Kobe University) performed simulations using an individual-based model and found that in two plant species that share the same species of pollinator and are in competition, evolutionary rescue occurs in which the evolution of higher self-fertilization rates in the rarer species results in an increase in population size, thereby promoting long-term coexistence between the two species. The results of this study add a new theory to explain why multiple flowering species can coexist in the same place, and also provide a new perspective for the evolution of diverse reproductive strategies in plants. Understanding the mechanisms that create and maintain plant diversity, which supports the basis of terrestrial ecosystems, is essential not only for understanding the origin of biodiversity, but also for forming a sustainable society in harmony with ecosystems, and is an important knowledge in both basic and applied aspects. For more information, please visit the Okayama University website at the related link.
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2021-08-31
Press Release
Supercomputer Predicts Fascinating New Particle Charmed Di-Omega - A new page toward solving the puzzle of the 6-quark states has been added -
An international collaboration including Takuya Sugiura (Postdoctoral Researcher, iTHEMS) , Tetsuo Hatsuda (Program Director, iTHEMS), and Takumi Doi (Senior Research Scientist, Quantum Hadron Physics Laboratory, RNC) has theoretically predicted the existence of a new particle called Charmed Di-Omega which consists of six charm quarks. To read more, please see the related link (in Japanese).
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2021-05-27
Press Release
First Clarification of the Network Structure of Money Flow
A collaborative research group, including Prof. Hideaki Aoyama (Senior Visiting Scientist, iTHEMS), has successfully used the latest big data network science to understand the structure of money flows between corporate accounts at regional banks. See related link for details.
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2021-05-11
Press Release
Mystery of Wasps That Produce Few Males Solved
A collaborative research group, including Dr. Ryosuke Iritani (Research Scientist, iTHEMS), has solved the mystery of wasps that produce only a few percent of males. See related link for details.
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2021-03-12
Press Release
The future may come when each of us can carry around a black hole as information storage device
-- Imagining and prototyping future information storage devices based on scientific theories.-- The first prototype of the Useless Prototyping Studio, "Black Hole Recorder," has been completed and is now on display at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation from March 14 (Sun.) to 21 (Sun.), 2021. The "Useless Prototyping Studio", which uses seemingly useless prototypes to visualize the possibility that curiosity about the unknown can create the future, has created its first prototype, the "Black Hole Recorder," a future information storage device. The outline and background information are available on a special website released today, March 12. In addition, as an opportunity for the general public to view the recorder, it will be exhibited at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Koto-ku, Tokyo, from March 14 (Sunday), the birthday of Albert Einstein and the death anniversary of Stephen Hawking, the two scientists who developed the basic theory of black holes. The Black Hole Recorder is a prototype black hole storage device developed with an eye to the future where black holes can be controlled and used as a device to store information. Based on the motif of a phonograph, it implements a device that can record huge amounts of data. In addition to storing large amounts of information, it is also capable of retrieving the information it has captured. Since the invention of writing thousands of years ago, humans have evolved the media and technologies for recording information from paper, printing, photography, phonograph, video, and data. In recent years, developments have been made to see how large a quantity of information can be stored. And in the future, we can think of the possibility of a time when black holes can be used as information storage and carried around in our pockets.
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2021-02-24
Press Release
Press Release from Chandra, NuSTAR and INAF on 34th Happy Birthday of SN1987A
The paper "Indication of a Pulsar Wind Nebula in the hard X-ray emission from SN 1987A" by Dr. Shigehiro Nagataki (Deputy Program Director, iTHEMS), Dr. Masaomi Ono (Research Scientist, iTHEMS) and Mr. Akira Dohi (Junior Research Associate, iTHEMS) was published in the NASA and INAF press releases on February 23, 2021 (SN1987A's 34th birthday!). The following is a message from Dr. Nagataki; "We detected high-energy X-rays by NuSTAR, which are likely to come from activities of pulsar wind nebula of SN1987A (it has been a big mystery why the neutron star in SN1987A has not been detected for 34 years since Prof. Koshiba et al. detected neutrinos at the birth of proto-neutron star in SN198A). Our paper will be published by Astrophysical Journal Letters this week."
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2021-02-10
Press Release
Developed a new theory "Diagrammatic expansion of information flows in stochastic Boolean networks"
A research collaboration of Dr. Fumito Mori (Assistant Professor, Education and Research Center for Mathematical and Data Science/Faculty of Design, Kyushu University) and Dr. Takashi Okada (Senior Research Scientist, RIKEN iTHEMS) has developed a new theory for "Diagrammatic expansion of information flows in stochastic Boolean networks". For more details, please see the related links.
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2021-02-04
Press Release
Untangling the complexity of market competition in consumer goods—A complex Hilbert PCA analysis
A research collaboration of Prof. Makoto Mizuno (the Faculty of Commerce, Meiji University), Prof. Hideaki Aoyama (Senior Visiting Scientist, RIKEN iTHEMS) and others has developed a new econophysics method applicable to analyze marketing data. For more details, please see the related links.
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2020-12-09
Press Release
RIKEN iTHEMS Launches "Useless Prototyping Studio" Project to Inspire the Human Mind with Seemingly Useless Prototypes
RIKEN iTHEMS Launches "Useless Prototyping Studio" Project to inspire the human mind with seemingly useless prototypes. The prototypes based on the theories/hypotheses of scientists embody the potential to transform the future. The first trailer "Can the black hole be an information storage in the future?" on the teaser site Published today. RIKEN iTHEMS will launch the "Useless Prototyping Studio", a project to inspire the human mind with seemingly useless prototypes on Wednesday, December 9. We also publish a project overview and a preview of the first prototype "Can the black hole be an information storage in the future?" on the teaser site, which is available on the same day. Project Overview "Useless Prototyping Studio" is a design studio that aims to create new relationships between science and the society by creating prototypes that look useless at first glance but inspire the human mind. Based on scientific theories/hypotheses derived from the "curiosity for the unknown" of scientists, we imagine the possibility of these theories/hypotheses to change the future, and visualize the potential of science for the future by materializing the prototypes. The studio will be led by RIKEN iTHEMS, with the creative boutiques "SCHEMA" and "addict" as initial partners. As the project progresses, the number of partners and participating members will be expanded. - Overview of "Useless Prototyping Studio" - [Name] Useless Prototyping Studio [URL] https://uselessprototyping.jp [Launch date] December 9, 2020 (Wednesday) to launch the teaser site [Theme] The theme of the first prototype: "What's inside the black hole?" [Prototype first announced] Scheduled for early March 2021 [Project Participation Members] RIKEN iTHEMS SCHEMA addict
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2020-11-19
Press Release
The longest "rulers" in the universe -- Gamma-Ray Bursts associated with Kilonovae are the new standard candles
An international collaborative research group led by Maria Dinotti (Senior Research Scientist, iTHEMS) and Shigehiko Nagataki (Deputy Program Director, iTHEMS) has discovered that gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which occur simultaneously with kilonovae, are effective as standard candles for measuring the distance of the universe. The results of this research show the potential to make use of GRBs for cosmology in the near future, to estimate the amount of dark energy and dark matter in the universe.
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2020-11-09
Press Release
Online event "Do you really know what the black hole is?" (iTHEMS x academist)
On December 6, 2020, iTHEMS and academist will have an online event "Do you really know what the black hole is?" Forefront physicists will explain theories and observations of blackholes behind the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics.
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2020-10-27
Press Release
Established RIKEN SUURI CORPORATION with investment from RIKEN, RIKEN Innovation Co., Ltd., and JSOL
-Building a New Innovation Platform through Collaboration between Academia and Business- RIKEN, RIKEN Innovation Co., Ltd. and JSOL Corporation have jointly established RIKEN SUURI CORPORATION, effective October 1, 2020. This is RIKEN's first investment in a venture. RIKEN, Japan's only research institute for the natural sciences, has a wealth of research and development capabilities that have been cultivated over its more than 100-year history, the first product to be brought to the market by RIKEN's investment was neither state-of-the-art equipment nor a drug, but "the best brains in the mathematical sciences itself". RIKEN SUURI CORPORATION aims to be a company that maximizes the use of mathematical sciences to solve the fundamental problems of society.
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2020-10-27
Press Release
Research Collaboration Agreement Signed to Expand the Field of Multi-Messenger - RIKEN CPR, iTHEMS and ICRR The University of Tokyo
By October 22, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, iTHEMS and Institute for Cosmic Ray Research concluded a research collaboration agreement to further promote research cooperation in the field of multi-messenger cosmic ray physics, including joint research and personnel exchanges.
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2020-08-03
Press Release
Tetsuo Hatsuda × Yoshinori Ohsumi × Sayaka Oki Online Discussion: "The Usefulness of 'Useless' Knowledge" will be held on August 22!
academist, Inc. and RIKEN iTHEMS are pleased to announce the presentation of "Tetsuo Hatsuda x Yoshinori Ohsumi x Sayaka Oki Online Discussion: "The Usefulness of ‘Useless' Knowledge" on Saturday, August 22, 2020 at 1:00 pm.
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2020-07-10
Press Release
When adaptation promotes coexistence
Peafowl males have prominent ornaments, birds song for courtship, and flowers are beautiful and attractive for pollen transporters. Such characteristics appear to be adaptive at the level of individuals, but do not necessarily increase population growth rate. Therefore, these are, at the level of species, “wasteful”, making the species weaker to other species in competition for resources. Our collaboration group named this process as “intra-specific adaptation load,” and developed mathematical models, showing that strong intra-specific competition leads to a coexistence of a number of species that would have otherwise excluded each other (“competitive exclusion”). This new mechanism, which has been rarely considered in biodiversity research, may actually play a pivotal role in maintaining the biodiversity on earth.
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2020-07-09
Press Release
Black Hole as a Quantum Field Configuration
A joint research team led by Yuki Yokokura, a senior researcher at the Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program at RIKEN, has theoretically described the interior of an evaporating black hole using quantum mechanics and general relativity. The results of this research will provide an insight into the nature of black holes, and are expected to provide a basic theory of "black hole engineering" that will utilize black holes as devices to store information in the distant future. The study was published in the online scientific journal Universe on June 4.
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2020-03-05
Press Release
New Hypernucleus "Xi-Tetrabaryon" -- Unravelling the behavior of Xi-particle by high-precision computations
An international research group including Dr. Tetsuo Hatsuda (Program Director, iTHEMS), and Takumi Doi (Senior Research Scientist, iTHEMS / Quantum Hadron Physics Laboratory, RIKEN) has theoretically predicted the existence of a new hyper-nucleus (hypernucleus), the Xi-Tetrabaryon, consisting of one Xi-particle and three nucleons. Please see the related link for details
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2019-09-04
Press Release
Genomic analysis of 370 Japanese Thoroughbred horses: the genetic background of why Thoroughbreds can run fast
Humans have been trying to improve Thoroughbreds by selectively breeding horses that can run fast. Each generation, a small number of males are selected to breed so that only these “elite” males can pass on their genes to the following generation. In this study, we examined how this continuous artificial selection has affected the evolution of the genomes of Thoroughbreds. First, we found that the genetic diversity is low in Thoroughbreds due to repeated inbreeding since even before the establishment of Thoroughbreds. Second, we found several regions that exhibit signatures of artificial selection. These regions typically show locally reduced genetic variation and should contain genes that are important for the athletic performance of Thoroughbreds. This study opens the way for genomic information to be utilized in the selective breeding of Thoroughbreds.
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