Research Support
SPIRITS

Opening international window of integrated science based on millimeter sensing technology ー cosmology and earth science

Project Gist

Opening international window of integrated science based on millimeter-wave sensing technology – cosmology and earth science.

Keywords

Millimeter-wave sensing, Cosmic microwave background (CMB), Atmospheric water vapor

Background and Purpose

A millimeter-wave sensing has big potential to research cosmology as well as earth science towards to weather forecasts for heavy local rains and tornados. In particular, a technology for observing cosmic microwave background (CMB) which is the oldest “light” in the Universe can be applied for a high-sensitive monitoring of an atmospheric water vapor. The water vapor is an important information for the weather forecasting. We reinforce existing networks: a network for the CMB observation and a network for the atmospheric water vapor monitoring. We also construct a wider international network based on sensing technologies in each network.

Project Achievements

We (our international network consists of Japan, Spain and Korea) constructed a Japanese CMB telescope in the Teide Observatory in Spain, we have started its observation there. Based on this collaboration works and discussions supported by the SPIRITS, our network is reinforced. We made efforts that young members in our group will be responsible and visible, e.g. assigning them as leaders of sub-projects in our research. We success to promote them to be PI (principal investigator) for new grant application. These achievements have constructed the wider international network including existing ones. In particular, we have gotten three additional grants under supports by the SPIRITS.

Future Prospects

We will push our research based on the network constructed by the SPIRITS. One of our next steps is an application to the big grant whose budget size is approximately five million dollars. We also reinforce our educational network. Inviting a foreign member as a lecturer is its initial step.

Figure

Osamu TAJIMA and CMB telescope developed in Japan
CMB telescope “GroundBIRD” deployed at Teide Observatory in Canary Islands
Roundtable news

Joint Research/Academic Institutions Abroad

The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (Spain), University of Pennsylvania (United States), Princeton University (United States), Netherlands Institute for Space Research (Netherlands), Delft University of Technology (Netherlands), Korea University (The Republic of Korea)

Principal Investigator

TAJIMA Osamu

・TAJIMA Osamu
・Graduate school of Science
・My research interest is proving the origin of the Universe and matters. Observation of cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) is one of the best probes for this research subject.
・URL:http://www-he.scphys.kyoto-u.ac.jp/research/CMB/member.html