My research aims to understand the Earth's deep interior by observing　elementary particles called neutrinos. Neutrino is a kind of elementary particle, which has no electric charge and is highly transmissive. Therefore, they can reach the detector while retaining the information about their generation. Observation of neutrinos produced by the decay of radioactive materials in the Earth's interior (geo-neutrinos) are expected to elucidate the composition and structure of the Earth's deep interior, as well as the mysteries of the formation of the Earth.

The KamLAND experiment, let by the Research Center for Neutrino Science, has advantages of a large 1000-ton liquid scintillator and a low-background environment to make the world's first geo-neutrino observations in 2005, and since pioneer a new field of neutrino geo-science. I investigate how many neutrinos arrive from the Earth's interior by analyzing the data. Of course, the data contains backgrounds, and it is important to estimate them precisely using simulations. Recently, I have been working on using machine learning to improve resolution and particle identification.

I have been somewhat interested in science since I was a child, but it was not until I was in high school that I became clearly interested in physics. I was attracted to the fact that there are universal laws for the phenomena around us and that they can be described by mathematical formulas.

I became interested in neutrinos after entering university. Neutrinos are actually very familiar elementary particles, for example, passing through our palm at a rate of about 10 trillion per second. However, we do not feel them. Studying the properties of such neutrinos is essential for the development of elementary particle physics, and is an important piece of our understanding of the origin of the universe. Neutrinos are also used in astronomy to study the sun and supernovae, and in geo-science to study the interior of the earth. I felt romantic about neutrinos, which can solve many mysteries.

The world is still full of mysteries. Scientists are trying to reveal them using the scientific method. Tohoku University is blessed with an environment where even students can participate in such research. Let’s do research together!