KAGRA

A mystery which reaches from the universe aims to detection of "gravity wave" Tokyo large Institute for Cosmic Ray Research of observation facility "KAGRA" is
It was completed in the basement of Gifu Prefecture Hida Kamioka-cho.
When the gravity wave is a very heavy celestial body is moved violently, occurs distortion in space under the influence of gravity, it is like a wave
Phenomenon going transmitted far. Einstein but it predicted the presence in about 100 years ago on the basis of the theory of relativity,
Direct the observed examples are not.
Kagura is a structure connecting the length of three kilometers of tunnel in L-shaped, at the same time firing the laser in two directions from the center.
When the gravitational wave arrives to stretch distorted space in the tunnel, the time until the laser has come back is reflected in the mirror
We detect a slight difference from occurring. Vibration I was built in small underground 200 meters. The total construction cost is 15.5 billion yen.
Start the test observed during this fiscal year. If we are in full-scale observations in 2017 fiscal year through the additional work, and that captured the gravity wave within a year. If successful in the world's first observation, following the Super-Kamiokande that Kajita Takaaki Mr. award was decided the Nobel Prize in Physics has discovered the mass of the particle neutrino, the third Nobel Prize certainly at the facility group of Kamioka
It is with.
But Western also aims to observation in a similar facility, competition is fierce. Three generations tree, Associate Professor of the institute
Is all fired up as "I want to come realize humanity's first observation".
Observation of gravitational wave astronomical phenomena and that were not captured in the light or X-rays, help to elucidate the mysteries of the universe at the time of birth.
Kajita said of the Institute to oversee Kagura out the results, such as born a new research field from the land of "Kamioka
We want "and to put the expected. By all means, we want to expect the first observations humanity.



宇宙から届く謎の「重力波」の検出を目指す東京大宇宙線研究所の観測施設「ＫＡＧＲＡ」が
岐阜県飛騨市神岡町の地下に完成した。
　重力波は非常に重い天体が激しく動いたとき、重力の影響で空間にゆがみが生じ、それが波のように
遠くまで伝わっていく現象。アインシュタインが相対性理論に基づき約１００年前に存在を予言したが、
直接観測した例はない。
　かぐらは長さ３キロのトンネルをＬ字形につなげた構造で、中心部からレーザーを２方向に同時に発射。
重力波が届くとトンネル内の空間がゆがんで伸縮し、レーザーが鏡で反射して戻ってくるまでの時間に
わずかな差が生じるのを検出する。振動が少ない地下２００メートルに建設した。総工費は１５５億円。
　今年度中に試験観測を開始。追加工事を経て平成２９年度に本格観測に入れば、１年以内に重力波を捉えられるという。世界初の観測に成功すれば、ノーベル物理学賞の受賞が決まった梶田隆章氏が素粒子ニュートリノの質量を発見したスーパーカミオカンデに続き、神岡の施設群で３つ目のノーベル賞が確実
とされる。
　ただ欧米も類似の施設で観測を目指しており、競争は激しい。同研究所の三代木准教授は
「人類初の観測をぜひ実現したい」と意気込む。
　重力波の観測は光やＸ線などでは捉えられなかった天文現象や、宇宙誕生時の謎の解明に役立つ。
かぐらを統括する同研究所長の梶田氏は「神岡の地から新たな研究分野が生まれるような成果が出て
ほしい」と期待を込める。　ぜひ、人類初の観測結果を期待したいですね。