RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics

RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics
Name	RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics
Established	2010
Type	Research institute
Location	Wako, Saitama; Kobe
Parent organization	RIKEN

RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics is an institute within RIKEN focused on photonics research spanning optics, lasers, and quantum photonics. The center links foundational research with applied projects, engaging with institutions such as University of Tokyo, Osaka University, Kyoto University, Keio University, and Tohoku University to advance technologies used in industry and medicine. Its work intersects with initiatives involving Japan Science and Technology Agency, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and international programs including collaborations with National Institutes of Health, Max Planck Society, CNRS, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

History

The center was formed from restructuring within RIKEN that followed strategic reviews involving Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Science Council of Japan, and advisory input from researchers linked to Nobel Prize in Physics laureates and leaders at Institute of Optics (University of Rochester), Bell Labs, and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Early leadership engaged scientists previously affiliated with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Hitachi, Toshiba, Fujitsu, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to coordinate technology transfer towards sectors represented by Toyota, Sony, Panasonic, and Canon. Milestones included inauguration of facilities in Wako and expansion to Kobe campuses, and the establishment of joint centers with RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and RIKEN Center for Computational Science.

Research Areas

The center focuses on laser science linked to research topics pioneered by Theodore Maiman and Arthur Ashkin, drawing on nonlinear optics traditions from Gordon Gould and quantum optics from Roy Glauber. Key areas include ultrafast lasers related to work by Donna Strickland, Gerard Mourou, and attosecond science following Paul Corkum; quantum photonics resonant with research from Anton Zeilinger, Alain Aspect, and John Clauser; nonlinear and integrated photonics building on advances by Eli Yablonovitch and Markus Aspelmeyer; biomedical optics inspired by Frits Zernike and Xavier Intes; and photonic materials research connected to the legacies of Hideo Hosono and Akira Yoshino. Programs address imaging modalities influenced by Raymond Damadian, Gabor, and Georges Charpak, as well as sensing techniques aligned with work from Theodor Schawlow, Charles Townes, and Emilio Segrè.

Facilities and Instrumentation

Laboratories host systems resembling instruments developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and European XFEL, including ultrafast laser suites informed by designs from Central Laser Facility (UK), cryogenic quantum optics setups paralleling NIST facilities, and terahertz spectroscopy platforms akin to those at Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light. Cleanrooms support photonic integrated circuit fabrication comparable to IMEC and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland capabilities. Imaging cores deploy multiphoton microscopes in line with technologies from Carl Zeiss AG, Nikon Corporation, and Leica Microsystems, while collaborative beamlines reflect partnerships with SPring-8, SPring-8 Angstrom Compact Free Electron Laser, and Photon Factory.

Collaborations and Partnerships

The center maintains formal links with universities including Nagoya University, Hokkaido University, Kyushu University, Waseda University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and University of Tsukuba, and industry partners such as NEC Corporation, Sharp Corporation, Ricoh, Sumitomo Electric Industries, and Mitsubishi Electric. International ties include programs with Harvard University, Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, Oxford University, Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, University of Cambridge, École Polytechnique, Seoul National University, Tsinghua University, and Peking University. Funding and project consortia have involved European Research Council, Horizon 2020, DARPA, NICT, and private foundations like Toyota Research Institute and Sony Corporation Research Grants.

Education and Outreach

The center hosts postgraduate researchers affiliated with graduate programs at University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University Graduate School, and Osaka University Graduate School, and runs training initiatives with RIKEN BSI Research Initiative, summer schools modeled after CLEO and SPIE programs, and internship schemes connected to Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowships and Fulbright Program exchanges. Outreach includes public lectures coordinated with National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan), exhibitions alongside Science Museum, London-style outreach, and participation in events like World Expo exhibitions, Japan Open Innovation Expo, and science festivals sponsored by Japan Foundation.

Awards and Achievements

Researchers at the center have received honors citing work in optics and photonics comparable to awards such as the Nobel Prize in Physics, Wolf Prize in Physics, Japan Prize, Crafoord Prize, Buckley Prize, IEEE Photonics Award, and SPIE Gold Medal. The center’s teams contributed to breakthroughs recognized by Nature, Science, Physical Review Letters, Optica (society) publications and patents filed with the Japan Patent Office and international patent offices, and have been selected for competitive grants from Japan Science and Technology Agency and MEXT programs.

Category:Research institutes in Japan