DATE2026.04.13 #Awards & Prizes
Associate Professor Yuta Michimura received the 2026 Young Scientist Award from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Associate Professor Yuta Michimura
Associate Professor Yuta Michimura of Research Center for the Early Universe has been awarded the Young Scientists’ Award in the FY2026 Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The award recognizes his research titled “Exploration of New Physics through Precision Measurements Using Laser Interferometers.”
Modern physics has advanced significantly through quantum theory, which describes the world of elementary particles, and gravitational theory, which explains the universe. However, a unified theory integrating these frameworks has yet to be established, and the nature of dark matter—which constitutes most of the universe—remains unknown. It is believed that undiscovered physical laws may underlie these unresolved problems, and experiments and observations aimed at uncovering them are being conducted worldwide.
Associate Professor Michimura has pursued multifaceted searches for new physics by incorporating original innovations into precise optical measurements using laser interferometers. In experiments employing asymmetric optical ring resonators, he conducted long-term measurements to detect differences in the speed of light depending on its direction of propagation, achieving the world’s highest precision test of Lorentz invariance, a cornerstone of relativity. In dark matter research, he was also a pioneer in proposing and implementing axion searches using optical ring resonators, based on the idea of precisely measuring the polarization state of light. Furthermore, leveraging the unique features of the gravitational wave detector KAGRA, he has explored new approaches to detecting vector dark matter, including attempts to identify unknown forces using sapphire mirrors.
These studies approach unresolved problems in physics and astronomy from novel perspectives. By utilizing a wide range of experimental platforms—from independently developed small-scale apparatus to existing large-scale observational facilities—his work systematically examines diverse possibilities and is expected to see further significant developments in the future.
(Responsibility: Professor Masaki Ando, Department of Physics / Research Center for the Early Universe (RESCEU), Graduate School of Science)