Our research focuses on fundamental scientific questions of common interest to humankind, that we address by carrying out nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry experiments using accelerators.

For example, how many elements can exist on earth? How can they be produced? What new physics and chemistry will they reveal? What can the properties of heavy nuclei tell us about the origin of elements?

A large part of our research is conducted at the JAEA Tandem accelerator laboratory in Tokai, Japan. The JAEA Tandem is one of the few facilities in the world where targets made of nuclei heavier than uranium can be irradiated by accelerated beams of heavy ions. By using this facility and developing unique, state-of-the-art experimental equipment, we produce rare heavy elements and atomic nuclei in extreme regions and study their properties.