Japan’sโค KEK Laboratory Probes โUniverse’sโค Originsโฃ with โขPowerful Particle Accelerator
TSUKUBA, JAPAN – November 28, 2025 – Scientists โat Japan’s High Energyโค Accelerator Researchโ Institution (KEK) โare utilizing cutting-edge particle accelerator technology to unravel the mysteries of the universe, including conditions immediately following the Big Bang and theโค imbalance between matter and antimatter. โขLocated in Tsukuba, KEK operates as aโฃ gigantic “super โlaboratory” employing particle beams traveling at near light speed โto explore the fundamental building blocks of reality.
KEK’s research centers around powerful machines – particle accelerators – โฃthat propel electrons โand protons at incredible velocities. These acceleratedโข particles, โguided by strong magnets,โข emit synchrotron radiation, a highlyโข intense light source enabling detailed observation of materials at the atomic and subatomic levels. This allows researchers to analyze everything fromโ the structure of proteins and crystals to the compositionโ of materials used inโข advanced batteries and new medicines.โค
Beyond โmaterial โscience, KEK’s experiments involve colliding particles โto break them โdown into even smaller components like quarks and leptons. By studying these fundamental particles, scientists aim to understand the โformation of matter, the state of the universe โขafter the Big Bang, and the reason matter prevails over antimatter – a crucial factor for the โexistence of planets, stars, and life itself.
KEK โcollaborates with J-Parc, another major โคJapanese laboratory, โtoโ produce particles suchโ as muons, neutrons, โขand neutrinos. โฃNeutrons are used โฃfor non-destructive material inquiry, muons function as a powerful form ofโฃ x-rayโข imaging, and โคneutrinos provide insights into the fundamental forces governing theโฃ universe.
Oneโค of KEK’s โflagshipโ projects, Belle 2, utilizes aโ massive detector โconnected to the SuperKekb accelerator. This project focuses on studying B โmesons โฃto investigate why the universeโฃ is dominated by matter rather than being annihilated by antimatter.
Alongโค with its research endeavors, โฃKEK โฃfosters the next generation of scientists throughโ Sodenkai, a linked postgraduate university.Thousandsโฃ of researchers from Japan and around the globe travel to KEK annually to โconduct โฃexperiments requiring โits unique facilities.
KEK’s overarching mission is to deepen our understanding of the universe, from its smallest particles to โits largest โstructures, and to translate thisโ knowledge into technologies that benefit society, protect the surroundings, and improve quality of life.
