国際リニアコライダーに関する書き込みです♪
This entry is about the International Linear Collider (ILC) which is a next-generation particle accelerator that seeks to discover more about the science of our universe. Japan's candidate site has been chosen and the straight underground tunnel used for acceleration would be built in Ichinoseki and Oshu cities of Iwate Prefecture, and Kesennuma City of Miyagi Prefecture once extended to its full length of some 50km.
いちのせきリニアコライダー通信 ILCニュースVol.7 ↓
http://www.city.ichinoseki.iwate.jp/index.cfm/1,31640,c,html/31640/20131125-100913.pdf
This link is the latest issue (Volume 7) of the ILC newsletter issued by Ichinoseki City.
いちのせきリニアコライダー通信 ILCニュースVol.6を英訳して、この書き込みの下のほうにその８割ほどを貼ることができました（文字制限で全訳はアップ出来ませんでした）。
I translated Volume 6 of the newsletter in October and November (Volume 6 being the latest issue at that time) and have pasted about 80 percent of it at the bottom of this entry (space limits precluded uploading the lot.)
岩手県庁ILC推進担当によるFacebookページです↓
https://www.facebook.com/ilc.pref.iwate.jp
This facebook page is run by the Iwate Prefectural government and where I learnt of the below three ILC events.
次の３つのイベントのことをこのページに投稿されたお知らせで知りました。
いちのせきリニアコライダー通信 ILCニュースVol.6 ↓
http://www.city.ichinoseki.iwate.jp/index.cfm/1,31640,c,html/31640/20130819-105831.pdf
Below is my translation of Volume 6 of Ichinoseki City's ILC News. I've been able to upload about 80 percent of it. The link above is the original Japanese.
Physics researchers from Japan and overseas visit Kitakami mountains
20 researchers from Japan and abroad who attended "The Higgs Boson and Beyond," an international conference regarding the International Linear Collider (ILC) and other next-generation particle accelerators, visited the town of Higashiyama on June 9 to tour the Kitakami ILC site.
The tour was organized by Tohoku University, which hosted the conference, to further understanding of the geology and surrounding environment of the Kitakami mountain range - one of the candidate sites in Japan for construction of the ILC.
Tour participants were briefed at the Higashiyama Regional Exchange Center by Tomoyuki Sanuki, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics, Tohoku University, on the planned route for the ILC and geological features of the region.
Sanuki explained that firm bedrock suitable for construction of the ILC was widely prevalent in the area and showed cylindrical core samples of earth obtained from boring surveys carried out between December 2012 and May this year. He also showed participants a map of the planned route and surrounding area which featured 3D technology, furthering understanding of the site.
Participants asked questions about the distance to the center of underground tunnels where equipment would be installed to detect experiment results, about transportation access to the site, the climate in Iwate Prefecture, and so on.
A participant from a university research facility in Germany said: "Research at the ILC will be conducted over a long period of time. Some people prefer a lively location but this is a quiet place which looks like good research can be done."
Sanuki said: "The Tohoku region is often thought of as not having much to offer, but it has lots of nature and great food. The purpose of this tour was to have researchers see the area around the site and to note what's good about it. We also had the researchers travel the short distance to the nearest bullet train station, and I think they left with a good impression."
The group visited tourist spots Geibi Gorge in Higashiyama as well as Motsuji and Chusonji temples in the town of Hiraizumi, enjoying the early summer atmosphere of the Ichinoseki area.
ILC lessons by Professor Saito of JGU in Mainz, Germany
Special lessons about the ILC were held for young students in Iwate Prefecture between June 25 and July 5, organized by the Iwate Prefecture Conference for the Promotion of the ILC and SAVE IWATE, a support team for areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The lessons were held with the aim of raising interest in basic science and particle physics by learning about the nature of ILC research and its significance. Lessons in Ichinoseki City were held at Fujisawa Elementary on June 28, at Ichinoseki Dai-ni High on July 2, at Ichinoseki Junior High on July 3, at Higashiyama Junior High on July 4 and Senmaya Junior High on July 5. The lessons were conducted by Professor Takehiko Saito of Johannes Gutenburg University (JGU) in Mainz, Germany, who spoke about the makings of the universe and basic concepts of particle physics.
Around 80 children from the 5th and 6th grades attended the lesson at Fujisawa Elementary. Saito spoke about the fourth-dimension in a light and simple way by referring to the fourth-dimensional pocket of comic/cartoon character "Doraemon," and Iwate mascot "Sobacchi." Saito also said that if the ILC was built in Kitakami then "Iwate would become a world center for science and that world-leading technology would be born in Iwate," and called for the children to "turn their eyes to the world and to learn not just English but another language as well."
Report on geological surveys in Kitakami mountains
A meeting was held at the Ohara Community Center in the town of Daito on June 23 to report on the results of geological surveys carried out in the Kitakami mountain range by Tohoku University and the Iwate Prefectural government.
It was reported that the results of boring surveys and other measurements "substantiated that the earth at the candidate site was firm and extremely suitable for construction of the ILC."
The surveys, carried out from December last year to May this year along the route where ILC construction is deemed possible with absolute certainty, included cylindrical boring samples taken to examine geological strata, elastic wave prospecting conducted to measure vibration in the earth, and walking along the route to take surface surveys.
Associate Professor Sanuki of Tohoku University said boring surveys carried out in the vicinity of Mount Soma, where the middle of the ILC tunnel would be located, confirmed that "there were no fractures in the earth and it is of a level of hardness one can rarely find in Japan." Of the elastic wave prospecting, he said that "figures were recorded which are normally unthinkable,"confirming the extremely stable state of the earth. Regarding concerns about weathering and other deterioration of granite in low altitudes where the tunnel would come close to the surface, Sanuki said that while there were more fractures observed in the area near Hitokabe River in Oshu City compared to other areas in the Kitakami mountain range, they did not present any problem whatsoever to construction of the ILC.
With regard to active faults, Sanuki said: "We knew there were none, and as expected they were not observed in the results of detailed surveys which included points doubted even in the slightest," and finished with saying: "all of the survey results have confirmed that the land is very suitable for ILC construction."
Residents at the meeting also put on 3D glasses to look at a map on display of the planned route for ILC construction and the surroundings, enabling them to get a better understanding of the area.
Building momentum: meetings on the renaissance of Tohoku
On June 30, a symposium titled "Revitalizing Japan - A nation built on science, technology and centered on the ILC - The potential of Tohoku" was hosted by the Tohoku Conference for the Promotion of the ILC and held at the head office in Tokyo of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren).
The symposium was held to emphasize the significance of making the ILC a reality and called for a revitalization of Japan via leading technology. It highlighted the state of a united Tohoku and its readiness to be chosen as Japan's candidate site, noting Tohoku's potential to rejuvenate Japan. Some 300 people from business and economic circles in Tokyo attended the symposium.
Susumu Satomi, joint head of the Tohoku Conference for the Promotion of the ILC, greeted those in attendance and said: "The ILC is the kind of facility that will change the world. Europe and the United States are united in their desire to have the ILC built in Japan. I hope that through this symposium the national government of Japan adopts it as a national project and participates in bidding to host the ILC."
Toru Yamashita, Associate Professor at the International Center for Elementary Particle Physics, University of Tokyo, and Hiroya Masuda, former governor of Iwate Prefecture and current head of the Japan Policy Council, provided an overview of the ILC and spoke about its flow on effects as well as the significance of bringing it to Tohoku.
Masakazu Yoshioka, visiting professor at Tohoku University and Iwate University, guided the discussion and panellists Takuya Tasso, governor of Iwate Prefecture, Yoshihiro Murai, governor of Miyagi Prefecture, Kenichi Omura, chairman of the Tohoku PPP/PFI Association, and Yukako Uchinaga, vice-chairman of Benesse Corporation, shared opinions.
On June 31, Mr Satomi, Mr Tasso, Mr Murai, Osamu Katsube, mayor of Ichinoseki City, and others visited Ichita Yamamoto, Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy, and visited the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to submit a request for the national government to promptly announce Japan's desire to host the ILC.
On June 29, a meeting for residents of Iwate was held in Morioka City, hosted by the Iwate Prefecture Conference for the Promotion of the ILC. A resolution was adopted which promotes initiatives aimed at bringing the people of Tohoku together and the ILC to Tohoku.
Residents of Iwate Prefecture and members of the Iwate Prefecture Conference for the Promotion of the ILC from business, academia and government circles attended the meeting, totalling some 380 people and exceeding capacity of the venue. Chairman Katsutoshi Motomochi told the gathering: "The ILC is a project which will give dreams and hope to Tohoku so that it can recover from the damage inflicted by the Great East Japan Earthquake. I hope that Iwate and all of Tohoku comes together to work on it."
Professor Takehiko Saito of Johannes Gutenburg University (JGU) in Mainz, Germany, gave a presentation titled "From the ground of an International Research Organization" and Professor Eiichiro Kokubo, of the Division of Theoretical Astronomy at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, presented with the title "From stardust to the Earth."
"If the ILC is realized in Tohoku, Iwate will become a global hub for science and technology, and people will be able to interact with the world from Iwate. What's important for a large-scale research center is a network with local universities. At German research centers, research from local students is given priority, and as a result science education has improved on a broad scale, and other areas of education have also been enriched," Professor Saito said, calling for the establishment of a science department at Iwate University.
Professor Kokubo said that in the field of astronomy there is 'observational astronomy' in which people see the universe, 'theoretical astronomy' in which people think about the physics of the universe, and recently 'simulated astronomy' has developed, in which computers are used to recreate the universe and conduct experiments, replicating the process of stardust forming a planet. He said the computers act as a telescope, showing us the universe we can't see.
Completion of the Technical Design Report
A ceremony titled "The International Linear Collider - Worldwide Event - From Design to Reality" was held at the University of Tokyo on June 12 to mark the completion of the Technical Design Report (TDR), which sets out the details of construction of the ILC.
Some 150 researchers and others attended the event, at which Chair of the Linear Collider Board, Professor Sachio Komamiya of the Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, handed Linear Collider Collaboration Director Lyn Evans the completed TDR.
Komamiya expressed his desire to make the ILC a reality, saying he wanted to sound out governments which would be involved in construction and determine how costs would be shared.
Evans said the completed report "contains all the elements necessary, and that now the time for the dream to become a reality had come," adding that he strongly hoped Japan would put up its hand as host for the site.
The TDR is a refined edition of the draft handed over in December 2012, and contains estimates of construction costs and other information. With this, technical considerations regarding construction have been completed, and the project takes the next step forward.
Various organizations and community associations in Ichinoseki City are making efforts to promote hosting the ILC in Tohoku.
The Ichinoseki Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has hung a 10 meter-long and 1-meter wide banner on the wall of its building outside Ichinoseki station. The banner, readily visible to citizens and visitors using the station, contains a message of bringing the ILC to Tohoku and includes the logo the city designed for its promotional campaign.
The ICCI and the Ryoban Industrial Plaza (RIP) have also produced 1,000 posters of the same design, measuring 72cm long and 25cm wide. The posters have been distributed to member companies for display in their offices and stores, and both the ICCI and RIP plan to use them in future events.
The Ichinoseki branch of the Iwate Trucking Association has produced 1,400 stickers for display on members' trucks and vehicles. The stickers are 21cm long and 62cm wide and feature an image of the linear collider as well as a welcoming message. Stuck to the sides and rears of vehicles, they serve as a kind of mobile advertising, promoting hosting the ILC in Tohoku as they travel throughout the country.
ILC-themed flower beds
Community associations in the towns of Senmaya and Higashiyama have prepared gardens with ILC themes. One garden in Senmaya has arranged plants in the shape of the letters ILC and other plants around them in the shape of a tunnel, while one garden in Higashiyama has arranged plants which spell a message of bringing the ILC to Ichinoseki, as well as plants arranged in the shape of the city emblem. The gardens will be at their best in autumn when the colorful flowers are in full bloom, which residents eagerly look forward to along with news of the final decision of where Japan's ILC candidate site will be.
Sending speakers to ILC seminars
Speakers are being sent to seminars and workshops held by organizations and community associations in the city, to further understanding by residents and build on the momentum of Tohoku hosting the ILC.
On June 11, Junko Onodera, Policy Promotion Executive Director in the Business Promotion Division of Ichinoseki City, gave an outline of the ILC at a workshop in Senmaya to some 30 members. Onodera spoke about how the region would change, using slides and an introductory DVD made by the Tohoku Conference for the Promotion of the ILC.
Participants asked various questions including what kind of role Kesennuma, the town at the southern end of the ILC tunnel, would play, and Onodera said that Kesennuma is anticipated to serve as a port for large apparatus and where its first-stage assembly would take place, as well as other roles. Participants understood that the region would change significantly as many people would be involved in construction of the ILC, and visit for research once completed.