About Yamanouchi Laboratory
In August 1990, Kaoru Yamanouchi, then Assistant Professor in the laboratory of Prof. Soji Tsuchiya (now Emeritus Professor of the University of Tokyo), Department of Pure and Applied Sciences (at present Department of Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences) was promoted to Associate Professor. This marked the start of Yamanouchi’s research group. The group’s laboratory rooms were in Bldg. 4 Main and in Laser Building, which no longer exists, on Komaba Campus of the University of Tokyo. When a new building, Bldg. 16, was constructed, the laboratory moved to the seventh floor of the building and was named Reaction Dynamics Laboratory. The group conducted research projects in the new Bldg. 16 as well as in the Laser Building. In April 1997, Prof. Yamanouchi was promoted to Professor at Department of Chemistry, School of Science, the University of Tokyo, and the laboratory moved to the Chemistry East Building on Hongo Campus. It was half a year after the research group moved to Hongo Campus that the group’s experimental facilities were finally relocated in the Chemistry West Building (then called Chemistry New Building).
In 1994, Dr. Akiyoshi Hishikawa (now Professor at Nagoya University) joined the group in Komaba Campus as Assistant Professor. At around the same time, the first student, Ken Onda finished his Doctor’s course at Yamanouchi group and received a doctoral degree. Dr. Onda, presently Professor at Kyushu University, went on to work as Assistant Professor in the Chemical Resources Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology after his graduation.
When the research group moved to Hongo Campus, Dr. Kennosuke Hoshina (now Professor at Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences) joined the group as Assistant Professor, followed by Dr. Ryuji Itakura, who together helped manage the group under Prof. Yamanouchi. Meanwhile, in 2003, Dr. Hishikawa, who had been promoted to Associate Professor, moved to Institute of Molecular Science to take the position of Associate Professor, and started his own research group there. Dr. Tokuei Sako (now Professor at Nihon University), who had completed his terms as a postdoctoral researcher in Germany, joined Yamanouchi laboratory as Assistant Professor in charge of the group’s theoretical team. Dr. Sako later left the group to become Lecturer at the College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University. Dr. Reika Kanya, then a postdoc researcher in the group, was appointed as Assistant Professor after Dr. Sako.
In April 2006, Dr. Hoshina moved out to Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences as Associate Professor, while Dr. Itakura to Japan Atomic Energy Agency as a full-time researcher. In turn, a new member, Dr. Tsuyoshi Kato of Tohoku University, joined the group as Associate Professor and took charge of the theory division of the group, and Dr. Tomoya Okino (now Research Scientist at RIKEN) became Assistant Professor.
In April 2013, Dr. Okino left the group to join the research group of Dr. Katsumi Midorikawa at Laser Technology Laboratory, RIKEN. The Yamanouchi group welcomed Dr. Takahiro Sato (now Researcher at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) from RIKEN Harima Institute as Assistant Professor.
In March 2016, Dr. Sato moved to the United States to join SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The same year in April, Dr. Kanya was promoted to Associate Professor. In May, Dr. Tamás Szidarovszky, then a JSPS Research Fellow, became Assistant Professor of the group.
In January 2017, Dr. Szidarovszky moved back to Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary. In April of the same year, Dr. Kana Yamada was appointed as Assistant Professor.
In April 2020, Dr. Reika Kanya moved to Tokyo Metropolitan University as Professor. At the same time, Dr. Erik Lötstedt who was Assistant Professor of Broad-Science Area, was promoted to Associate Professor.
On November 1, 2022, “Institute for Attosecond Laser Facility” was established by the Committee for Presidential Initiatives of the University of Tokyo and Prof. Yamanouchi was appointed Director. In March of the following year, Prof. Yamanouchi formally retired from professorship at the University of Tokyo. In April 2023, Prof. Yamanouchi became Project Professor of Institute for Attosecond Laser Facility.
Following the formal retirement of Prof. Yamanouchi, Quantum Chemistry Laboratory under the Physical Chemistry laboratories at Department of Chemistry, School of Science was closed. In April 2023, a new research group, “Quantum Frontiers Laboratory,” headed by Project Professor Kaoru Yamanouchi was launched. In June 2023, Prof. Yamanouchi was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor of the University of Tokyo.
