KEK - History

History

KEK was established in 1997 in a reorganization of the Institute of Nuclear Study, the University of Tokyo (established in 1955), the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics (established in 1971), and the Meson Science Laboratory of the University of Tokyo (established in 1988). However, the reorganization was not a simple merge of the aforementioned laboratories. As such, KEK was not the only new institute created at that time, because not all of the work of the parent institutions fell under the umbrella of high energy physics; for example, the Center for Nuclear Study, the University of Tokyo, was concurrently established for low energy nuclear physics in a research partnership with RIKEN.

  • 1971: National Laboratory for High Energy Physics (KEK) was established.
  • 1976: The proton synchrotron (PS) produced an 8 GeV beam as designed. The PS achieved 12 GeV.
  • 1978: The Booster Synchrotron Utilization Facility and a Photon Factory (PF) were founded.
  • 1982: The PF succeeded in storing a 2.5 GeV electron beam.
  • 1984: The Transposable Ring Intersecting Storage Accelerator in Nippon (TRISTAN) Accumulation Ring (AR) accelerated an electron beam to 6.5 GeV.
  • 1985: The AR accelerated a positron beam to 5 GeV.
  • 1986: The TRISTAN Main Ring (MR) accelerated both electron and positron beams to 25.5 GeV.
  • 1988: The MR energy was upgraded to 30 GeV with the help of superconducting accelerating cavities.
  • 1989: Accelerator and Synchrotron Radiation Science departments were established in the Graduate University for Advanced Studies.
  • 1994: KEKB B-factory construction began.
  • 1995: TRISTAN experiments finished.
  • 1997: The High Energy Accelerator Research Organization was established.
  • 1998: First beam storage at KEKB (KEK B-factory) ring.
  • 1999: The Long-baseline Neutrino Oscillation experiment (K2K) began. The Belle experiment at the KEKB began operation.
  • 2001: Construction of High Intensity Proton Accelerators (J-PARC) started.
  • 2004: Became the Inter-University Research Institute Corporation High Energy Accelerator Research Organization. K2K experiment ended.
  • 2005: Tokai Campus was opened. Experiments at PS ended.
  • 2006: J-PARC Center was established.
  • 2008: Prof. Makoto Kobayashi won the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics.
  • 2009: J-PARC construction was completed.

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