Lab Tours

Toyama is just a 30km drive away from the Kamioka Observatory that is home to the KAGRA gravitational wave detector. Unfortunately, KAGRA will be participating in internationally coordinated experiments during the time of the conference, and will not be able to accept visitor groups.

Other research institutes that would be of interest to attendees of IFCS-EFTF 2023 are mostly located in the Kanto and Kansai areas, centered in Tokyo and Osaka. We have arranged for tours in these areas on the days following the conference.

We are looking forward to meeting the registered
participants in our laboratories and apologize to those that could not join us at
this time. Thank you for your interest!

Tokyo Optical Clock tours

On Saturday, 2023-05-20, these tours will visit RIKEN and NICT in Tokyo and focus on their work on optical clocks and upcoming timekeeping technologies:

Planned topics include:

  • Optical Lattice Clocks both in RIKEN and NICT, including the portable system in development at RIKEN
  • Indium ion clock development at NICT
  • Timekeeping research: Chip-Level Integrated Frequency Standards (CLIFS)
  • Standard Time and Frequency, link antennas

One tour will visit NICT first (10:00–12:00) and then travel to RIKEN (14:00–16:00). A second tour will visit the institutes in the opposite order. Buses will transfer participants between the two locations. We are still working to prepare convenient access to the starting location, more information will be available in the near future.

We are working to provide organized transport from a central location in Tokyo and return them in the evening. More information will be provided later.

Participants may need to pay for their own meal at a location that is yet to be decided.

Places will be strictly limited to 2 x 40 for these tours. 

Tokyo Radio Science tour

On Monday, 2023-05-22, this tour will visit NAOJ and NICT in Tokyo and show applied radio-frequency technology applied in timekeeping and scientific applications:

Preliminary planned topics at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan include:

Preliminary planned topics at the National Institute for Information and Communications Technology:

The tour will visit NICT in Koganei first (10:00–12:00) and then travel to NAOJ in Mitaka (13:30–15:30). A bus will transfer participants between the two locations. We are still working to prepare convenient access to the starting location, more information will be provided in the near future.

Participants may need to pay for their own meal at a location that is yet to be decided.

Places will be strictly limited to 20 for this tour.

Osaka Ion Trapping tour

On Saturday, 2023-05-20, this tour will institutes at Osaka University and Kyoto University that focus on experiment using ion trapping:

The tour will meet at Osaka University. An opportunity for lunch will be provided at Osaka University before the tour travels to Kyoto by public transport. Participants will need to cover their own food and transportation costs.

Places will be strictly limited to 10 for this tour.