April 2012

2.Summary of Proposal(Compile in English within 3 pages.)
Host institution

The University of Tokyo

Head of host institution Junichi Hamada,（President, The University of Tokyo）
Research center

Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe

Center director

Hitoshi Murayama

Chief center-project
Yoichiro Suzuki, Director and Professor,
officer (in October 2007)
Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, The University of Tokyo
We establish a multi-disciplinary research center with the unifying goal ofunderstanding the universe from the synergistic perspectives of physics,
cosmology and mathematics. The Center brings many of the world’s leading
theoretical physicists and mathematicians together to develop new
formulations of the fundamental laws of nature, a crucial step toward solving
the mysteries of the universe.
We study dark energy, dark matter, neutrinos, and physics beyond theStandard Model of elementary particles and follow these closely related
research threads toward a deeper and more comprehensive view of the
Project summary
cosmos. The Center utilizes state-of-the-art facilities (Super-Kamiokande,
KamLAND, XMASS, Subaru telescope, and SuperKEKB accelerator) andproduces an unprecedented volume of precision data. We invent newmathematical tools to analyze the data and develop new strategies for
future experiments.
This center is a unique research institute in the world on the forefront ofphysics, cosmology and mathematics. It attracts highly motivated young
researchers, as well as established leading scientists from around the world
and greatly strengthens the foundation of mathematical and physicalsciences in Japan.
We address big questions about the universe, its fundamental laws, its
beginning, its fate, and its mysterious components. For this purpose, wecreate this center and bring mathematicians, physicists and astronomers
into one place. We make experimental explorations from underground, into
sky, and at the accelerator. We tie them together using common threads oftheoretical physics that is closely tied with highly advanced mathematics
Mission statement
and/or center’s identity and of highly sophisticated technologies in detectors and data handlings.
Our goals are improved understanding on dark energy and dark matter,
improved understanding on physics beyond the standard model, exploring
new astrophysical phenomena, deeper understanding on string theory,
further developments in geometry and algebra. These are all important
ingredients for addressing the fundamental questions of the universe.
Physics and Mathematics

Research fields

Science’s fundamental and historic search for the fundamental laws of
Nature is built on the invention of new mathematics, and it has inspired
many important developments in the field. Approximately 40% of Field
Medalists in mathematics since 1990 have worked in areas closely related
to quantum field theory or string theory. No other area of science has had
such a great impact on mathematics in the past few decades, and the rateof progress in this area suggests that this trend will only accelerate in the
future. Japan has long been strong in both physics and mathematics. Thiscenter brings the world’s leading physicists and mathematicians together,builds a unified community, redefines the boundaries between them, andhelps nurture future generations of mathematical scientists.
The center also supports and takes advantage of superb experimental
programs. Japan continues to lead the world in the field of undergroundphysics including dark matter searches and the study of neutrinos bycapitalizing on three major underground detectors (Super-Kamiokande,
XMASS and KamLAND). A new instrument that enables a wide-field,
deep-sky survey of galaxies is being built for Japan’s largest telescope,
Subaru, which has a unique technical capability for such projects. The world
highest energy accelerator LHC, to which Japan has made significant
contributions for construction, became operational, and the data on highenergy collisions that mimic those which occurred during the Big Bang, thebirth of the Universe, are now available to us. The Center plans toparticipate in both detector construction and physics analysis at the world
highest luminosity electron-positron collider SuperKEKB and push the studyof supersymmetry and other new physics possibilities.
Thus, the Center is a globally unique research center that spans puremathematics, theoretical physics, experimental physics, astronomy, andapplied mathematics. Frontier research projects in each field motivate
efforts in the others in a way not possible within the usual structure ofacademic institutions.
We address a set of basic and deep questions about the universe, its
fundamental laws, its beginning, its fate and its mysterious components,
especially Dark Matter and Dark Energy. For this purpose, we create the
new mathematics needed for a unified description of the universe. This
mathematical foundation allows the formulation of new physical theories
with well-defined and testable predictions. Technological innovations follow
to make new experiments possible; the resulting data streams stimulate
further developments in mathematics.

Research objectives

The ambitious ten-year goals of the Center’s activities are as follows:• Using new data from underground (neutrino) and accelerator (highenergy particle) experiments, we unveil the nature of dark matterand develop a new paradigm in particle physics, based on a unified
physical theory and founded upon new mathematical tools andinsights.
• The vast data volumes produced by next-generation galaxy surveys
motivate applied mathematicians and statisticians to develop thenovel methods needed to extract subtle signals and maximal
information, thus uncovering any unanticipated behavior of theuniverse’s mysterious Dark Energy component.
• We enumerate and classify solutions of string theory that lead tothe development of new types of geometries.
• Mathematical developments in integrable systems allow string
theorists to find new classes of solutions which determine thedynamical behavior of Dark Energy.

Taken together these goals produce revolutionary and unifying advances inphysics, mathematics and cosmology.
The Center Directorate consisting of the Director, Deputy Directors andAdministrative Director has direct access to the Office of the President, isable to consult with the President and his staff members and thus shares
their management resources. Thanks to this arrangement, ouradministrative organization is streamlined, yet very effective. More than
50% of the staff members are bilingual.
Aside from the appointment of the Director and approval of PI selections,the Director has the authority to make nearly all decisions on the Center’s
Outline of management
composition, organization and operation.
The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) to the Director consists of four tofive PIs of his choice. It advises the Director on planning and hiring staff
members, as well as scientific directions, but the Director is solely
responsible for the final decisions. The PIs have great autonomy in the
research they conduct and are encouraged to fund their research throughcompetitive grants. They can make proposals to the Director to hire
postdocs and termed professors. The Director’s approval of such
（Host institution：University of Tokyo

Title of Center Project：Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe）

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appointments reflects the scientific vision and priorities set by the Director,
advised by the SAC.
The External Advisory Committee (EAC) reviews the Center’s activities
annually and advises the Director on the effectiveness of its operational
priorities and research activities with respect to the proposed science goalssummarized above. At least half of the EAC’s members are scientists fromoutside the University of Tokyo.
Initially the Center had 18 Principal Investigators and 3 administrative staff
members. By April, 2012, the Center has grown to 19 PIs, 66 other full-time
researchers, 28 research support staff members and 10 administrative staff,
totaling 123 core members. The initial list of PIs is: H.Murayama, Y.Suzuki,
T.Kajita, M.Nakahata, M.Fukugita, H. Aihara, K. Sato, K. Nomoto, T.
Researchers and other Yanagida, M. Jimbo, T. Kohno, M. Sugiyama, A. Tsuchiya, K.Inoue, H.
center staffs, satellites, Ooguri, D.Spergel. S.Katsanevas, H.Sobel. Satellite activity centers are
established at Kamioka and University of California Berkeley campus
partner institutions(Kamioka satellite is now referred to Kamioka Branch since it turned not toqualify a strict definition of satellite); the Astrophysical Sciences Departmentof Princeton University; IHES in France; the Physics Department and the
YITP at Kyoto University. NAOJ, Research Center for Neutrino Science at
Tohoku University and KEK are the collaborating institutions.
Kenzo Nakamura, Professor,
Administrative director
Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies, KEK (in October 2007)
The Director has extensive experience leading research groups at
Berkeley and the Institute for Advanced Study and via service on numerous
scientific-policy making committees in the US and Japan. The agreementswith the University and the funds secured by the Director enable the Center
researchers to focus on their research and on scientific interactions with
Outline of researcheach other. The new Center building, with a large open area and amenities,
environment
provides an attractive and stimulating environment for scientists fromaround the world. International conferences and workshops held at theCenter bring visitors to further stimulate the intellectual activities and tokeep the Center at the forefront of global science. The Center adopts a
merit-based compensation system with salaries based on individual
performance criteria.
The number of refereed journal papers by the Center authors and theircitation impact, plus the number of presentations the researchers deliver at
Outline of indicators for major international conferences are monitored. The number of visitors andevaluating a center’s the number of foreign scientists among them are other objective indicators
global standingof the Center’s contributions and visibility. To evaluate research activities
in mathematics and synergies between physics and mathematics, aperiodic peer review is adopted.
The initial Center PIs received a total of approximately $53M in competitive
Securing researchfunding during the last five years, and they have already secured
funding
approximately the same amount for the future. We are, therefore, confident
that they can maintain a similar funding profile in the era of this new center.
Appropriations plan

FY

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Total

Cost

(Exchange Rate: JPY/USD=80)($ millions） 16.68

16.68 16.68 16.68 16.68

172.628

A world-class center of excellence for international research aligns with the
University's medium-term objectives and plan extremely well; hence theSummary of hostCenter is the most important and visible organizational unit and endeavor
institution’s commitment reporting to the President. It thus receives university-wide support under
the specified achievement targets. Top priority was given to financing andappropriating land for the Center’s new research building.

（Host institution：University of Tokyo

Title of Center Project：Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe）

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April 2012

3．Research Center Project (in English)
Host institution

The University of Tokyo

Head of host institution ・Name, position title

Junichi Hamada (President, The University of Tokyo)

Research center

Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe

Center director

Hitoshi Murayama

Chief center-project
officer(in October 2007)

・Name, affiliation, position title (in October 2007)

Yoichiro Suzuki, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, The University ofTokyo, Director and Professor
・Briefly describe the general plan of the project.

Project summary

This center establishes a multi-disciplinary research institute with theunifying goal of understanding the universe from the synergistic
perspectives of physics, cosmology and mathematics.
The Center brings the world’s leading theoretical physicists andmathematicians together to develop new formulations of the fundamental
laws of nature, a crucial step toward solving the mysteries of the universe.
We develop infinite analysis, the mathematics for systems with infinite
dimensional degrees of freedom, which is used to build new physicaltheories and derive their experimental predictions and to invent statisticalmethods to analyze geometric data.
We study dark energy, dark matter, neutrinos, and physics beyond theStandard Model of elementary particle physics. The Center builds on thestate-of-the-art facilities (Super-Kamiokande, KamLAND, XMASS, Subaru
telescope, and SuperKEKB accelerator) that produce an unprecedented
amount of precision data for observational cosmology, astronomy andelementary particles physics. We develop new mathematical tools toanalyze the data by taking full advantage of collaboration between
mathematicians and physicists, and develop new experimental strategies toattack the mysteries.
This center is a unique research institute in the world on the forefront ofphysics, cosmology and mathematics and leads to a new paradigm ofsciences in the 21st century. It attracts highly motivated young researchers,
as well as established leading scientists from around the world and greatly
strengthens the foundation of mathematical and physical sciences in Japan.
We also bring topnotch female researchers as role model to inspire
women in Japan and promote Asian diversity.

・Include a chart that illustrates the center’s overall structure including its
collaborative linkages with other domestic and foreign institutions, its
system of external evaluation, and its management framework
October 2007

April 2012

Major changes from initial project plan:

For the accelerator-based research, we plan to join the Belle II experimentat SuperKEKB for the study of supersymmetry and other new physics
possiblities. The Center will participate in both detector construction andphysics analysis. Involvement at LHC, on the other hand, is difficult for us tomake an impact given its advanced stage, and is limited to phenomenology
analysis using the released data.
Scope of the galaxy survey using the Subaru telescope is greatly
expanded due to an approval of the SuMIRe (Subaru Measurement of
Images and Redshifts) project. It combines the originally envisioned
imaging survey using HyperSprimeCam with a newly proposed
spectroscopic survey using a PrimeFocusSpectrograph (PFS). The Center
leads the formation of PFS international collaboration and construction of
the new spectrograph.
Much of the activities in mathematics had been envisioned to take place on
the Komaba campus. To our pleasant surprise, mathematics activities at theCenter are flourishing. This is a very positive development, and resulting
regular contacts between mathematicians and physicists are generating
unprecedented research opportunities.
The Center director is on a split appointment with the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley, and the salary is split based on the effort levels.
During the nine months from August to May, He is on 75% payroll fromBerkeley, 25% from IPMU. During the remaining three summer months, heis on 100% payroll from the Center. It makes the two appointments nearly
50:50. In addition, the creation of the Berkeley IPMU satellite allows him to
be engaged in the Center’s research program even when he is physically in（Host institution：University of Tokyo

Title of Center Project：Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe）

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Berkeley, providing 85% effort overall in the Center activities. As for
management, he is 100% on the directorship. With frequent trips, he has
been able to maintain strong leadership in the Center management, as
praised by the interim evaluation.
・Briefly and clearly describe the mission statement and/or the project’s identity as WPIcenter.

We address big questions about the universe, its fundamental laws, its
beginning, its fate, and its mysterious components. For this purpose, wecreate this center and bring mathematicians, physicists and astronomers
into one place. We make experimental explorations from underground, into
Mission statement
sky, and at the accelerator. We tie them together using common threads of
and/or center’s identity
theoretical physics that is closely tied with highly advanced mathematics
and of highly sophisticated technologies in detectors and data handlings.
Our goals are improved understanding on dark energy and dark matter,
improved understanding on physics beyond the standard model, exploring
new astrophysical phenomena, deeper understanding on string theory,
further developments in geometry and algebra. These are all important
ingredients for addressing the fundamental questions of the universe.
(1) Research fields
・Describe in simple words and phrases within one line the research field of the project.

We address the most fundamental questions of the universe using physics and mathematics.
・ Choose relevant fields from among ①－ ⑦ below, specifying the interdisciplinary field(s) that the projectaddresses.
①Biosciences, ②Chemistry, ③Material sciences, ④Electronics engineering and information sciences,⑤Precision and mechanical engineering, ⑥Physics, ⑦Mathematics

Physics and Mathematics
・Describe the importance of the proposed research, including domestic and international R&D trends in the field andJapan’s advantages.

Science’s fundamental and historic search for the fundamental laws of Nature is built on the inventionof new mathematics, and it has inspired many important developments in the field. Famous examples
include the simultaneous invention of Calculus and Newton’s mechanics and the use of Riemannian
Geometry in General Relativity. The interface of physics and mathematics is alive and well.
Approximately 40% of Fields Medalists in mathematics since 1990 have worked in areas closely
related to quantum field theory and string theory. Conformal field theory in two dimensions, whose
development was largely motivated by string theory, has been used to explain the remarkableidentities about the Monster group (Field Medal to Borcherds) and to describe stochastic geometry(Fields Medal to Werner). Methods of topological string theory have revealed deep connections
among the Gromov-Witten invariants, gauge theory instantons, and combinatorics (Fields Medals to
Kontsevich and Okounkov). In return, these mathematical developments have provided powerful tools
for quantum field theory and string theory. No other area of science has had such a great impact onmathematics in the past few decades, and the rate of progress in this area suggests that this trend will
only accelerate in future. As stressed, for example, in a recent National Research Council report,“Rising Above the Gathering Storm,” in the United States, building up strength of mathematical andphysical science is a key to lead in a highly competitive world scene of science and technology.
Coincidentally, the Science Council of Japan warned recently that Japan’s foundation of mathematics
is at risk due to not attracting young talented minds into this fundamental field. At the Center, webuild a community of physicists and mathematicians, redefine the boundaries between them and help
nurture future generations of mathematical scientists. Uniquely to this center, we anticipate
cross-career development between mathematics and physics, such as a statistician moving toexperimental physics.
Mathematicians and physicists have very different work styles. We started with four PIs formathematics, Jimbo, Kohno, Tsuchiya, and Saito. Since then, Jimbo and Tsuchiya had stepped
down while Bondal and Kobayashi joined. They together facilitate communication between physicists
and mathematicians and maintain activities in this area throughout the year. Much of the activities in（Host institution：University of Tokyo

Title of Center Project：Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe）

3mathematics had been envisioned to take place on the Komaba campus. To our pleasant surprise,mathematics activities at IPMU are flourishing. This is a very positive development, and resulting
regular contacts between mathematicians and physicists are generating unprecedented research
opportunities.
Our advantage of experimental programs is evident. Japan continues to lead the field of undergroundphysics including dark matter search and study of neutrinos by capitalizing on three major
underground detectors (Super-Kamiokande, XMASS and KamLAND) at Kamioka, where IPMU
Kamioka Branch is established. Some of our principal investigators are working on a new instrumentthat enables a wide-field, deep survey of galaxies at Subaru telescope. The data from this instrument
will most likely dominate the field of observational cosmology and astronomy well into the next
decade. Scientists of the Center will have the first-hand access to high quality, high precision data
available from these world premier facilities. LHC, the world highest energy accelerator, is operating
and the data of high energy collisions that mimic Big Bang and the birth of the Universe are now
flowing in. Particle physics phenomenologists at the Center are engaged in analyzing the LHC data fora wide subject of particle physics including dark matter. Construction of another advanced newaccelerator, SuperKEKB, has started at KEK. The Center plans to join the experiment at this facility
and participate in both detector construction and physics analysis which aims to explore
supersymmetry and other new physics possibilities.
By bringing together the world-leading mathematicians, theoretical physicists and experimental
physicists and taking advantage of the data available at the Center, we take on challenges of solving
the mysteries of the Universe. This is another reason why most active world-class scientists shouldcome to work at the Center.
・If centers in similar fields already exist in Japan or overseas, please list them.

This center is a unique research center in the world that spans pure mathematics, theoreticalphysics, experimental physics, astronomy, and applied mathematics. This kind of Institute is truly
unique in the world. Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics is an excellent institution, yet does only
theoretical physics. There are many first-rate institutions that combine research in mathematics andtheoretical physics, such as Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Cambridge, Institutefor Advanced Study in Princeton, IHES in France, and MSRI in Berkeley, but none of them include
experimental physics in their program. There are also great institutions on both theoretical andexperimental physics, such as CERN, Fermilab, SLAC, KEK, but none of them have mathematicians.
The combination of science we include attracts best people from the world because of its uniquenessand potential for major breakthroughs.
This project has started in a timely manner and is important in that Japan has currently positioned
herself to lead this research field and in that this initiative meets demand for Japan to keep a cuttingedge in global and competitive Science and Technology environment.
(2) Research objectives
・Describe in a clear and easy-to-understand manner the research objectives that the project seeks to achieve by theend of the grant period. In describing the objectives, the following should be articulated in an easily understandable
manner: What new domains are expected to be pioneered by fusing the target fields. In the process, whatworld-level scientific issues are sought to be resolved. What is the expected impact of the scientific advances to beachieved on society in the future.

At this center we address big questions about the universe, its fundamental laws, its beginning, its
fate, and its mysterious components, such as Dark Matter and Dark Energy. For this purpose, wecreate new mathematics needed for the unified description of the universe. It enables new physicaltheories with testable predictions. Technological innovations follow to make new experiments
possible; whose data further stimulate development in mathematics. This upward spiral moves thescience forward, exciting the public at large and motivating students to enter mathematics, science,and engineering to become the next-generation workforce.
Even though it is difficult to accurately predict the possible deliverables from this center aimed at basic(not applied) research, here are a few examples of new possible domains we may pioneer by the endof the funding period:••

Effort by string theorists to enumerate and classify solutions leads to development of newclass of geometries.
New data on dark matter from underground and accelerator experiments of the Center（Host institution：University of Tokyo

Title of Center Project：Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe）

4

•
•

require new paradigm in particle physics changing the course towards the unified theory inphysics, and require new mathematics.
Mathematical developments in integrable systems allow string theorists to work out newclass of solutions that suggest a dynamical behavior of Dark Energy, and prompt new typeof observational strategies in spectroscopic galaxy surveys.
The vast data from the next-generation galaxy surveys nudge the applied mathematicians
and statisticians to develop a novel method to extract subtle information from the last dataset, uncovering an unanticipated new behavior of Dark Energy.

In all anticipated examples including those above, pure mathematics, theoretical physics,
experimental physics underground, astrophysical, and accelerator-based, and instrumentation
motivate each other’s efforts in a way not possible in the usual structure of academic institutions
where these activities tend to be decoupled from each other. All of these scientific objectives arekeenly shared worldwide, and any discoveries at the Center have immediate impacts on the global
scale.
To ensure this cross-development of this type, we assembled an amazing group of researchers fromaround the world. They all have a strong track record in working on subjects not confined in their
specific research areas, but extend well beyond the boundaries.
The Center also builds on the strengths of the Japanese science community in many ways.
University of Tokyo and Tohoku University lead the world in well-known success in neutrino physics
and move to wider scopes of underground experiments such as dark matter searches. The Subaru
telescope, the largest field of view among the world 8m class telescopes, is exploited. The KEKB
accelerator, which was used for a definitive confirmation of Kobayashi-Maskawa theory of CP
violation, is under conversion to a 40-fold more powerful facility for the study of supersymmetry andother new physics possibilities.
There is a long tradition for physicists and mathematicians to work together which was especially truein the 90s and can be revamped in the 21st century. There is close relationship between theoreticaland experimental particle physicists working on physics beyond the standard model, which is
unparalleled in the world.
・Describe concretely the research plan to achieve these objectives.

The research plan is mostly about bringing in superb scientists in the relevant areas as termed
professors, postdocs, and visitors. All Principal Investigators have a strong track record in securingand managing competitive grants for their research. Focused workshops at the interface of physics,
mathematics, and astronomy bring in worldwide leading scientists to the Center and breed new
directions in the fields and redefine their boundaries. Generous start-up packages and seed money fordeveloping new ideas towards advanced experiments bring in competitive grants further. Frequentinteractions among the PIs ensure that new directions emerge at the interface of the traditionalboundaries of the subfields.
We offer big societal impacts in the following way. The questions that we address are easy to relate（Host institution：University of Tokyo

Title of Center Project：Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe）

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to for laypersons. Excitement in the new paradigms in our understanding of the universe spark interestand imagination among young students and more of them enter the fields of mathematics, sciencesand engineering to build a stronger future workforce. New experimental initiatives from the Center
require new technologies in particular in instrumentations, which get transferred to the industry for new
purposes. For instance, development in multi-fiber technology needed for advanced galaxy surveys
may well lead to medical applications. It also reverses the tide of brain-drain from Japan not only bybringing back the Japanese researchers who left the country, but also bringing worldwide researchers
to Japan because of the attractive research opportunities.
(3) Managementi) Center director
・Provide the name of the center director, his/her age (as of 1 April 2012), , specialties, and brief career profile(within 5lines).

Hitoshi Murayama (Age of 48),
Particle theory and Cosmology,
Ph.D. from University of Tokyo (1991, particle theory), assistant professor of Tohoku University(1991-1995), research associate of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (1993-1995), assistantprofessor of University of California Berkeley (1995-1998), associate professor (1998-2000),
professor (2000-present, MacAdams professor since 2005), IPMU director (2007-present), project
professor of University of Tokyo (2008-present).
・If there is a plan to change the center director, how does the new center director intend to construct the center andwhat is his/her vision of objectives to be achieved? Provide a synopsis written by the new center director (freeformat).

ii) Administrative director
・Provide the name of the administrative director, his/her age (as of 1 April 2012),
profile(within 5 lines).

andhis/her brief career

Kenzo Nakamura (Age of 67)
Ph.D. from University of Tokyo (1973, experimental high energy physics), assistant professor of
University of Tokyo (1973-1984), associate professor of KEK (1984-1988), professor of ICRR,
University of Tokyo (1988-1995), professor of KEK (1995-2007), IPMU administrative director(2007-present), a member of T2K collaboration.
iii) Composition of administrative staff
・Concretely describe how the administrative staff is organized.

The administrative staff is an integral part of the Center. The administrative organization belongs to
Directorate that consists of the Director, Deputy Directors and Administrative director. Because thiscenter belongs directly to the Office of the President, that founded a university-wide organization, theTodai Institutes for Advanced Study (TODIAS) in January 2011 and approved this Center within it(without any other intervening layers of administration), the University has committed to make its
administration resource available to the Center. The Center directorate has direct access to theadministration office at the University headquarter and shares its resources. With this direct coupling
to the Office of the President, we are streamlined, yet very effective to provide the best possible
environment to the researchers in the Center.
The number of administrative staff is 38, of which 9 belong to the administrative staff of the University.
While big items of the administrative matter are handled by the Directorate in direct contact with theoffice of the President, day-to-day function is performed by the administrative division that issupervised by the Administrative Director with the help of the General Manager. There are 6 staff
members in the general affairs section (including Director’s secretary), 3 in the accounting section, 8 in
（Host institution：University of Tokyo

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the international relations and researcher’s support section, 2 in the financing section, 4 in thepurchasing section, 3 for the SuMIRe project (including 1 engineer), 4 in the Kamioka Branch office, 2
for the IT support, 2 for the public communication, 1 for the library and 1 for the documentation. Out of38, 4 have particle physics background, and they assist researchers for filling grant applications andother research-related paper works.
iv) Decision-making system
・Concretely describe the center’s decision-making system.

Except for personnel decisions regarding the Center director and principal investigators (PIs), which
are made by the President, the Center director has a complete authority of making a wide range ofdecisions, including proposing recruitment of PIs to the President, appointing faculty staff,
postdoctoral researchers, research support staff members and administrative employees. The
Director is assisted, whenever needed, by two deputy directors and by the administrative director.
The administrative director conducts administrative business and oversees the staff members whotake care of visitors from other Japanese institutions and from abroad. His function enables the
Director to spend more time to consider the Center at large and to focus on the direction of theresearch. The Director has direct access to the Office of the President and is able to consult with
the President and his assistant staff members.
The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) reporting to the Director consists of four to five PIs of his
choice. They advise the Director on planning of hiring staff members as well as scientific directions.
The role is strictly advisory. The Director is solely responsible for making the final decisions. The PIs
have a large autonomy in the research they conduct and they are encouraged to fund their researchthrough competitive grants. They can make a proposal to the Director to hire postdocs and termed
professors to help their research. The Director’s approval on the proposed appointments reflects thescientific vision and priorities set by the Director, who may consult the SAC as needed.
Of particular importance is the External Advisory Committee (EAC) that reviews annually thescientific achievement and activities of the Center and advises the Director on the scientific priorities
and the research activities to keep the Center stay on the course of the proposed science. At least
half of EAC members consist of scientists from institutions other than the University of Tokyo.
Although the Center is now a member institute within TODIAS, this introduces no difference in thedecision-making system at the Center. The Center director merely reports to the Director of TODIAS
when appointment of a new principal investigator or employment of a new faculty member is decided.
Also, to clear the university’s formality in employing faculty members, the Center director’s decision
has to be endorsed by the Center’s Steering Committee.
v) Allocation of authority between the center director and the host institution’s side
・Concretely describe how authority is allocated between the center director and the host institution’s side.

We have agreement with the Office of the President that except for the appointment of the Director
and approval of appointments of PIs, the Center director has the authority to make a wide range ofdecisions from how to compose and organize the Center to how to operate it.
(4) Researchers and other center staffs, satellites, partner institutionsi) The “core” to be established within the host institutiona) Principal Investigators (full professors, associate professors or other researchers of comparable
standing)
numbers
Final goal
At beginning
At end of FY 2011
(Date: month, year)

Researchers from within
the host institution
Foreign researchers invitedfrom abroad（Host institution：University of Tokyo

10

11

11

5

5

8

Title of Center Project：Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe）

7

Researchers invited from otherJapanese institutions
Total principal investigators

5

3

3

20

19

22

・Describe the concrete plan to achieve final staffing goal, including steps and timetables.
・Attach a list of principal investigators using the Appendix. Place an asterisk (*) by names of the investigators
considered to be ranked among the world’s top researchers. Describe the policy and strategy for inviting thePIs who are to be included after 1 April 2012.

b) Total members
Numbers
Final goal

Researchers

Principal investigators

Other researchers

At beginning

At end of FY 2011

(Date: month,
year)

20
< 5, 25%>[ , %]
20< 5, 25%>[ , %]
0< , %> [ , %]0

209<79, 38%>[4, 2%]
19< 4, 21%>[1, 5%]
190< 75, 39%>[3, 2%]
28

213< 83, 39%>
[ 5, 2%]22< 8, 36%>[ 1, 5%]
191<75, 39%>[ 4, 2%]
28

3

10

10

23

247

251

Research support staffs
Administrative staffs
Total number of people who form
the “core” of the research center

・Enter the total number of people in the columns above. In the “Researchers” column, put the number andpercentage of overseas researchers in the < > brackets and the number and percentage of female researchers in
the [ ] brackets.
・Enter matters warranting special mention, such as concrete plans for achieving the Center’s goals, establishedschedules for employing the main researchers, particularly principal investigators.

ii) Collaboration with other institutions
・If the “core” forms linkages with other institutions, domestic and/or foreign, by establishing satellite functions, Provide
the name of the partner institution(s), and describe the role of the satellite functions, personnel composition andstructure, and collaborative framework between the host institution and the said partner institutions (e.g., contracts
to be concluded, scheme for resource transfer).
・If some of the principal investigators will be stationed at satellites, attach a list of these principal investigators and thename of their satellite organizations using the Appendix.
・If the “core” forms organic linkages with other institutions, domestic and/or foreign, without establishing satellite
functions, provide the names of the partner institutions and describe their roles and linkages within the center
project.

The Center established a satellite at Kamioka to promote closer collaboration with the neutrinogroup (This is now called IPMU Kamioka Branch due to the new WPI definition of Satellite in which
Kamioka Satellite does not qualify because of its close relation to ICRR, a part of the host institution).
It locates close to the Super-Kamiokande and KamLAND detectors. It gathers researchers who workon the underground experimental activities such as study of neutrino physics and XMASS, a new
dark matter search experiment. Two PI’s, Professor Masayuki Nakahata of Kamioka Observatory,
ICRR, University of Tokyo and Professor Kunio Inoue of Research Center of Neutrino Science,
Tohoku University, are stationed at the “satellite” and have researches jointly appointed fromneutrino group.

We set up the Center’s Berkeley Satellite on Berkeley campus. It provides a framework for
conducting collaboration between the Center and Berkeley physics department in a wide range of（Host institution：University of Tokyo

Title of Center Project：Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe）

8

fields involving particle physics, cosmology and mathematics. Initial activity is in the field of particle
theory involving string theory and phenomenology. Director Murayama spends approximately a halfof his time at the satellite during his stay at Berkeley which is 30% a year, and supervises overall
activity with the help of two Research Directors, Tsutomu Yanagida of the Center and Lawrence Hallof the Berkeley side. It has also been helpful in recruiting researchers.
The Center’s Principal Investigators also collaborate with scientists from the following
institutions:
1) IHES (Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques) in France (for mathematics),
2) Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University (for mathematics and theoreticalphysics),3) Department of Physics, Kyoto University (for neutrino physics),
4) High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) (for high energy physics physics)5) National Astronomical Observatory in Japan (NAOJ) (for dark energy survey andastronomy),6) Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University in USA (for dark energy survey andastronomy),7) Research Center for Neutrino Science, Tohoku University (for neutrino physics)(５) Research Environment
・Concretely describe measures to be taken to satisfy each of the requirements outlined below, including steps andtimetables.

○ Provide an environment in which researchers can devote themselves exclusively totheir research, by exempting them from other duties and providing them with adequate staff
support to handle paperwork and other administrative functions.
The Director secures the funds to hire administrative staff and research support staffs to assure that
researchers of the Center be exempt from paper works associated with conducting research. In
addition, for PI’s from University of Tokyo, the Office of the President provides resources that enable
PI’s to substitute their teaching duties in their original departments.
○ Provide startup research funding as necessary to ensure that top-caliber researchers invited
to the center do not upon arrival lose momentum in vigorously pursuing their work out ofconcern over the need to apply immediately for competitive grants.
Many of PIs came to the Center with secured research fund by winning competitive grants. The
Director secures startup funds for researchers at or above assistant professor rank according to theirneeds. All postdoctoral fellows hired by the Center receive annual research fund of 500,000 yen.
○ As a rule, fill postdoctoral positions through open international solicitations.
We post all the job openings on major journals of the community such as Physics Today and contact
proactively via Emails leading scientists of the field, both in Japan and abroad, to solicit outstanding
candidates.
○ Establish English as the primary language for work-related communication, and appoint
administrative personnel who can facilitate the use of English in the work process.
In the fields of particle physics, mathematics and astronomy it has been the standard practice forresearchers to speak English for work-related communication. We assemble administrative staff
members as well as research support members who are fluent in English with help from the Office of
the President. Among the 38 administrative and research support staff, 23 are bilingual. We set up asystem to handle all of work-related communication in English. We have been constantly improving
our official website which contains information ranging from seminar notices to daily living. The same
website is also used for registering publications and conference talks, as well as filling paper works
such as trip reports.
○ Adopt a rigorous system for evaluating research and a system of merit-based compensation.
(For example, institute a merit-based annual salary system primarily for researchers fromoutside the host institution. As a basic rule, the salaries of researchers who were already
employed at the host institution prior to the centers’ establishment are to be paid by the host
（Host institution：University of Tokyo

Title of Center Project：Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe）

9

institution.)
Salary of the Center director is negotiated through the office of the President. Annual salaries for
PIs are decided by the Director. Salaries of researchers other than PIs are decided by the Director
with consultation to Deputy Directors. Evaluation of the researchers is strictly merit-based andincludes citation counts, invited talks at international conference, cross-disciplinary papers, salaries
at competing institutions abroad, and leadership roles at the Center. In order to assist the Director forevaluating the accomplishments of individual researchers, we construct a comprehensive database
containing all relevant information of individual researchers. We also correctly evaluate types ofactivities which may not necessarily appear on such record. Our system of “mentor”, in which one ofthe principal investigators closely follows each of young staff’s performance, nicely covers this aspect.
○ Provide equipment and facilities, including laboratory space, appropriate to a top world-levelresearch center.
The University administration built a new building on Kashiwa campus for the Center. The
architecture follows the style of Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at UC Santa Barbara andCenter for Theoretical Physics at UC Berkeley with a large open area and amenities. It provides anattractive and competitive environment for researchers from around the world. Kamioka Branch office
was also built and has been functioning as a base for the Center’s researchers working at
Super-Kamiokande, KamLAND and XMASS.
We have a state-of-art video conference system and internet-blackboards among Kashiwa, Hongo,
Komaba, Kamioka and other collaborating institutions that stay on 24hours a day, 7days a week tomake impromptu discussions possible.
○ Hold international research conferences or symposiums regularly (at least once a year) tobring the world’s leading researchers together at the center.
More than ten international conferences as well as long-duration workshops à la Kavli Institute for
Theoretical Physics and Aspen Center for Physics are held at the Center each year. Attendees ofthese meetings are typically at least 1/3 from abroad. These meetings bring in visitors to further
stimulate the intellectual activities and keep the Center at the forefront of worldwide science. Someare organized to enhance interdisciplinary discussion between physicists and mathematicians,
between particle physicists and condensed matter physicists, or between specialists of different
areas discussing a subject of common interest. Some of these activities lead to continuing
collaborations among traditionally different research fields and important publications.
○ Other measures to ensure that top-caliber researchers from around the world can comfortably
devote themselves to their research in a competitive international environment, if any.
The Center takes its role in helping foreign researchers with life in Japan very seriously, so that they
can concentrate on their research. For full-time researchers, support consists of the assistanceneeded to get their life in Japan started, such as foreign resident’s registration, housing, andopening a bank account, as well as various needs in daily life. For visitors, we help to solve various
problems they encounter during their stay. Kashiwa International Guesthouse opened in March2010.
We continue to organize a group of volunteers who help our foreign staff for registering at the city
hall, getting bank account, and looking for housing. We continue to offer free Japanese lessons to
newly arriving foreign research staff and their family members. To enhance these services, theCenter offers a support desk for foreigners and a 24-hour emergency assistance on the telephone,both run by outside contract.
(6) Indicators for evaluating a center’s global standing
・Describe concretely the following points.

i)

Criteria and methods to be used for evaluating the center’s global standing in the subject field

We introduce quantitative and objective methods to evaluate the Center’s global standing. The
number of refereed journal papers, the number of citations of the papers the Center researchers
published, and the number of presentations our researchers deliver in the major international（Host institution：University of Tokyo

Title of Center Project：Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe）

10

conferences are kept monitored and tracked. These “numbers” form a base of evaluation of theCenter’s global standing, as well as for following through the career development of our former
members. To evaluate research activities in mathematics and synergies between physics andmathematics, on the other hand, a periodic peer review is held instead of the publications metrics
which are well acknowledged in physics and astronomy.
ii)

Results of current assessment made using said criteria and methods

Our publication metrics are comparable to those of other leading research institutes of similarfields in the world, indicating that the Center has definitely joined the ranks of top-level institutes
researching fundamental questions about the universe.
iii) Goals to be achieved through the project (at time of final evaluation）
Our goal is to stay as one of the most visible research center in physics and mathematics. For thispurpose, we continue monitoring publication metrics and conducting periodic peer reviews.
(7) Securing research funding
Future prospects
・ Describe the concrete prospects for securing resources that match or exceed the project grant.

In the past, IPMU secured resources which approximately matched the project grant. We will
make continuous efforts to secure competitive funding (see below) as well as other kind ofresources as much as possible.
・ Calculate the total amount of research funding (e.g., competitive funding) based on the percentage of time theresearchers devote to research activities at the center vis-à-vis the total time they spend conducting research
activities. Be sure the prospects are realistically based on the past record.

In the past, we have secured 5.3 M$ (422 Myen) in FY2007, 10.5 M$ (840 Myen) in FY2008, 7.4
M$ (594 Myen) in FY2009, 12.3 M$ (980 Myen) in FY2010, and 17.6 M$ (1411 Myen) in FY2011.
These numbers are based on the percentage of the time the researchers devote to research
activities at the center vis-à-vis the total time they spend conducting research activities.
The total of competitive fund that we have already secured so far is 5.6 M$ (446.1Myen) in
FY2012, 12.3 M$ (987.2Myen) in FY2013, 8.1 M$ (650.2Myen) in FY2014. We are confident
that about the same amount of competitive funding will be secured by the IPMU researchers.
Others・ Describe activities and initiatives to be taken after project funding ends.

This center was approved as the first member Institute of the TODAI Institutes for Advanced Study(TODIAS), which is a new and permanent university-wide organization. This is a critical step for theCenter to become a permanent entity within the university.
・ Describe expected ripple effects （e.g., how the research center project will have trailblazing components that canbe referred to by other departments in the host institution and/or other research institutions when attempting to build
their own top world-level research centers）.

Launch of this center expedited the establishment of TODAI Institutes for Advanced Study(TODIAS). Other advanced institutes are expected to be created and join this framework. We
established a scheme to construct and maintain a publication database mainly by the support staff
and with minimum load to the researchers, which enables our research results easily visible to theworld and monitor our former staff’s career development. This approach should become a trend atdifferent departments and research institutions. Our bilingual administration team established asystem of assisting foreign researchers to apply for JSPS grant-in-aid. We have pushed English
translation of the Kyousai benefit package, various bulletin board notices and restaurant menu, andalso lobbied setting up a foreigner-friendly Citibank ATM on campus.
・ Describe other important measures to be taken in creating a world premier international research center, if any.

（Host institution：University of Tokyo

Title of Center Project：Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe）

11

List of Principal Investigators
・If the number of principal investigators exceeds 10, add columns as appropriate.
・Place an asterisk(*) by the name of the investigators who are considered to be ranked among the world’s top researchers.

Name

Age

Current affiliation(organization, department) and specialties

Academic degree①

Hitoshi Murayama[*]48

IPMU, University of Tokyo and Physics Department,
University of California Berkeley②

Yoichiro Suzuki[*]62

ICRR, University of Tokyo③

Hiroaki Aihara[*]56

Physics Department, University of Tokyo④

Alexey Bondal[*]50

IPMU, University of Tokyo and Steklov Mathematical
Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences

mathematics, Ph.D.

⑤

Masataka Fukugita[*]64

IPMU, University of Tokyo

cosmology, Ph.D.

⑥

Kunio Inoue[*]46

RCNS, Tohoku University

neutrino physics, Ph.D.

⑦

Takaaki Kajita[*]53

ICRR, University of Tokyo

neutrino physics, Ph.D. ICRR director

57

Physics Department, University of Paris 7

neutrino physics, Ph.D.

49

School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Tokyo

mathematics, Ph.D.

⑧⑨

Stavros
Katsanevas[*]Toshiyuki
Kobayashi[*]particle theory andcosmology, Ph.D.
astroparticle physics,
Ph.D.
high energy physics,
Ph.D.

Notes

⑩

Toshitake Kohno[*]56

School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Tokyo

mathematics, Ph.D.

⑪

MasayukiNakahata[*]52

ICRR, University of Tokyo

neutrino physics, Ph.D.

⑫

Mihoko Nojiri[*]

49

KEK

particle theory, Ph.D.

⑬

Ken'ichi Nomoto[*]65

IPMU, University of Tokyo

astronomy, Ph.D.

⑭

Hirosi Ooguri[*]

50

Physics Department, Caltech

string theory, Ph.D.

⑮

Kyoji Saito[*]67

IPMU, University of Tokyo

mathematics, Ph.D.

IPMU director and MacAdams
professor
IPMU deputy director and ICRR
Kamioka Observatory head
IPMU deputy director

joint appointment with Mathematics
Department, Caltech

⑯David Spergel[*]51

Astronomical Sciences Department, Princeton University cosmology, Ph.D.

⑰

Henry Sobel[*]68

Physics Department, University of California Irvine

neutrino physics, Ph.D.

⑱

Naoshi Sugiyama[*]50

Physics Department, Nagoya University

cosmology, Ph.D.

⑲

Tsutomu Yanagida[*]63

IPMU, University of Tokyo

particle theory, Ph.D.