Chatting on the Terrace ④
2025-04-04① “Electron Gun”
Hello!
As the new school year begins, many people are likely working hard in a fresh environment.
There are also some new friends joining us for this “Chatting on the Terrace” series.
Meet Nanonose and Terraru!
These two had the special opportunity to visit some of the deeper, usually off-limits areas of NanoTerasu.
We’ll be sharing their adventures over several installments.
This time, they’re chatting about the “electron gun.”
Let’s see what they’re talking about!
N (Nanonose): Remember the other day, when we got special access to a part of NanoTerasu that people usually can’t enter? That was so cool!
T (Terraru): Yeah, it really was! Apparently, hardly anyone ever gets to go in there.
N: That super straight area… was it called a “linear accelerator”?
There were all sorts of devices lined up.
T: Right, and near the entrance there was something called an “electron gun,” wasn’t there?
The name sounds so cool! They said it’s used to create electrons, right?
N: Yeah, but “creating electrons” doesn’t quite click with me…
So, if you heat a metal called tungsten to about 1000°C, electrons start to gently float up from the surface.
And then, when you apply voltage to those floating electrons, like, 10 billion electrons fly out every second, right?
Ten billion per second… I mean, that number is so huge, I still can’t really grasp it (laughs).
And that piece of tungsten is only about 8 mm in diameter, super tiny.
On top of that, since electrons are replenished from the Earth itself, there’s no need to replace it—how eco-friendly! So modern!
T: Hey, wasn’t that part super interesting?
So, the electrons floating up from the tungsten are negatively charged (−), and even though they’re itching to move toward the positive (+) side in front of them,
there’s this grid-like thing called a “grid” that acts like a railroad crossing gate.
Unless the grid gives a GO signal, the electrons can’t move forward!
It totally reminded me of the starting lights in an F1 race.
N: Oh yeah! And when the electrons pass through this thing called the “buncher,” they get tightly compressed from the sides and top & bottom—
so they become a “bunched beam,” a sort of electron clump, and then they shoot into that long copper pipe, right?
T: Yeah yeah, that part is called the acceleration tube, I think?
From there, the journey of the electrons really starts getting wild…
To be continued
Chatting on the TERASU ③
Hello!
In the blink of an eye, the new fiscal year has begun!
Some of you may be starting fresh in a new environment, while others might feel like the year just quietly rolled over…
But perhaps all of us are looking up at the soft pink cherry blossoms with a mix of hope and uncertainty in our hearts.
Every spring, I tell myself, “This is the year I’ll try something new!”
But as I get older, I feel like those wide-eyed moments of wonder are becoming fewer and farther between…
And then—just recently—the sparkle ✨ returned, thanks to a visit from the Tanabata Chapter of the Young Astronauts Club of Japan.
From elementary to high school students—and even their parents—their eyes were shining during their tour of NanoTerasu.
That curiosity, that constant sense of “I wonder why?”—that’s what brings out the sparkle, isn’t it?
After the tour, I had the chance to interview two of the young members, a girl and a boy, both in the early years of elementary school.
Ⓣ “What kind of activities do you usually do?”
👧 “We do activities to learn about space!”
👦 “We build stuff. Like parachute models.”
Ⓣ (Wow, that’s impressive…)
“So what made you decide to visit NanoTerasu this time?”
👧 “Because I wanted to learn about the mysteries of light!”
Ⓣ (That’s such a beautiful reason…)
“What did you think of the tour?”
👦 “It was like a spaceship.”
👧 “I thought it was amazing that light can be used to see really tiny things.”
Ⓣ “What would you like to do in the future?”
👧 “I’m still thinking!”
👦 “I want to be a weather forecaster!”
Ⓣ (The possibilities are endless… I can’t wait to see what the future holds!)
To all of you sparkling stars—thank you so much!
You reminded me of something I’d almost forgotten: the importance of intellectual curiosity.
So, starting this year, I’m going to be diving deeper into NanoTerasu, talking to the experts, and sharing what I learn in ways that are easy for everyone to understand. (And I’ll try not to forget to keep my own eyes sparkling, too!)
Speaking of which—there’s a special public tour of our accelerator, something that’s usually off-limits to visitors!
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time:
• Session 1: 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM
• Session 2: 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
⭐ Each session is limited to 10 participants (advance registration required)
Application deadline: Friday, April 4
※ Participants must be junior high school age or older (for safety reasons)
※ If there are too many applications, a lottery will be held
For more details, please check our website (Japanese only):
NanoTerasu Accelerator Public Tour – Now Accepting Participants!
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Poster Exhibition Now Open
2025-02-07Hello!
According to the calendar, it’s now spring~🌸
But we still want to enjoy a little more of winter, don’t we?
Now then, it’s almost been a year since NanoTerasu started operating last spring, but even now, I often get asked by friends, “What kind of place is NanoTerasu?”
I try to explain it simply, but since people aren’t familiar with synchrotron radiation facilities, I can see the little “?” marks on their faces getting bigger and bigger as I talk…
Recently, I had a conversation with a friend from Y Prefecture:
O: “NanoTerasu has been in the news sometimes, and I’ve been curious about it. So, I checked the portal site and saw there’s a ‘General Tour.’”
Ⓣ: “You can visit! I can explain the facility in an easy-to-understand way, so you should definitely come.”
O: “I want to go, but there aren’t many open slots. I can’t match the schedule.”
Ⓣ: “I see. It’s popular, thanks to everyone… Oh! But actually, there’s an event happening right now.”
O: “Oh yeah? Does it seem easy to drop by?”
Ⓣ: “A poster exhibition! It’s being held at the Denryoku Building.”
O: “If it’s at the Denryoku Building, it’s easy to get to, and I could go while shopping. But what’s a poster exhibition like?”
Let me introduce the poster exhibition that’s currently getting rave reviews!
3GeV High-Brightness Synchrotron Radiation Facility
“NanoTerasu” Structure & Features Poster Exhibition
Exhibition Period:
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 – Sunday, March 2, 2025
Daily (*) from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (until 4:00 PM on the final day)
*Closed on February 10 (Mon), February 17 (Mon), and February 25 (Tue) (due to venue holidays)
Venue:
Tohoku Electric Power Green Plaza “Plaza Gallery NORTH”
(1st Floor, Denryoku Building, 3-7-1 Ichibancho, Aoba-ku, Sendai)
Rows and rows of photos and explanations like this!
Many visitors come with great interest, but there are also people who knew nothing about synchrotron radiation facilities who drop by casually. As they follow along the exhibition, they somehow start to understand and leave with a better grasp of it.
You can drop in casually and take your time looking around, or if you prefer to talk to someone in person, please come on Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Sundays.
Friendly staff will be waiting to guide you with great care.
Also, small children can learn by looking at panels with cute illustrations at “Makapuu Square,” which is in the same area.
After previewing NanoTerasu at this poster exhibition, head over for an actual tour!
Your understanding will skyrocket! (Probably)
Chatting on the TERASU ①
2025-01-31Hello.
NanoTerasu has been in operation since last year.
This year, public use will also be launched soon, and it will become even more active.
In the corner of such a cool scene, we will start a corner where we chat a little irregularly.
Please take a peek onces in a while.
So, the first chat will be about “Ehomaki”.
Nowadays, the custom of eating ehomaki on Setsubun has become popular even here in Tohoku. There are various theories as to its origin, but some say that it started in Osaka to wish for prosperous business, good health, and family happiness.
We have staff members from various parts of the country at our workplace, and we asked a person from the Kansai region about the “official” custom.
Ⓣ: “Please tell me about ehomaki.”
K: “In Kansai, it’s called futomaki. Ever since I can remember, Setsubun has been all about futomaki.”
Ⓣ: “Futomaki…that’s a common name, isn’t it? You don’t call it “eho”, do you? Then, how do you spend Setsubun?
K: “In my family, all the family members eat the homemade futomaki, facing the direction of the year’s blessing, and eat the whole thing in silence. We don’t talk to each other until we finish eating one! After that, we eat sardines with their heads attached. I can’t do without it.”
Ⓣ: “Do you eat the sardine with the tail head, too? I feel like I’m going to get thorns all over it! Kansai people are wild, aren’t they?”
K: “We eat sardines normally! “
Ⓣ: “Normal is… raw? “
K: “We usually eat them grilled. We can use a flame! “
I see. I could catch a glimpse of Kansai’s customs.
By the way, NanoTerasu also has a cross-sectional view of ehomaki.
The date of Setsubun this year is Sunday, February 2, the first time in four years since Setsubun in 2021.