I would like to to explain Professor Shigeki Takeuchi. He’s doing really exciting research that could change the future of technology.

First, let’s talk a little about who Professor Takeuchi is and his journey in science. Professor Takeuchi is currently a Professor at Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Engineering. He studied science at Kyoto University, getting his Bachelor’s degree, Master’s, and later his PhD. After working for a company called Mitsubishi Electric, he became a researcher at Hokkaido University before returning to Kyoto University in 2014. He’s also been involved in many important national research projects, like JST CREST and Sakigake. He’s received many awards for his work, including the Young Scientists’ Prize from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

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Professor Takeuchi has made three big contributions to the world of quantum science.

  1. Understanding how light works at the smallest level.
    You know light seems like a wave, but it’s actually made of tiny energy packets called photons. Professor Takeuchi studies these photons, which have some really weird properties based on quantum mechanics. Unlike everyday objects, a single photon can do something called “quantum superposition”. Imagine a coin that can be both heads AND tails at the same time – that’s a bit like superposition. This strange property is super important for quantum computers. Professor Takeuchi has done experiments to show how this works with photons, which is a key step towards building quantum computers.
  2. Developing new ways to measure things using special quantum light.
    By controlling photons one by one, scientists can create a special kind of light called “quantum entangled light”. This light is linked in a way that traditional light isn’t. Using this entangled light, you can measure things in ways that are impossible with normal light, going beyond the usual limits. Professor Takeuchi and his team were the first in the world to build a microscope using quantum entangled light! This is a type of “optical quantum sensing” and it’s really exciting because it could let us see things we couldn’t before.
  3. “Super Quantum Entanglement”.
    As quantum technology gets bigger and uses more quantum particles (like many entangled photons), the situation becomes very complex. It’s like trying to understand a huge orchestra playing many different, linked tunes at once.
    “Super Quantum Entanglement” is about understanding these very complex states involving many quantum particles. Professor Takeuchi was chosen to lead a major national project called ERATO to research this.

What is Professor Takeuchi focusing on right now? His main focus is this “Super Quantum Entanglement” project. He wants to understand the basic rules of these complex quantum states and figure out how to use them. This research is combining different fields like computer science, math, physics, and experiments with light. The goal is to find new ways to put information into and get information out of these complex quantum states.

https://www.jst.go.jp/erato/en/research_area/ongoing/jpmjer2402_en.html

This research is super challenging but has huge potential! It could lead to completely new ways of processing information that go beyond even today’s ideas for quantum computers. It could also create new types of optical quantum sensing using light colors (wavelengths) that haven’t been used before. This could impact many areas from making new materials to improving medicine.

Finally, Professor Takeuchi has an exciting role at the Osaka-Kansai Expo in 2025. 2025 is the “International Year of Quantum Science and Technology”. At the Expo, there will be a special exhibition called “Entangle-Moment — [Quantum, Sea, Space] × Art”. Professor Takeuchi and his research group will have a real, working device there that lets visitors experience the weird world of “quantum entanglement” using pairs of entangled photons. This is believed to be the first time this kind of hands-on exhibit has been open to the public in Japan! They will also show how their “optical quantum sensing” technology works and how it can help society.

https://www.qst.go.jp/site/news/entangle-moment-en.html

So, Professor Takeuchi is a leading researcher who is not only pushing the boundaries of fundamental quantum science but also showing how these amazing discoveries can be used to create new technologies and letting people experience the wonders of the quantum world firsthand!