Mankind has a long history of curiosity concerning the Universe that surrounds us. From ancient times, attempting to understand various observed phenomena has been a driving force for the development of natural sciences such as physics, and this is still the case today. As technology has progressed, there has been a rapid evolution of experimental and observational techniques for studying the Universe, allowing us to become aware of phenomena such as black holes, neutron stars, gamma-ray bursts, supernova remnants, and collapsing galaxy clusters. Although such high-energy phenomena are common throughout the Universe, these environments cannot be reproduced on Earth, and are important research targets for scientists around the world. One means of studying these phenomena is by observing their X-ray or gamma-ray emission. Different but complimentary information can be obtained by simultaneously observing them at optical and infrared wavelengths. In addition to experimental and observational studies, it is also important to form a theoretical understanding of such high-energy phenomena. Recent theoretical studies on the evolutionary history of the Universe have revealed that it is filled with “dark energy” and “dark matter”, whose nature, together with the origin of the Universe, are not well understood. To clarify such problems, it is necessary to carry out advanced studies in the fields of elementary particle physics and nuclear physics.

Five research groups at Hiroshima University are currently studying high-energy astrophysics using a variety of approaches. “Core of Research for the Energetic Universe (CORE-U)” was established by Hiroshima University in 2014, with the goals of promoting research activities, public relations, and joint international research through a comprehensive tie-up of the five groups including the academic cooperation to the other research fields. We wish to inform talented students around the world of our activities to join us and hope for the excellent studies by the students in our groups CORE-U.

Yasushi Fukazawa
Director, Core of Research for the Energetic Universe (CORE-U)