Outline

The Cosmic Neutron and Photon Frontier Science Research Unit aims to establish “Cislunar Science” using cosmic radiation detection, beginning with lunar resource exploration. A primary focus is the non-contact mapping of lunar water using galactic cosmic rays. Neutrons generated by cosmic ray impacts lose energy via scattering with subsurface hydrogen. Leveraging this process, our compact “MoMoTarO” monitor precisely measures lunar moisture and elemental composition. By expanding these space-based observations, we seek to solve the neutron lifetime puzzle and contribute to gravitational wave cosmology through gamma-ray burst observations, transforming cislunar space into a new frontier for scientific discovery.

Fields

Physics, Space Science, Multidisciplinary, Engineering, Geosciences

Keywords

Cislunar Science, Lunar Resource Exploration, Space Neutrons, Space Photons, Radiation Science

Subjects

  • From Lunar Resource Exploration to the Creation of Cislunar Science

Conceptual diagram of exploring lunar water resources using neutrons generated by galactic cosmic ray impacts

Selected Publications

  • Tamagawa, T., Enoto, T., Kitaguchi, T., Iwakiri, W., Kato, Y., Numazawa, M., Mihara, T., Takeda, T., Ota, N., Watanabe, S., Aoyama, A., Iwata, S., Takahashi, T., Yamasaki, K., Hu, C. P., Takahashi, H., Yoshida, Y., Sato, H., Hayashi, S., Zhou, Y., Uchiyama, K., Jujo, A., Odaka, H., Tamba, T., and Taniguchi, K.:“NinjaSat: Astronomical X-ray CubeSat observa- tory”, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan (PASJ)[MO1.1], 77, 466 (2025).
  • Kusano H., Nagaoka H., Enoto T., Yamashita, N., Karouji, Y, Hoshino, T., Ueno, M., and Hareyama, M.:“Sensitivity of leakage neutrons to the abundance and depth distribution of lunar subsurface water”, Planetary and Space Science (Planet. Space. Sci.)[MO2.1], 251, 105968 (2024).
  • Hu C.-P., Narita T., Enoto T., Younes, G., Wadiasingh, Z., Baring, G. M., Ho, C. G. W., Guillot, S., Ray, S. P., Guver, T., Rajwade, K., Arzoumanian, Z., Kouveliotou, C., Harding, K. A., and Gendreau, C. K.:“Rapid spin changes around a magnetar fast radio burst”, Nature, 626, 500 (2024).
  • Enoto T., Terasawa T., Kisaka S., Hu, C. P., Guillot, S., Lewandowska, N., Malacaria, C., Ray, S. Paul., Ho, C. G. W., and Tanaka, J. S.:“Enhanced x-ray emission coinciding with giant radio pulses from the Crab Pulsar”, Science, 372, 187 (2021).
  • Enoto T., Wada Y., Furuta Y., Nakazawa, K., Yuasa, T., Okuda, K., Makishima, K., Sato, M., Sato, Y., Nakano, T., Umemoto, D., and Tsuchiya, H.:“Photonuclear reactions triggered by lightning discharge”, Nature, 551, 481 (2017).

Members

Members List
Name Position
Teruaki Enoto Unit Leader

Access & Contact

2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, JapanAccess

Contact Form »