Research on nuclear reactions created in lightning strikes by Program-Specific Associate Professor Teruaki Enoto (Hakubi Project) has been chosen by Physics World magazine as one of the top ten physics breakthroughs of the year for 2017.

Dr. Enoto co-authored a paper with his colleagues at the University of Tokyo, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Hokkaido University, RIKEN and Nagoya University on “Photonuclear Reactions Triggered by Lightning Discharge”. The paper was published in Nature on November 23 2017 (doi:10.1038/nature24630).

The Physics World Top Ten Breakthroughs of 2017 are awarded to research reported in physicsworld.com in 2017. The Top Ten are chosen by Physics World editors from a shortlist that is drawn-up based on popularity with our readers. The selection criteria are: fundamental importance of research; significant advance in knowledge; strong connection between theory and experiment; and general interest to all physicists.