Research Summary

We conduct theoretical and first-principles studies to elucidate quantum phenomena induced by intense ultrashort laser and free-electron laser pulses. Our research focuses in particular on the quantum dynamics of electrons in atoms, molecules, and solids driven by laser fields. To this end, we develop state-of-the-art first-principles computational methods. Through these efforts, we aim to pioneer transformative technologies, including attosecond science for observing, understanding, and controlling ultrafast electron motion; laser-processing simulators that support advanced semiconductor manufacturing; and lightwave electronics/petahertz electronics.

Laboratory Website

https://www.atto.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ 

Biography

March 1992
B.Eng., Department of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
July 1993 – September 1994
Exchange Student, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
March 1995
M.Eng. Department of Quantum Engineering and Systems Science, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
May 1998 (enrolled until September 1998)
Ph.D. (Dr. rer. nat.), RWTH Aachen University, Germany
October 1998 – September 2000
Postdoctoral Researcher, CEA Saclay, France
October 2000 – March 2002
Special Postdoctoral Researcher, RIKEN
April 2002 – March 2008
Associate Professor, Department of Quantum Engineering and Systems Science, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
April 2008 – September 2009
Senior Scientist, RIKEN, Japan
October 2009 – January 2014
Project Associate Professor, Photon Science Center, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
February 2014 – Present
Professor, Department of Nuclear Engineering and Management, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Concurrent Positions:
Photon Science Center, The University of Tokyo
Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo
Deputy Director, Institute for Attosecond Laser Facility
Director, RIKEN–UTokyo Joint Center for Photon Science

Major Awards

• Research Award, Research Foundation for Opto-Science and Technology (2005)
• Best Poster Award, Bio Supercomputing Symposium (2008)
• Fellow, Atomic Energy Society of Japan (2024)

Selected Publications

- Yi-Jia Mao, Zhao-Han Zhang, Yang Li, Takeshi Sato, Kenichi L. Ishikawa, and Feng He, “Coherent control of electron-ion entanglement in multiphoton ionization,” Light Sci. Appl. 15, 156(13) (2026)
- Zhao-Han Zhang, Yang Li, Himadri Pathak, Takeshi Sato, Kenichi L. Ishikawa, and Feng He, “Time-Dependent Hole States in Multiconfigurational Time-Dependent Hartree-Fock Approaches: A Time-Domain Generalization of Extended Koopmans’ Theorem,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 013204(9) (2026)
- Arqum Hashmi, M. Umar Farooq, Mizuki Tani, Kazuhiro Yabana, Tomohito Otobe and Kenichi L. Ishikawa, “Ultrafast Optical Control of Multi-Valley States in 2D SnS,” Phys. Rev. Materials 9, 104003(18) (2025)
- Kenichi L. Ishikawa, Kevin C. Prince, and Kiyoshi Ueda, “Control of Ion-Photoelectron Entanglement and Coherence via Rabi Oscillations,” J. Phys. Chem. A 127, 10638–10646 (2023)
- Carlo Callegari, Alexei N. Grum-Grzhimailo, Kenichi L. Ishikawa, Kevin C. Prince, Giuseppe Sansone, Kiyoshi Ueda, “Atomic, molecular and optical physics applications of longitudinally coherent and narrow bandwidth Free-Electron Lasers,” Physics Report 904, 1-59 (2021)
- T. Sato and K. L. Ishikawa, “Time-dependent complete-active-space self-consistent field method for multielectron dynamics in intense laser fields,” Phys. Rev. A 88, 023402 (15) (2013)
- K. L. Ishikawa, “Nonlinear optical response of graphene in time domain,” Phys. Rev. B 82, 201402(R)(4) (2010)
- K. Ishikawa, “Photoemission and ionization of He⁺ under simultaneous irradiation of fundamental laser and high-order harmonic pulses,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 043002 (2003).