, known as
KEK, is a national organization whose purpose is to operate the largest
particle physics laboratory in Japan, which is situated in
Tsukuba,
Ibaraki prefecture. It was established in 1997. The term "KEK" is also used to refer to the laboratory itself, which employs approximately 900 employees. KEK's main function is to provide the
particle accelerators and other infrastructure needed for
high-energy physics,
material science,
structural biology,
radiation science,
computing science,
nuclear transmutation and so on. Numerous experiments have been constructed at KEK by the internal and international collaborations that have made use of them.
Makoto Kobayashi, emeritus professor at KEK, is known globally for his work on
CP-violation, and was awarded the 2008
Nobel Prize in Physics.