Cutting-Edge Research
in Kyoto University

NUCL REACTOR PHYS

How Do We Calculate the Value of π? Opening new horizons with the Monte Carlo method.

Cherenkov radiation glowing in the core of the Kyoto University Research
Reactor (KURR)

How do we calculate the value of π, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter? It is well known that this value can be calculated by using random numbers instead of arithmetic methods. This stochastic approach is known as “the Monte Carlo method,” and it is now being applied to many areas of science, including neutron and light transport calculations in nuclear reactors. However, the method is not always a sufficiently versatile tool to replace other conventionally used deterministic methods. I am currently devoted to research that could expand the area of application of the Monte Carlo method. Recently, I succeeded in using the method to establish an algorithm to solve a complex-valued transport equation. I hope that this accomplishment enlarges the areas in which the Monte Carlo method can be applied, and opens the way for further developments.

Toshihiro Yamamoto, PhD
Associate Professor, Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute