Physics award a triumph for Japan

Written by changthai11 on Saturday, October 11th, 2008

NOBEL LAUREATE DISCUSSION / Physics award a triumph for Japan

Yoichiro Nambu, Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Masukawa, who will share the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics, talked by phone with two Japanese Nobel Prize laureates–Leo Esaki and Ryoji Noyori–on Tuesday evening after they were named prizewinners earlier in the day. Moderated from the Tokyo head office of The Yomiuri Shimbun by Yomiuri science news editor Shigeyuki Koide, their conversation ranged from reflections on their careers–particularly the time when they became devoted to research on particles–to their advice for young Japanese scientists. The following are excerpts of their conversation.

The Yomiuri Shimbun: Congratulations. How do you feel?

Masukawa: It’s hard to express my feelings right now. Basically, I began thinking as of last year it would be our turn to be awarded this year. And that happened as I predicted.

Esaki: Congratulations. Your, or perhaps Japanese, theoretical physics has now been recognized around the world. Your theories deserve the award. That you were chosen for the prize shows that the world has recognized Japanese [ideas about] theoretical physics handed down since the days of Dr. Hideki Yukawa [the first Japanese to be awarded the Nobel Prize].

Kobayashi: Thank you. Congratulations to Professor Nambu, too.

Masukawa: It’s my greatest pleasure that Professor Nambu was named the winner, because you are the great elder and leader of theoretical physics in Japan. I’m very happy to share the prize with you. I could only reach the point I’m at now because I read the theses of Professor Nambu respectfully and avidly after entering a graduate course [at Nagoya University].

Nambu: It’s a great honor for me, too [to share the prize with both of you]. I heard about the Kobayashi-Maskawa model [Masukawa's name is given without "u" in the name of the model] here [in the United States] even before reading the paper on what I thought was a great theory. I had thought that the job done by you two deserved the prize from the very beginning. Again, it’s a great honor that I could share the same prize with you two.

Esaki: Professor Nambu has long led global research into theoretical physics. So, in my opinion, his receipt of the Nobel Prize came rather belatedly.

Noyori: I have never met with Professor Nambu in person, but I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to you for serving as an ambassador for science in Japan since relocating to the United States [in 1952]. You have led global physics research while also propagating basic physics. Your achievements are spectacular. I hope you’ll continue with your leading role in the science world.

Nambu: Thank you.

Noyori: As a scientist, I’m very happy to see that three [ethnic] Japanese swept the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Esaki: Professor Masukawa, you were awarded for your theory on broken symmetry. Symmetry is related to the existence of the cosmos.

Masukawa: The basic premise of that theory was discovered by Professor Nambu. It’s the basic theory of particle physics.

Noyori: My field of specialty is a bit different from that, but I’ve been studying the theory of broken symmetry with great interest because I’ve been conducting research into the differences of symmetric structures in chemical substances.

Kobayashi: Thank you very much [for your interest in the theory].

Esaki: I’m pleased to see that basic theoretical physics–instead of great discoveries–has been recognized as a field for a Nobel Prize.

Nambu: True, the past Nobel Prizes were awarded mainly for great discoveries or very visible achievements.

Esaki: Discovery of superconductivity, for example, attracted a great deal of public attention.

Noyori: This time, the most fundamental field of basic science was chosen for the prize. Scientific development is expected to result in an economic impact, but nothing can be generated without the firm foundation of basic science. I want the government to advance a policy of promoting basic science.

Yomiuri: Now, I’d like you all to look back on your days at university. I understand, Professor Nambu, that you studied under the tutelage of Shoichi Sakata (1911-1970), a leading theoretical physicist and professor at Nagoya University.

Nambu: Dr. Sakata was a great scientist and I certainly was influenced by him. Both Professor Kobayashi and Professor Masukawa inherit his academic glory as I did.

Yomiuri: Professor Kobayashi, tell us about your impressions of Sakata-san.

Kobayashi: He died when I was a graduate student [at Nagoya University]. But I feel my thinking was cultivated under his instruction. He was a liberal instructor.

Yomiuri: Professor Masukawa and Professor Kobayashi, you published your theory [on broken symmetry] at the relatively young ages of 33 and 28, respectively. What first made you interested in science, including natural science?

Masukawa: It was my father’s influence, I think. My father was learning about heavy current by correspondence, but gave up midway [through his course] because he was stumped by differential-integral equations, which were difficult to solve for those educated before the war whose studies ended at primary school. He was born in the Meiji era (1868-1912), you know. But he wanted to pass his knowledge on to someone else. So it was me, his child, whom he targeted.

Yomiuri: So, you learned first from your father.

Masukawa: When we were walking in the ruins of the war in complete darkness guided only by moonlight, my father proudly taught me the mechanisms of lunar eclipse and motor spinning.

Yomiuri: Did that happen when you were a primary school student?

Masukawa: Yes. I wasn’t a smart student at school, but my grades in science and arithmetic were moderately good. That’s why I came to believe it would be better for me to pursue a science course in the future.

Yomiuri: Professor Kobayashi, what prompted your interested in science?

Kobayashi: Nothing in particular. I kind of feel I had been interested in science since childhood.

Yomiuri: How about you, Professor Nambu?

Nambu: When I was a student aged 20 or so, Dr. Yukawa was famous the world over, although he had yet to be awarded a Nobel Prize. So it’s true that I was influenced by his reputation.

Yomiuri: Do you have a message for the young people who increasingly are shunning the sciences.

Kobayashi: Different ways of doing things come about when individuals generate new ideas and work to strengthen them. I want to urge young people to develop their creativity–to think for themselves.

Nambu: In the same way that Dr. Yukawa’s achievements stimulated me, I hope my work will provide young people with a sense of impetus.

Masukawa: It’s said that students are becoming less interested in science at schools. Our award will be meaningful if it acts as a brake–no matter by how little–on this tendency.

Noyori: I believe the award will send a meaningful message to young people. The fact that all three of you received the prize at the same time clearly shows the world that Japanese science is thriving. Also, being recognized for research originally conducted during periods when the nation was meeting economic challenges also is worthy of note.

At present, academic research in Japan, the United States, and Europe exhibits few differences. I sincerely hope young Japanese scientists can carry out pioneering research of global importance. I believe Japan has the ability to do this.

Esaki: Professor Masukawa verified new research through experiments 10 years ago.

Masukawa: As is apparent in the rapidly developing field of life science, scientists need to develop new and powerful ideas vis-a-vis the natural world to obtain fresh results.

This requires money. In this respect, it’s important for people to understand what we do in the world of science.

Noyori: I think it’s extremely important to nurture the next generation of researchers and pass on to them the nation’s accomplishments.

Professors Nambu, Masukawa and Kobayashi aren’t getting any younger. Hereafter, quality human resources will be required in the sciences.

If our award manages to encourage young researchers and students, then we couldn’t ask for more than that. One of my greatest wishes is that Japanese science goes from strength to strength in the future.

Yomiuri: The Large Hadron Collider of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) will soon begin operations. This Nobel Prize encourages such international research projects, doesn’t it?

Nambu: Yes, it does. Of course, various new theories have been constructed and new discoveries are expected to be formed based on my theory. So I’m very proud that my basic research was recognized as being valuable in this context.

Esaki: Japan’s tradition of theoretical physics has continued since the years of Dr. Tomonaga and others came into prominence. Young physics researchers all over the world, especially those in Japan, pay attention to it. Truth in physics also is truth in nature, and is a precious asset for human beings. The winning of the award is extremely meaningful if it encourages young people to be interested in science.

Yomiuri: Professor Nambu, could you tell us about the difference in research environments in Japan and the United States?

Nambu: I felt great differences when I moved to the United States. In Japan, I had a hard time making ends meet. When Professor Tomonaga was at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, I heard he remarked, “I feel as if I was exiled to paradise.” I felt the same way. My income shot up and I didn’t need to drive myself around anymore. I felt as if I was in paradise.

Esaki: I have lived in the United States for 32 years. I feel that the United States has more factors than Japan to stimulate people’s creativity. I think the country has an atmosphere that supports creative work more than in Japan.

Nambu: This may be true. But we can’t conclude [that the United States is more conducive to creativity than Japan] because Professors Kobayashi and Masukawa made the achievements in Japan. However, the United States surely has on environment that can be more creative or more liberal [for researchers].

Esaki: This Nobel Prize showed the high value of basic research into the fundamental elements of the universe.

Yomiuri: Professor Nambu, do you plan to come back to Japan?

Nambu: I have no plan at all. I don’t know whether I can go to Japan.

Esaki: Take care of your health because you will become busy after receiving the Nobel Prize.

Nambu: Thank you very much.

Discussion participants

Yoichiro Nambu: professor emeritus at the University of Chicago

Makoto Kobayashi: executive director of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Toshihide Masukawa: professor at Kyoto Sangyo University

Leo Esaki: president of Yokohama College of Pharmacy and recipient of the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics

Ryoji Noyori: president of Riken research institute for physical and chemical sciences and recipient of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Moderator: Shigeyuki Koide, science news editor of The Yomiuri Shimbun