Leo Esaki

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Leo Esaki
Leo Esaki 1959.jpg
Leo Esaki in 1959
Born (1925-03-12) March 12, 1925 (age 92)[1]
Osaka, Japan
Nationality Japanese
Fields Applied physics
Institutions IBM T. J. Watson Research Center
Sony
University of Tsukuba
Alma mater Tokyo Imperial University
Known for electron tunneling
Esaki diode
Notable awards Asahi Prize (1959)
Stuart Ballantine Medal (1961)
Japan Academy Prize (1965)
Nobel Prize in Physics (1973)
Harold Pender Award (1989)
IEEE Medal of Honor (1991)
Japan Prize (1998)[1]
Spouse Masako Araki (m.1959-1986)
Masako Kondo (m.1986)
Children 3

Reona Esaki (江崎 玲於奈 Esaki Reona, born March 12, 1925), also known as Leo Esaki, is a Japanese physicist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1973 with Ivar Giaever and Brian David Josephson for his discovery of the phenomenon of electron tunneling. He is known for his invention of the Esaki diode, which exploited that phenomenon. This research was done when he was with Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (now known as Sony). He has also contributed in being a pioneer of the semiconductor superlattices.[1]

Biography[edit]

Esaki was born in Osaka, and studied physics at Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo), where he received his B.Sc. in 1947 and his Ph.D. in 1959. He was awarded the Nobel Prize[2] for research conducted around 1958 regarding electron tunneling[3] in solids. He moved to the United States in 1960 and joined the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, where he became an IBM Fellow in 1967. His first paper on the semiconductor superlattice[4] was published when he was with IBM. A 1987 comment by Esaki regarding the original paper on superlattices notes:

"The original version of the paper was rejected for publication by Physical Review on the referee's unimaginative assertion that it was 'too speculative' and involved 'no new physics.' However, this proposal was quickly accepted by the Army Research Office..."[5]

Subsequently, Esaki served as president of the University of Tsukuba[1] and Shibaura Institute of Technology. Since 2006 he is the President of the Yokohama College of Pharmacy. Esaki is also the recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence, the Order of Culture (1974) and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (1998).

After the death of Yoichiro Nambu on 2015, Esaki is the eldest Japanese Nobel laureate.

Esaki's “five don’ts” rules[edit]

In the summer of 1994, Esaki suggests a list of “five don’ts” which anyone in realizing his/her creative potential should follow, meanwhile, Carl Nordling, a member of Nobel Committee for Physics just heard the rules and later introduce it on Physica Scripta.:[6]

  1. Don’t allow yourself to be trapped by your past experiences.
  2. Don’t allow yourself to become overly attached to any one authority in your field – the great professor, perhaps.
  3. Don’t hold on to what you don’t need.
  4. Don’t avoid confrontation.
  5. Don’t forget your spirit of childhood curiosity.

Awards and honors[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Dr. Leo Esaki. japanprize.jp
  2. ^ Esaki, Leo, "Long Journey into Tunneling," Nobel Lecture, December 12, 1973.
  3. ^ Esaki, L. (1958). "New Phenomenon in Narrow Germanium p-n Junctions". Physical Review. 109 (2): 603. Bibcode:1958PhRv..109..603E. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.109.603. 
  4. ^ Esaki, L.; Tsu, R. (1970). "Superlattice and Negative Differential Conductivity in Semiconductors". IBM Journal of Research and Development. 14: 61. doi:10.1147/rd.141.0061. 
  5. ^ "This Weeks's Citation Classic", Current Contents No 28, July 13, 1987.
  6. ^ 江崎玲於奈『限界への挑戦―私の履歴書』（日本経済新聞出版社）2007年

Further reading[edit]

  • Large scale integrated circuits technology : state of the art and prospects : proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Large Scale Integrated Circuits Technology: State of the Art and Prospects," Erice, Italy, July 15–27, 1981 / edited by Leo Esaki and Giovanni Soncini (1982)
  • Highlights in condensed matter physics and future prospects / edited by Leo Esaki (1991)

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leo_Esaki&oldid=790680830"