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{{short description|Japanese physicist}}
{{Short description|Japanese physicist (1926–2020)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox scientist
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Masatoshi Koshiba
| name = Masatoshi Koshiba
| image = Masatoshi Koshiba 2002.jpg
| image = Masatoshi Koshiba 2002.jpg
| image_size =
| image_size =
| alt =
| alt =
| caption = Photograph of Koshiba published in 2002
| caption = Photograph of Koshiba published in 2002
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1926|9|19}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1926|9|19}}
| birth_place = [[Toyohashi]], [[Aichi Prefecture|Aichi]], Japan
| birth_place = [[Toyohashi]], [[Aichi Prefecture|Aichi]], Japan
| death_date={{death date and age|2020|11|12|1926|9|19}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|11|12|1926|9|19}}
| death_place=[[Tokyo]], Japan
| death_place = [[Tokyo]], Japan
| nationality = Japanese
| nationality = Japanese
| alma_mater = [[University of Tokyo]]<br/>[[University of Rochester]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Tokyo]]<br/>[[University of Rochester]]
| doctoral_advisor = Morton F. Kaplon
| doctoral_advisor = Morton F. Kaplon
Line 20: Line 20:
| footnotes =
| footnotes =
| field = [[Physics]]
| field = [[Physics]]
| work_institution = [[University of Chicago]]<br/>[[University of Tokyo]]<br/>[[Tokai University]]
| work_institution = [[University of Chicago]]<br/>[[George Washington University]]<br/>[[University of Tokyo]]<br/>[[Tokai University]]
| prizes = [[Humboldt Prize]] (1997)<br/>[[Wolf Prize in Physics]] (2000)<br/>[[Nobel Prize in Physics]] (2002)
| prizes = [[Humboldt Prize]] (1997)<br/>[[Wolf Prize in Physics]] (2000)<br/>[[Nobel Prize in Physics]] (2002)
| thesis_title = High energy electron-proton cascade in cosmic radiation
| thesis_title = High energy electron-proton cascade in cosmic radiation
| thesis_year = 1955
| thesis_year = 1955
| thesis_url =
| thesis_url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/301974620/
| religion =
}}
}}

{{Nihongo|'''Masatoshi Koshiba'''|小柴 昌俊|Koshiba Masatoshi|19 September 1926{{spnd}}12 November 2020}} was a Japanese [[physicist]] and one of the founders of [[neutrino astronomy]]. His work with the neutrino detectors [[Kamiokande]] and [[Super-Kamiokande]] was instrumental in detecting [[solar neutrinos]], providing experimental evidence for the [[solar neutrino problem]].
{{Nihongo|'''Masatoshi Koshiba'''|小柴 昌俊|Koshiba Masatoshi|19 September 1926{{spnd}}12 November 2020}} was a Japanese [[physicist]] and one of the founders of [[neutrino astronomy]]. His work with the neutrino detectors [[Kamiokande]] and [[Super-Kamiokande]] was instrumental in detecting [[solar neutrinos]], providing experimental evidence for the [[solar neutrino problem]].


Koshiba won the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] in 2002 (jointly with [[Raymond Davis Jr.]]) "for pioneering contributions to astrophysics, in particular for the detection of cosmic [[neutrino]]s".
Koshiba won the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] in 2002, jointly with [[Raymond Davis Jr.]], "for pioneering contributions to astrophysics, in particular for the detection of cosmic [[neutrino]]s".


He was a senior counselor at the [[International Center for Elementary Particle Physics]] (ICEPP) and [[professor]] at the University of Tokyo.
He was a senior counselor at the [[International Center for Elementary Particle Physics]] (ICEPP) and [[professor]] at the University of Tokyo.


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
Koshiba was born in [[Toyohashi]] in central Japan on September 19, 1926, to Toshio and Hayako Koshiba. His father was a military officer. His mother died when he was three, leading to his father marrying his wife's elder sister.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Overbye|first=Dennis|date=November 16, 2020|title=Masatoshi Koshiba, 94, Dies; Nobel Winner Tracked Ghostly Neutrinos|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/science/masatoshi-koshiba-dead.html|access-date=November 17, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He grew up in [[Yokosuka]], and completed his high school in [[Tokyo]]. It is mentioned that his initial interest was in studying [[German literature]], but, ended up studying physics, spurred by a teacher's denigrating comments.<ref name=":2" />
Koshiba was born in [[Toyohashi]] in central Japan on September 19, 1926, to Toshio and Hayako Koshiba. His father was a military officer. His mother died when he was three, leading to his father marrying his wife's elder sister.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Overbye|first=Dennis |authorlink=Dennis Overbye |date=November 16, 2020|title=Masatoshi Koshiba, 94, Dies; Nobel Winner Tracked Ghostly Neutrinos|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/science/masatoshi-koshiba-dead.html |access-date=November 17, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He grew up in [[Yokosuka]], and completed his high school in [[Tokyo]]. It is mentioned that his initial interest was in studying [[German literature]], but, ended up studying physics, spurred by a teacher's denigrating comments.<ref name=":2" />


He graduated from the [[University of Tokyo]] in 1951 and received a [[Ph.D.]] in physics from the [[University of Rochester]], New York, in 1955.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0" />
He graduated from the [[University of Tokyo]] in 1951 and received a [[PhD]] in physics from the [[University of Rochester]], New York, in 1955.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0" />


==Career and research==
==Career and research==
[[File:Masatoshi Koshiba Junichiro Koizumi and Koichi Tanaka 20021011.jpg|thumb|left|200px|with [[Jun'ichirō Koizumi]] and [[Kōichi Tanaka]] (at the [[Prime Minister's Official Residence]] on October 11, 2002)]]
[[File:Masatoshi Koshiba Junichiro Koizumi and Koichi Tanaka 20021011.jpg|thumb|left|200px|With [[Jun'ichirō Koizumi]] and [[Kōichi Tanaka]], at the [[Prime Minister's Official Residence]], October 2002]]
[[File:Masatoshi Koshiba and Junichiro Koizumi 20030827.jpg|thumb|left|200px|with [[Jun'ichirō Koizumi]] (at [[Kamioka Observatory]], [[Institute for Cosmic Ray Research]], [[University of Tokyo]] on August 27, 2003)]]
[[File:Masatoshi Koshiba and Junichiro Koizumi 20030827.jpg|thumb|200px|With [[Jun'ichirō Koizumi]], at [[Kamioka Observatory]], [[Institute for Cosmic Ray Research]], [[University of Tokyo]], August 2003]]
Koshiba started his career as a Research Associate at the Department of Physics, [[University of Chicago]] from July 1955 to February 1958, and was an associate professor at Institute of Nuclear Study, University of Tokyo from March 1958 to October 1963. While on leave from November 1959 to August 1962 he served as the acting director, Laboratory of High Energy Physics and Cosmic Radiation, Department of Physics, University of Chicago.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Yamaguchi|first=Mari|title=Japan Nobel laureate Koshiba who found neutrinos dies at 94|language=en-US|work=The Washington Post|agency=AP|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/japan-nobel-laureate-koshiba-who-found-neutrinos-dies-at-94/2020/11/13/d2fc6cd2-25a7-11eb-9c4a-0dc6242c4814_story.html|access-date=November 17, 2020|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Bio.Masatoshi Koshiba|url=https://jspsusa.org/FORUM2003/bio.koshiba.htm|access-date=November 17, 2020|website=jspsusa.org}}</ref> At the University of Tokyo he became associate professor in March 1963 and then professor in March 1970 in the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, and emeritus professor there in 1987. From 1987 to 1997, Koshiba taught at [[Tokai University]].<ref name=":0" />
Koshiba started his career as a research associate at the Department of Physics, [[University of Chicago]] from July 1955 to February 1958, and was an associate professor at Institute of Nuclear Study, University of Tokyo from March 1958 to October 1963. While on leave from November 1959 to August 1962 he served as the acting director, Laboratory of High Energy Physics and Cosmic Radiation, Department of Physics, University of Chicago.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Yamaguchi|first=Mari |title=Japan Nobel laureate Koshiba who found neutrinos dies at 94|language=en-US|newspaper=The Washington Post|agency=AP|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/japan-nobel-laureate-koshiba-who-found-neutrinos-dies-at-94/2020/11/13/d2fc6cd2-25a7-11eb-9c4a-0dc6242c4814_story.html |access-date=November 17, 2020|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Bio.Masatoshi Koshiba|url=https://jspsusa.org/FORUM2003/bio.koshiba.htm |access-date=November 17, 2020|website=jspsusa.org}}</ref>
At the University of Tokyo he became associate professor in March 1963 and then professor in March 1970 in the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, and emeritus professor there in 1987. From 1987 to 1997, Koshiba taught at [[Tokai University]].<ref name=":0" />


In 2002, he jointly won the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] for "pioneering contributions to [[astrophysics]], in particular for the detection of cosmic [[neutrino]]s". (The other shares of that year's Prize were awarded to [[Raymond Davis Jr.]] and [[Riccardo Giacconi]] of the U.S.A.)<ref>[https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2002/ The Nobel Prize in Physics 2002.]</ref>
In 2002, he jointly won the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] for "pioneering contributions to [[astrophysics]], in particular for the detection of cosmic [[neutrino]]s". (The other shares of that year's Prize were awarded to [[Raymond Davis Jr.]] and [[Riccardo Giacconi]] of the U.S.A.)<ref>[https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2002/ The Nobel Prize in Physics 2002.]</ref>


Koshiba's initial research was in cosmic rays. In 1969, he shifted into electron-positron collider physics, and was involved with the [[JADE (particle detector)|JADE]] detector in Germany, which helped confirm the Standard Model. Along with [[Masayuki Nakahata]] and [[Atsuto Suzuki]], Koshiba designed the [[Kamiokande]] experiment to detect [[proton decay]], a prediction of [[grand unified theories]]. No proton decay was detected, but Koshiba realized the detector could be made to detect neutrinos, and adapted the project accordingly, following the pioneering U.S. work of Davis.<ref name=science-obit>{{cite journal |last1=Nakahata|first1=Masayuki |last2=Suzuki |first2=Atsuto |date= 22 Jan 2021|title=Masatoshi Koshiba (1926–2020) |url=https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.abg1561 |journal= Science|volume= 371|issue= 6257|pages= 349|doi= 10.1126/science.abg1561 |pmid=33479141 |bibcode=2021Sci...371..349N |access-date=9 Feb 2021|doi-access=free}}</ref>
Koshiba's initial research was in cosmic rays. In 1969, he shifted into electron-positron collider physics, and was involved with the [[JADE (particle detector)|JADE]] detector in Germany, which helped confirm the Standard Model. Along with [[Masayuki Nakahata]] and [[Atsuto Suzuki]], Koshiba designed the [[Kamiokande]] experiment to detect [[proton decay]], a prediction of [[grand unified theories]]. No proton decay was detected, but Koshiba realized the detector could be made to detect neutrinos, and adapted the project accordingly, following the pioneering U.S. work of Davis.<ref name=science-obit>{{cite journal |last1=Nakahata|first1=Masayuki |last2=Suzuki |first2=Atsuto |date= 22 Jan 2021|title=Masatoshi Koshiba (1926–2020) |journal= Science|volume= 371|issue= 6257|pages= 349|doi= 10.1126/science.abg1561 |pmid=33479141 |bibcode=2021Sci...371..349N |doi-access=free}}</ref>


In the early 1970s, Koshiba collaborated with [[Gersh Budker]] (1918-1977), the particle-accelerator [[electron cooling]] pioneer in the Soviet Union. This collaboration was cut short for unknown reasons but Budker died of heart attack a few years later.<ref name=science-obitPT>{{cite journal |last1=Kajita|first1=Takaaki |last2=Komamiya |first2=Sachio |date= 1 Jul 2021|title=Masatoshi Koshiba |url=https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/PT.3.4800?dm_i=1XPS,7FXAR,6MRMF7,U8OUK,1 |journal= Physics Today|volume= 74|issue= 7|pages= 60|doi= 10.1063/PT.3.4800 |access-date=5 Jul 2021|doi-access=free}}</ref>
In the early 1970s, Koshiba collaborated with [[Gersh Budker]] (1918–1977), the particle-accelerator [[electron cooling]] pioneer in the Soviet Union. This collaboration was cut short for unknown reasons but Budker died of heart attack a few years later.<ref name=science-obitPT>{{cite journal |last1=Kajita|first1=Takaaki |last2=Komamiya |first2=Sachio |date= 1 Jul 2021|title=Masatoshi Koshiba |journal= Physics Today|volume= 74|issue= 7|pages= 60|doi= 10.1063/PT.3.4800 |bibcode=2021PhT....74g..60K |doi-access=free}}</ref>


Through this experiment, he (and Davis in the U.S.) were able to confirm the prediction that neutrinos are generated during the nuclear fusion reaction in the sun. However, these experiments detected fewer neutrinos than had been expected. This deficit was called the [[solar neutrino problem]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 13, 2020|title=Japanese Nobel-prize-winning neutrino pioneer Masatoshi Koshiba dies aged 94|url=https://physicsworld.com/a/japanese-nobel-prize-winning-neutrino-pioneer-masatoshi-koshiba-dies-aged-94/|access-date=November 17, 2020|website=Physics World|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> The deficit would be eventually explained by "neutrino oscillations", whose existence was confirmed by an enlarged version of Kamiokande, known as [[Super-Kamiokande]], run under the direction of Koshiba's student [[Takaaki Kajita]].<ref name=science-obit/>
Through this experiment, he (and Davis in the U.S.) were able to confirm the prediction that neutrinos are generated during the nuclear fusion reaction in the sun. However, these experiments detected fewer neutrinos than had been expected. This deficit was called the [[solar neutrino problem]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 13, 2020|title=Japanese Nobel-prize-winning neutrino pioneer Masatoshi Koshiba dies aged 94|url=https://physicsworld.com/a/japanese-nobel-prize-winning-neutrino-pioneer-masatoshi-koshiba-dies-aged-94/ |access-date=November 17, 2020|website=Physics World|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> The deficit would be eventually explained by "neutrino oscillations", whose existence was confirmed by an enlarged version of Kamiokande, known as [[Super-Kamiokande]], run under the direction of Koshiba's student [[Takaaki Kajita]].<ref name=science-obit/>


In 1987, the Kamiokande experimental detector detected neutrinos from the [[supernova]] explosion (designated [[SN 1987A]]) outside the [[Milky Way]], the [[Large Magellanic Cloud]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Browne|first=Malcolm W.|date=April 7, 1987|title=NEUTRINOS: NEW VIEW INTO SPACE (Published 1987)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/07/science/neutrinos-new-view-into-space.html|access-date=November 17, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> His research was pioneering in the establishment of [[neutrino astronomy]] as a field of study.<ref name=":2" />
In 1987, the Kamiokande experimental detector detected neutrinos from the [[supernova]] explosion (designated [[SN 1987A]]) outside the [[Milky Way]], the [[Large Magellanic Cloud]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Browne|first=Malcolm W.|date=April 7, 1987|title=NEUTRINOS: NEW VIEW INTO SPACE (Published 1987)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/07/science/neutrinos-new-view-into-space.html |access-date=November 17, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> His research was pioneering in the establishment of [[neutrino astronomy]] as a field of study.<ref name=":2" />


In 1996, with the promising results from Kaokande, the team operationalized a larger and more sensitive detector called [[Super-Kamiokande]]. With this detector, scientists was able to demonstrate strong evidence to prove that neutrinos changed from one type to another of three types during flight. This demonstration resolved the solar neutrino problem with the reasoning being that the early detectors could detect one type of neutrino rather than all three types.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 13, 2020|title=Nobel Prize laureate remembered for groundbreaking research on neutrinos|url=http://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/nobel-prize-laureate-remembered-for-groundbreaking-research-on-neutrinos-461492/|access-date=November 17, 2020|website=NewsCenter|language=en-US}}</ref>
In 1996, with the promising results from Kamiokande, the team operationalized a larger and more sensitive detector called [[Super-Kamiokande]]. With this detector, scientists were able to demonstrate strong evidence to prove that neutrinos changed from one type to another of three types during flight. This demonstration resolved the solar neutrino problem with the reasoning being that the early detectors could detect one type of neutrino rather than all three types.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 13, 2020|title=Nobel Prize laureate remembered for groundbreaking research on neutrinos|url=http://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/nobel-prize-laureate-remembered-for-groundbreaking-research-on-neutrinos-461492/ |access-date=November 17, 2020|website=NewsCenter|language=en-US}}</ref>


Koshiba was a member of the Board of Sponsors of the ''[[Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]]'', and also a foreign fellow of [[Bangladesh Academy of Sciences]].<ref>[http://www.bas.org.bd/list-of-fellows/userslist.html List of Fellows of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091107130138/http://www.bas.org.bd/list-of-fellows/userslist.html |date=November 7, 2009 }}</ref> He was a founding member of the Edogawa NICHE Prize Steering committee.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.edogawanicheprize.org/committee.html|title=Edogawa-Niche Prize}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Edogawa-Niche Prize|url=https://www.edogawanicheprize.org/committee.html|access-date=November 17, 2020|website=www.edogawanicheprize.org}}</ref>
Koshiba was a member of the Board of Sponsors of the ''[[Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]]'', and also a foreign fellow of [[Bangladesh Academy of Sciences]].<ref>[http://www.bas.org.bd/list-of-fellows/userslist.html List of Fellows of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091107130138/http://www.bas.org.bd/list-of-fellows/userslist.html |date=November 7, 2009 }}</ref> He was a founding member of the Edogawa NICHE Prize Steering committee.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.edogawanicheprize.org/committee.html |title=Edogawa-Niche Prize}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Edogawa-Niche Prize|url=https://www.edogawanicheprize.org/committee.html |access-date=November 17, 2020|website=www.edogawanicheprize.org}}</ref>


== Personal life ==
== Personal life ==
Koshiba married Kyoto Kato, an art museum curator, when he returned to Japan in the late 1950s. The couple had a son and a daughter.<ref name=":2" />
Koshiba married Kyoto Kato, an art museum curator, when he returned to Japan in the late 1950s. The couple had a son and a daughter.<ref name=":2" />


He died on November 12, 2020, at the Edogawa Hospital in Tokyo at the age of 94.<ref>{{Cite web|last=日本放送協会|title=ノーベル物理学賞受賞の小柴昌俊さん死去 94歳|url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20201113/k10012709941000.html|access-date=November 17, 2020|website=NHKニュース}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Anonym|title=Masatoshi Koshiba, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, died 94 years old {{!}} tellerreport.com|url=http://www.tellerreport.com/life/2020-11-13-masatoshi-koshiba--winner-of-the-nobel-prize-in-physics--died-94-years-old-.SkzgqiOiYv.html|access-date=November 17, 2020|website=www.tellerreport.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=NEWS|first=KYODO|title=Japanese physicist Koshiba, 2002 Nobel Prize laureate, dies at 94|url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/11/e4d59462987c-japanese-physicist-koshiba-a-2002-nobel-prize-laureate-dies-at-94.html|access-date=November 17, 2020|website=Kyodo News+}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Japan Nobel laureate Koshiba who found neutrinos dies at 94|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/japan-nobel-laureate-koshiba-found-neutrinos-dies-94-74187448|access-date=November 17, 2020|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/science/masatoshi-koshiba-dead.html|title = Masatoshi Koshiba, 94, Dies; Nobel Winner Tracked Ghostly Neutrinos|newspaper = The New York Times|date = November 16, 2020|last1 = Overbye|first1 = Dennis}}</ref>
He died on November 12, 2020, at the Edogawa Hospital in Tokyo at the age of 94.<ref>{{Cite web|last=日本放送協会|title=ノーベル物理学賞受賞の小柴昌俊さん死去 94歳|url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20201113/k10012709941000.html |access-date=November 17, 2020|website=NHKニュース}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=NEWS|first=KYODO |title=Japanese physicist Koshiba, 2002 Nobel Prize laureate, dies at 94|url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/11/e4d59462987c-japanese-physicist-koshiba-a-2002-nobel-prize-laureate-dies-at-94.html |access-date=November 17, 2020|website=Kyodo News+}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Japan Nobel laureate Koshiba who found neutrinos dies at 94|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/japan-nobel-laureate-koshiba-found-neutrinos-dies-94-74187448 |access-date=November 17, 2020|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2" />


==Awards==
==Awards==
<small>Source(s):<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 2002|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2002/koshiba/biographical/|access-date=November 17, 2020|website=NobelPrize.org|language=en-US}}</ref></small>
<small>Source(s):<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 2002|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2002/koshiba/biographical/ |access-date=November 17, 2020|website=NobelPrize.org|language=en-US}}</ref></small>
*1987 – [[Asahi Prize]]
*1987 – [[Asahi Prize]]
*1987 – [[Nishina Memorial Prize]]
*1987 – [[Nishina Memorial Prize]]
*1989 – [[Japan Academy Prize (academics)]]
*1997 – [[Humboldt Prize]]
*1997 – [[Humboldt Prize]]
*2000 – [[Wolf Prize in Physics]]
*2000 – [[Wolf Prize in Physics]]
*2002 – [[Nobel Prize in Physics]]
*2002 – [[Nobel Prize in Physics]]
*2002 – [[Panofsky Prize]]
*2002 – [[Panofsky Prize]]
*2003 – [[Benjamin Franklin Medal (Franklin Institute)|Benjamin Franklin Medal]] in Physics<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 15, 2014|title=Masatoshi Koshiba|url=https://www.fi.edu/laureates/masatoshi-koshiba|access-date=November 17, 2020|website=The Franklin Institute|language=en}}</ref>
*2003 – [[Benjamin Franklin Medal (Franklin Institute)|Benjamin Franklin Medal]] in Physics<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 15, 2014|title=Masatoshi Koshiba|url=https://www.fi.edu/laureates/masatoshi-koshiba |access-date=November 17, 2020|website=The Franklin Institute|language=en}}</ref>


==Honors==
==Honors==
Line 76: Line 79:
*1985 – [[Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
*1985 – [[Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
*1997 – [[Order of Culture]]
*1997 – [[Order of Culture]]
*2002 – Honorary citizenship of [[Suginami]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Latin American Herald Tribune - Japanese Nobel Laureate Masatoshi Koshiba Dies at 94|url=http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2496906&CategoryId=13936|access-date=November 17, 2020|website=www.laht.com}}</ref>
*2002 – Honorary citizenship of [[Suginami]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Latin American Herald Tribune - Japanese Nobel Laureate Masatoshi Koshiba Dies at 94|url=http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2496906&CategoryId=13936 |access-date=November 17, 2020|website=www.laht.com}}</ref>
*2002 – Honorary doctor of [[Meiji University]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Autumn Entrance Ceremony for the 2017 Academic Year Held {{!}} News & Events {{!}} About|url=http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/about/news/2017/enjsp300000070cf.html|access-date=November 17, 2020|website=Meiji University|language=en}}</ref>
*2002 – Honorary doctor of [[Meiji University]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Autumn Entrance Ceremony for the 2017 Academic Year Held {{!}} News & Events {{!}} About|url=http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/about/news/2017/enjsp300000070cf.html |access-date=November 17, 2020|website=Meiji University|language=en}}</ref>
*2002 – Elected [[Fellow of the American Physical Society]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aps.org/programs/honors/fellowships/archive-all.cfm?initial=B&year=2002&unit_id=&institution=|title=APS Fellow Archive|publisher=APS|access-date=September 17, 2020}}</ref>
*2002 – Elected [[Fellow of the American Physical Society]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aps.org/programs/honors/fellowships/archive-all.cfm?initial=B&year=2002&unit_id=&institution= |title=APS Fellow Archive|publisher=APS|access-date=September 17, 2020}}</ref>
*2003 – Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Rising Sun]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 30, 2003|title=Nobel chemist, ex-Kobe mayor among government honorees|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2003/04/30/national/nobel-chemist-ex-kobe-mayor-among-government-honorees/|access-date=November 17, 2020|website=The Japan Times|language=en-US}}</ref>
*2003 – Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Rising Sun]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 30, 2003|title=Nobel chemist, ex-Kobe mayor among government honorees|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2003/04/30/national/nobel-chemist-ex-kobe-mayor-among-government-honorees/ |access-date=November 17, 2020|website=The Japan Times|language=en-US}}</ref>
*2003 – In commemoration of the [[Nobel Prize]]-winning by Masatoshi Koshiba, ''Koshiba'' hall was established at the [[University of Tokyo]]'s School of science.<ref name="寺崎昌男2007">寺崎昌男 2007 『東京大学の歴史 大学制度の先駆け』 講談社</ref>
*2003 – In commemoration of the [[Nobel Prize]]-winning by Masatoshi Koshiba, ''Koshiba'' hall was established at the [[University of Tokyo]]'s School of science.<ref name="寺崎昌男2007">寺崎昌男 2007 『東京大学の歴史 大学制度の先駆け』 講談社</ref>
*2003 – Honorary citizenship of [[Tokyo]]
*2003 – Honorary citizenship of [[Tokyo]]
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==Publications==
==Publications==
* {{cite journal | last=Koshiba | first=M. |author2=Fukuda, Y | title=Evidence for Oscillation of Atmospheric Neutrinos | date=1998 | journal=[[Physical Review Letters]] | volume=81 | issue=8 | pages=1562–1567 | doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.81.1562|arxiv = hep-ex/9807003 |bibcode = 1998PhRvL..81.1562F |display-authors=etal}}
* {{cite journal | last=Koshiba | first=M. |author2=Fukuda, Y | title=Evidence for Oscillation of Atmospheric Neutrinos | date=1998 | journal=[[Physical Review Letters]] | volume=81 | issue=8 | pages=1562–1567 | doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.81.1562|arxiv = hep-ex/9807003 |bibcode = 1998PhRvL..81.1562F |display-authors=etal}}
* {{cite journal | last=Koshiba | first=M. |author2=Fukuda, Y | title=Constraints on Neutrino Oscillation Parameters from the Measurement of Day-Night Solar Neutrino Fluxes at Super-Kamiokande | date=1999 | journal=[[Physical Review Letters]] | volume=82 | issue=9 | pages=1810–1814 | doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.1810 |arxiv = hep-ex/9812009 |bibcode = 1999PhRvL..82.1810F |display-authors=etal}}
* {{cite journal | last=Koshiba | first=M. |author2=Fukuda, Y | title=Constraints on Neutrino Oscillation Parameters from the Measurement of Day-Night Solar Neutrino Fluxes at Super-Kamiokande | date=1999 | journal=[[Physical Review Letters]] | volume=82 | issue=9 | pages=1810–1814 | doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.1810 |arxiv = hep-ex/9812009 |bibcode = 1999PhRvL..82.1810F | s2cid=119409084 |display-authors=etal}}


==See also==
==See also==
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[[Category:Nobel laureates in Physics]]
[[Category:Nobel laureates in Physics]]
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[[Category:People from Toyohashi]]
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[[Category:University of Chicago faculty]]
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[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Tokyo]]
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[[Category:University of Rochester alumni]]
[[Category:University of Rochester alumni]]
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[[Category:Wolf Prize in Physics laureates]]
[[Category:Wolf Prize in Physics laureates]]
[[Category:Fellows of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Fellows of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences]]
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[[Category:Foreign members of the Russian Academy of Sciences]]
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[[Category:Fellows of the American Physical Society]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Physical Society]]
[[Category:Benjamin Franklin Medal (Franklin Institute) laureates]]

Latest revision as of 02:56, 20 December 2024

Masatoshi Koshiba
Photograph of Koshiba published in 2002
Born(1926-09-19)September 19, 1926
DiedNovember 12, 2020(2020-11-12) (aged 94)
Tokyo, Japan
NationalityJapanese
Alma materUniversity of Tokyo
University of Rochester
Known forAstrophysics, neutrinos
AwardsHumboldt Prize (1997)
Wolf Prize in Physics (2000)
Nobel Prize in Physics (2002)
Scientific career
FieldsPhysics
InstitutionsUniversity of Chicago
George Washington University
University of Tokyo
Tokai University
ThesisHigh energy electron-proton cascade in cosmic radiation (1955)
Doctoral advisorMorton F. Kaplon
Other academic advisorsShin'ichirō Tomonaga
Takahiko Yamanouchi
Doctoral studentsYoji Totsuka
Atsuto Suzuki
Other notable studentsTakaaki Kajita

Masatoshi Koshiba (小柴 昌俊, Koshiba Masatoshi, 19 September 1926 – 12 November 2020) was a Japanese physicist and one of the founders of neutrino astronomy. His work with the neutrino detectors Kamiokande and Super-Kamiokande was instrumental in detecting solar neutrinos, providing experimental evidence for the solar neutrino problem.

Koshiba won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2002, jointly with Raymond Davis Jr., "for pioneering contributions to astrophysics, in particular for the detection of cosmic neutrinos".

He was a senior counselor at the International Center for Elementary Particle Physics (ICEPP) and professor at the University of Tokyo.

Early life

[edit]

Koshiba was born in Toyohashi in central Japan on September 19, 1926, to Toshio and Hayako Koshiba. His father was a military officer. His mother died when he was three, leading to his father marrying his wife's elder sister.[1] He grew up in Yokosuka, and completed his high school in Tokyo. It is mentioned that his initial interest was in studying German literature, but, ended up studying physics, spurred by a teacher's denigrating comments.[1]

He graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1951 and received a PhD in physics from the University of Rochester, New York, in 1955.[2][3]

Career and research

[edit]
With Jun'ichirō Koizumi and Kōichi Tanaka, at the Prime Minister's Official Residence, October 2002
With Jun'ichirō Koizumi, at Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, August 2003

Koshiba started his career as a research associate at the Department of Physics, University of Chicago from July 1955 to February 1958, and was an associate professor at Institute of Nuclear Study, University of Tokyo from March 1958 to October 1963. While on leave from November 1959 to August 1962 he served as the acting director, Laboratory of High Energy Physics and Cosmic Radiation, Department of Physics, University of Chicago.[2][3]

At the University of Tokyo he became associate professor in March 1963 and then professor in March 1970 in the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, and emeritus professor there in 1987. From 1987 to 1997, Koshiba taught at Tokai University.[3]

In 2002, he jointly won the Nobel Prize in Physics for "pioneering contributions to astrophysics, in particular for the detection of cosmic neutrinos". (The other shares of that year's Prize were awarded to Raymond Davis Jr. and Riccardo Giacconi of the U.S.A.)[4]

Koshiba's initial research was in cosmic rays. In 1969, he shifted into electron-positron collider physics, and was involved with the JADE detector in Germany, which helped confirm the Standard Model. Along with Masayuki Nakahata and Atsuto Suzuki, Koshiba designed the Kamiokande experiment to detect proton decay, a prediction of grand unified theories. No proton decay was detected, but Koshiba realized the detector could be made to detect neutrinos, and adapted the project accordingly, following the pioneering U.S. work of Davis.[5]

In the early 1970s, Koshiba collaborated with Gersh Budker (1918–1977), the particle-accelerator electron cooling pioneer in the Soviet Union. This collaboration was cut short for unknown reasons but Budker died of heart attack a few years later.[6]

Through this experiment, he (and Davis in the U.S.) were able to confirm the prediction that neutrinos are generated during the nuclear fusion reaction in the sun. However, these experiments detected fewer neutrinos than had been expected. This deficit was called the solar neutrino problem.[7][1] The deficit would be eventually explained by "neutrino oscillations", whose existence was confirmed by an enlarged version of Kamiokande, known as Super-Kamiokande, run under the direction of Koshiba's student Takaaki Kajita.[5]

In 1987, the Kamiokande experimental detector detected neutrinos from the supernova explosion (designated SN 1987A) outside the Milky Way, the Large Magellanic Cloud.[8][1] His research was pioneering in the establishment of neutrino astronomy as a field of study.[1]

In 1996, with the promising results from Kamiokande, the team operationalized a larger and more sensitive detector called Super-Kamiokande. With this detector, scientists were able to demonstrate strong evidence to prove that neutrinos changed from one type to another of three types during flight. This demonstration resolved the solar neutrino problem with the reasoning being that the early detectors could detect one type of neutrino rather than all three types.[9]

Koshiba was a member of the Board of Sponsors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and also a foreign fellow of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences.[10] He was a founding member of the Edogawa NICHE Prize Steering committee.[11][12]

Personal life

[edit]

Koshiba married Kyoto Kato, an art museum curator, when he returned to Japan in the late 1950s. The couple had a son and a daughter.[1]

He died on November 12, 2020, at the Edogawa Hospital in Tokyo at the age of 94.[13][14][15][1]

Awards

[edit]

Source(s):[16]

Honors

[edit]

Source(s):[16]

Publications

[edit]
  • Koshiba, M.; Fukuda, Y; et al. (1998). "Evidence for Oscillation of Atmospheric Neutrinos". Physical Review Letters. 81 (8): 1562–1567. arXiv:hep-ex/9807003. Bibcode:1998PhRvL..81.1562F. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.81.1562.
  • Koshiba, M.; Fukuda, Y; et al. (1999). "Constraints on Neutrino Oscillation Parameters from the Measurement of Day-Night Solar Neutrino Fluxes at Super-Kamiokande". Physical Review Letters. 82 (9): 1810–1814. arXiv:hep-ex/9812009. Bibcode:1999PhRvL..82.1810F. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.1810. S2CID 119409084.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Overbye, Dennis (November 16, 2020). "Masatoshi Koshiba, 94, Dies; Nobel Winner Tracked Ghostly Neutrinos". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Yamaguchi, Mari. "Japan Nobel laureate Koshiba who found neutrinos dies at 94". The Washington Post. AP. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Bio.Masatoshi Koshiba". jspsusa.org. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  4. ^ The Nobel Prize in Physics 2002.
  5. ^ a b Nakahata, Masayuki; Suzuki, Atsuto (January 22, 2021). "Masatoshi Koshiba (1926–2020)". Science. 371 (6257): 349. Bibcode:2021Sci...371..349N. doi:10.1126/science.abg1561. PMID 33479141.
  6. ^ Kajita, Takaaki; Komamiya, Sachio (July 1, 2021). "Masatoshi Koshiba". Physics Today. 74 (7): 60. Bibcode:2021PhT....74g..60K. doi:10.1063/PT.3.4800.
  7. ^ "Japanese Nobel-prize-winning neutrino pioneer Masatoshi Koshiba dies aged 94". Physics World. November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  8. ^ Browne, Malcolm W. (April 7, 1987). "NEUTRINOS: NEW VIEW INTO SPACE (Published 1987)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  9. ^ "Nobel Prize laureate remembered for groundbreaking research on neutrinos". NewsCenter. November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  10. ^ List of Fellows of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences Archived November 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Edogawa-Niche Prize".
  12. ^ "Edogawa-Niche Prize". www.edogawanicheprize.org. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  13. ^ 日本放送協会. "ノーベル物理学賞受賞の小柴昌俊さん死去 94歳". NHKニュース. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  14. ^ NEWS, KYODO. "Japanese physicist Koshiba, 2002 Nobel Prize laureate, dies at 94". Kyodo News+. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  15. ^ "Japan Nobel laureate Koshiba who found neutrinos dies at 94". ABC News. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  16. ^ a b "The Nobel Prize in Physics 2002". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  17. ^ "Masatoshi Koshiba". The Franklin Institute. January 15, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  18. ^ "Latin American Herald Tribune - Japanese Nobel Laureate Masatoshi Koshiba Dies at 94". www.laht.com. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  19. ^ "Autumn Entrance Ceremony for the 2017 Academic Year Held | News & Events | About". Meiji University. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  20. ^ "APS Fellow Archive". APS. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  21. ^ "Nobel chemist, ex-Kobe mayor among government honorees". The Japan Times. April 30, 2003. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  22. ^ 寺崎昌男 2007 『東京大学の歴史 大学制度の先駆け』 講談社
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