Atsuto Suzuki (鈴木 厚人, Suzuki Atsuto, born October 3, 1946, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan) is an experimental particle physicist known for his observations of neutrinos and anti-neutrinos.

Atsuto Suzuki
鈴木 厚人
Atsuhito Suzuki
Atsuhito Suzuki
Born (1946-10-03) October 3, 1946 (age 78)
NationalityJapanese
EducationTohoku University (Ph.D. 1974)
AwardsAsahi Prize (1987, 1998)
Bruno Rossi Prize (1989)
Medal of Honor (2005)
Bruno Pontecorvo Prize (2006)
Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2016)
Scientific career
InstitutionsTohoku University
Tōkyō University
KEK
Doctoral advisorMasatoshi Koshiba

Career

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With Piermaria Oddone (April, 2007)

Suzuki earned his doctorate from Tohoku University in 1974, supervised by Masatoshi Koshiba. In 1982 he was appointed to the faculty of the Tōkyō University. In 1993, he took concurrent positions as professor at the High Energy Physics Laboratory of Tohoku University and professor at the Institute of Cosmic Ray Research (ICRR) of Tōkyō University. Having taken part in the Kamiokande-II and Super-Kamiokande neutrino detection experiments, Suzuki was appointed Director of the Research Center for Neutrino Science in 1998 and led the KamLAND neutrino detection experiments. From 2006 until 2015 he was Director General of the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) Accelerator Laboratory.[1]

Scientific achievements

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With Piermaria Oddone (October, 2010)

The Kamiokande-II experiment detected a burst of neutrinos from Supernova 1987A, the first observation of this kind, winning the research team the Asahi and Bruno Rossi prizes.[2][3]

Observations from the Super-Kamiokande experiment measured the phenomenon of neutrino oscillation (and hence neutrino mass) with unprecedented accuracy, thereby resolving the solar neutrino problem.[4] For this accomplishment, the project was awarded the 1998 Asahi Prize.[2]

The KamLAND experiment was the first to detect geoneutrinos generated by the decay of radionuclides deep inside Earth. These observations provided the first direct measurements of the abundance of geoneutrino-producing elements and their spatial distribution in Earth's interior, marking the start of a new field of neutrino geoscience.[5]

Awards

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Suzuki received the Japanese Medal of Honor with purple ribbon in 2005,[6] the Bruno Pontecorvo Prize in 2006,[7] and the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2016, shared with investigators from the KamLAND, Super-Kamiokande, K2K / T2K, Daya Bay, and Sudbury neutrino observation consortia.[8] He was elected a foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2011.[9]

In 2021, he was elected as a Person of Cultural Merit.[10]

In 2022, he was elected as a Members of the Japan Academy.[11]


References

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  1. ^ "Tohoku University Annual Review" (PDF). 2006. p. 5. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  2. ^ a b The Asahi Shimbun Company. "The Asahi Prize - English Information". The Asahi Shimbun Company. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  3. ^ "HEAD AAS Rossi Prize Winners". High Energy Astrophysics Division. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Solar Neutrinos". Super-Kamiokande. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Geoneutrinos make their debut – Physics World". Physics World. 27 July 2005. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  6. ^ "Professor Atsuko Suzuki (Vice President, Tohoku University, Director of Neutrino Science Research Center attached to the Graduate School of Science) received the Purple Ribbon Emblem of Fall 2005". RCNS in Tohoku Univ. (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Bruno Pontecorvo Prize was awarded to Dr. Suzuki". KEK. 19 January 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Breakthrough Prize – Fundamental Physics Breakthrough Prize Laureates – Atsuto Suzuki and the KamLAND Collaboration". Breakthrough Prize. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  9. ^ "Suzuki, Atsuto". Russian Academy of Sciences (in Russian). Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  10. ^ "長嶋茂雄さんら9人文化勲章 功労者に加山雄三さんら". Jiji.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  11. ^ 日本学士院会員の選定について | 日本学士院