was a Japanese

theoretical physicist Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experimen ...

, known for

molecular physics Molecular physics is the study of the physical properties of molecules and molecular dynamics. The field overlaps significantly with physical chemistry, chemical physics, and quantum chemistry. It is often considered as a sub-field of atomic, mo ...

and

biophysics Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. ...

. Kotani was born in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

and spent his primary and middle school days in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

. He moved to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

to enter the First Higher School and then the

Imperial University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

. In 1929, he received his BSc degree in physics and was appointed as a lecturer at the faculty of engineering in the Imperial University of Tokyo. Three years later, he became an associate professor in the physics department. In 1943, he received the degree of DSc and was promoted to a full professor. In 1965, he moved to

Osaka University , abbreviated as , is a public research university located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is one of Japan's former Imperial Universities and a Designated National University listed as a "Top Type" university in the Top Global University Project. ...

as a professor in the faculty of engineering science. He retired from the chair in 1969. One year later, he was elected president of the

Tokyo Science University , formerly "Science University of Tokyo" or TUS, informally or simply is a private research university located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. History Tokyo University of Science was founded in 1881 as The Tokyo Academy of Physics by 21 graduates ...

, where he served as president for three terms, a total of 12 years, and retired in 1982. He was associated with the Tokyo Science University until his death, as an expert advisor to its two institutes for general and life sciences. Kotani received many awards. He was a recipient of the Japan Academy Prize in 1948. This was for his joint work with Sin-Itiro Tomonaga on the theory of

magnetron The cavity magnetron is a high-power vacuum tube used in early radar systems and currently in microwave ovens and linear particle accelerators. It generates microwaves using the interaction of a stream of electrons with a magnetic field while ...

s and

microwave Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz respectively. Different sources define different frequency ran ...

circuits. He received the 1969 Tohyoh Rayon Prize for the work in quantum mechanical study of molecular electronic structure, the 1974 Fujiwara Award for his contribution to the basic studies of molecular physics and biophysics, and the 1977 International Society of Quantum Biology Award. In 1977, the Japanese government commended him in recognition of his cultural services. In 1980, he received an

Order of Culture The is a Japanese order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japan's art, literature, science, technology, or anything related to culture in general; recipien ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotani, Masao Mathematical physicists Japanese physicists Academic staff of the University of Tokyo Academic staff of Osaka University University of Tokyo alumni 1906 births 1993 deaths Theoretical physicists Presidents of the Physical Society of Japan

See also

Notes