Hirotaka Sugawara

Quick Facts: Who was Hirotaka Sugawara?

Subject:

Hirotaka Sugawara

Known for:

Pioneering Japanese physicist known for the Lee-Sugawara relation and field theory of currents.

Born:

1938-03-15

Century / Era:

1938s Historical Era Archive

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Hirotaka Sugawara (菅原 寛孝, Sugawara Hirotaka; born March 15, 1938) is a Japanese physicist, specializing in the theoretical study of particle physics. He is known for the "Lee-Sugawara relation" and "A Field Theory of Currents" aka "Sugawara Construction" of the energy-momentum tensor. Sugawara was born in 1938 as a son of a Zen Buddhist in Miyagi, Japan. He obtained his BSc in Physics (1961), MSc in Physics (1963), and PhD in Physics (1966), from the University of Tokyo. When Sugawara was still a graduate student at the University of Tokyo, he derived a relation for non-leptonic hyperon decay amplitudes called "Lee-Sugawara relation" while studying the symmetry of weak interactions.

Career & Major Achievements

He received his doctorate from the University of Tokyo in 1966, and has held postdoctoral research positions at Cornell University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Chicago. Upon his return to Japan in 1968, he became a research associate at Tokyo University of Education, and he joined the University of Tokyo as an assistant professor in 1971. "A Field Theory of Currents" is known as the ""Sugawara model," a dynamical model of local currents, in which the energy momentum tensor was expressed as a product of currents," which opened the door to the algebraic formulation of field theories. In 1975, he was promoted to a full professor at the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics (today known as High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK)), where he served as the Director General from 1989 to 2003. While serving as the Director General at KEK, he concurrently held positions (professor, councilor, Dean, and steering committee member) at various organizations such as the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), National Institute for Physiological Science (NIPS), National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), Okazaki National Research Institutes, and Institutes of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS).

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He also served as a Chair of the International Committee for Future Accelerators (ICFA), a working group of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, from 1999 to 2002. KEKB, also called a B-factory for its copious production of B-mesons, is a particle accelerator used in the Belle experiment to study CP violation. He contributed significantly to the B-factory project as the Director General of KEK (the Japanese National Laboratory for High Energy Physics). He also provided strong leadership in setting up the long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment connecting the proton synchrotron at KEK (the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization) and Super-Kamiokande (Super-Kamioka Neutrino Detection Experiment, abbreviated to Super-K or SK) in Kamioka, Gifu. He led the launch of J-PARC (Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex) that was jointly developed between KEK and JAEA (the Japan Atomic Energy Agency).

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1938 (1938-03-15): Birth of Hirotaka Sugawara — Pioneering Japanese physicist known for the Lee-Sugawara relation and field theory of currents.
2. 1961: 1961 Milestone — He obtained his BSc in Physics (1961), MSc in Physics (1963), and PhD in Physics (1966), from the University of Tokyo.
3. 1966: 1966 Milestone — He received his doctorate from the University of Tokyo in 1966, and has held postdoctoral research positions at Cornell University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Chicago.
4. 1968: 1968 Milestone — Upon his return to Japan in 1968, he became a research associate at Tokyo University of Education, and he joined the University of Tokyo as an assistant professor in 1971.
5. 1975: 1975 Milestone — In 1975, he was promoted to a full professor at the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics (today known as High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK)), where he served as the Director General from 1989 to 2003.
6. 1999: 1999 Milestone — He also served as a Chair of the International Committee for Future Accelerators (ICFA), a working group of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, from 1999 to 2002.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Hirotaka Sugawara

True or False: “The 'Lee-Sugawara relation' was derived by Sugawara while studying the symmetry of weak interactions.”

Answer (TRUE ⭕): He derived this relation for non-leptonic hyperon decay amplitudes when he was still a graduate student at the University of Tokyo.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Abe Saperstein — Shared historical date (03-15 · Died) (1966): Founder of the Harlem Globetrotters, revolutionized black basketball.
• Alan Bean — Shared historical date (03-15 · Born) (1932): American astronaut, naval officer, and lunar explorer who walked on the Moon.
• Alan Dershowitz — Historical peer (Born in 1938) (1938): Prominent American lawyer and professor known for constitutional and criminal law advocacy.
• Albert Fert — Historical peer (Born in 1938) (1938): Pioneering physicist known for the discovery of giant magnetoresistance.
• Aaron Sorkin — Historical peer (Born in 1961) (1961): Master of fast-paced dialogue, known for 'walk and talk' storytelling.
• Abderrahmane Sissako — Historical peer (Born in 1961) (1961): Mauritanian-born Malian film director known for themes of globalization and exile.
• Abd el-Krim — Historical peer (Died in 1963) (1963): Moroccan revolutionary leader who spearheaded the revolt against French and Spanish Protectorates.
• 1938 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1938
• March 15 (03-15) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on March 15

Frequently Asked Questions about Hirotaka Sugawara