Japan's first Nobel Prize 2,000 photos of Dr. Hideki Yukawa donated by a family September 22 19:49

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It has been 70 years since the first Japanese Dr. Hideki Yukawa received the Nobel Prize. It turned out that over 2000 private photos of Dr. Hideki Yukawa were donated by his family to Kyoto University. Among the photographs, there are family photographs before and after returning to Japan for the first time to travel abroad to explain the research results, and the analysts who analyzed analyzed that `` Dr. Yukawa's research was recognized around the world. It is a valuable historical material that can be read from facial expressions. "

Dr. Hideki Yukawa predicts that one of the forces working in the nucleus will be generated by a new particle named meson, after studying cutting-edge elementary particle physics almost independently in Japan without studying in Europe and the United States. Announced "meson theory".

This theory proved to be correct in experiments, and Dr. Yukawa was selected for the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1949, and was the first Japanese to receive the Nobel Prize.

This is the 70th anniversary of Dr. Yukawa's award, and it turned out that more than 2000 private photos of Dr. Yukawa were donated by his family to Kyoto University, where he was based.

It is the first time that Dr. Yukawa's personal photos have been donated in large quantities, and the photos stored in the 36 albums cover everything from childhood to later years.

This includes family photos taken at each milestone. Of these, two family photos taken in 1948, 10 years before the Nobel Prize, were first introduced overseas by Dr. Yukawa. Taken just before traveling and just after returning to Japan.

This overseas trip was for the first time when Dr. Yukawa was invited to an international physics conference to explain “meson theory” directly to scientists in Europe and the United States. It looks like you are tense and tense.

Dr. Yukawa's theory was highly appreciated in this overseas trip, and in the photo immediately after returning home, Dr. Yukawa, who has gained confidence and has a gentle smile, is shown.

Dr. Michiji Onuma, Professor Emeritus of Keio University, who is studying the achievements of Dr. Yukawa, pointed out that "the time when Dr. Yukawa's own research in Japan was recognized in the world is a valuable historical material that can be read from his face." It is.

“I understand the feelings of doctors who have gained confidence in the world”

In this photo donated to Kyoto University, there are still a number of family photos taken by Dr. Hideki Yukawa at each milestone.

Of these, two family photos taken just before traveling to and attending the Solvay meeting and just after returning to Japan are arranged on one page of the album so as to be eye-catching.

The photo just before the trip was taken in June 1945, and a hand-written explanation was added to the side of the photo, "Before traveling to Europe to attend the Showa 14 Solvay Conference".

The photo shows Dr. Yukawa's wife and two sons, and his wife's mother, and his wife's mother looks down and looks tense and tense.

The photo immediately after returning to Japan seems to have been taken from November to December of that year, and Dr. Yukawa turned around and looked as if he had gained confidence with a gentle smile.

Next to the photo is "Return from the United States", which indicates that it is an important photo for Dr. Yukawa and his family.

Dr. Tsuji Onuma, an emeritus professor at Keio University who is studying Dr. Yukawa's achievements and figures, “Dr. Yukawa often has a hard face, and rarely has a soft look in his youth. Looking at the expression, I can understand the feelings of Dr. Yukawa, who was recognized and confident in the world, at that time. "

Self-taught Nobel Prize Encourage Japanese shortly after the war

When Dr. Yukawa graduated from university, the world's most advanced “elementary particle physics” became active, and the structure of atomic nuclei began to be understood rapidly.

Dr. Yukawa compiled his paper for the first time at the age of 27 in 1934. That was the "meson theory" in which the force linking protons and neutrons in the nucleus is generated by a new particle named "meson".

At the time, research was centered in Europe, but Dr. Yukawa did this research in Japan and did almost self-study based on overseas papers.

The paper was published overseas, but at that time, no one looked at the paper written by the unnamed Dr. Yukawa.

However, meson theory gradually gains attention through experiments and observations.

Then, in October 1939, Dr. Yukawa was invited to Belgium at a meeting called “Solvay Conference” where only global physicists gather and discuss.

Dr. Yukawa left Japan on a ship in June to attend the meeting, but the World War II began and the meeting was canceled just before, and Dr. Yukawa went to the United States to go to the United States and many prominent physicists such as Einstein. And deepened the discussion.

While having an equal discussion with leading foreign physicists to deepen confidence in meson theory, he gained a high reputation and became a member of a well-known physicist. It was about ten years before receiving the Nobel Prize.

Later, the correctness of the theory was confirmed through experiments, and this was the big news for the first Japanese Nobel Prize.

The fact that research conducted independently in Japan apart from Europe and the United States has been recognized as encouraging Japanese who have lost their confidence in the early postwar period.