Yoichiro Nambu

Dates

January 18, 1921 – July 5, 2015

Authorized Form of Name

Nambu, Yoichiro, 1921-2015

Additional Forms of Names

Nambu, Y. (Yoichiro), 1921-2015

Nanbu, Yōichirō, 1921-2015

南部陽一郎, 1921-2015

Biography

Abstract

Yoichiro Nambu was Harry Judson Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago (1991-2015). Other institutional affiliations included the Institute for Advanced Study and Osaka City University. During his career he made many important contributions to theoretical physics, including spontaneous symmetry breaking, color gauging, and string theory.

Important Dates

January 18, 1921Birth, Tokyo (Japan).

1942Obtained MS, Imperial University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan).

1950 – 1956Assistant Professor to Professor, Osaka City University, Osaka (Japan).

1952Obtained DSc in Physics, Universtiy of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan).

1952 – 1954Member, Institute for Advanced Study.

1954 – 2015Research Associate (1954-1956); Associate Professor of Physics (1956-1958); Professor of Physics (1958-1971); Distinguished Service Professor (1971-1976); Chair, Department of Physics (1974-1977); Harry Judson Distinguished Service Professor (1976-1991); and Harry Judson Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus (1991-2015), University of Chicago, Chicago (Ill.).

1970Awarded Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics, American Physical Society.

1973Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1982Awarded National Medal of Science.

1994Awarded Wolf Foundation Prize in Physics.

1994Awarded J. J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics, American Physical Society.

2008Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics "for the discovery of the mechanism of spontaneous broken symmetry in subatomic physics".

July 5, 2015Death, Osaka (Japan).

Occupation

Theoretical particle physicist.

Places

Subjects

Particles (Nuclear physics).

Relationships

People

Family

Hida, Chieko

Wife.

Nambu, Jun-ichi

Son.

Nambu, Kichiro

Father.

Advisors & Collaborators

Masukawa, Toshihide, 1940-

Both awarded Nobel Prize in Physics in 2008 for separate projects.

Tomonaga, Shin'ichiro, 1906-1979

Advisor at University of Tokyo.

Colleagues

Allison, Samuel King, 1900-1965

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Anderson, Herbert Lawrence

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Arnowitt, Richard

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Ashcroft, Neil W.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Charney, Jule G.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Cohen, Morrel H.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Crewe, Albert V.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Cronin, James W., 1931-2016

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Deser, S. (Stanley)

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

DeWitt, Bryce S. (Bryce Seligman), 1923-2004

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Dyson, Freeman J.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Falicov, L. M. (Leopoldo Maximo), 1933-1995

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Fano, Ugo

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Fisk, Zachary

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Friedman, Jerome I. (Jerome Isaac), 1930-

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Fritzsche, Hellmut

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Gell-Mann, Murray

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Goldberger, Marvin L.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Hartle, J. B. (James B.)

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Kadanoff, Leo P.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Kinoshita, T. (Toichiro)

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Koshiba, Masatoshi, 1926-2020

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Lederman, Leon M.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Lee, T. D., 1926-

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Libchaber, Albert J.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Low, Francis E. (Francis Eugene), 1921-2007

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Massey, Walter E.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Mayer, Maria Goeppert, 1906-1972

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Morse, Marston, 1892-1977

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Mulliken, Robert Sanderson

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Nagel, Sidney R.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Oppenheimer, J. Robert, 1904-1967

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Phillips, J. C.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Sachs, Robert Green, 1916-

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Schrieffer, J. R. (John Robert), 1931-

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Shochet, Melvyn J.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Simpson, John A. (John Alexander), 1916-2000

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Szilard, Leo

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Telegdi, Val, 1922-2006

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Tsui, D. C. (Daniel Chee), 1939-

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Von Neumann, John, 1903-1957

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Wald, Robert M.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Wentzel, Gregor, 1898-1978

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Weyl, Hermann, 1885-1955

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Yang, Chen Ning, 1922-

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Additional

Anderson, P. W. (Philip W.), 1923-

Kobayashi, M. (Makoto)

Both awarded Nobel Prizes in Physics in 2008 for separate projects.

Oda, Minoru, 1923-

Pickering, Andrew, 1948-

Yukawa, Hideki, 1907-1981

Institutions

Major Positions

Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, N.J.)

Member.

Ōsaka Shiritsu Daigaku

Assistant Professor to Professor of Physics.

University of Chicago. Department of Physics

Research Associate; Associate Professor of Physics; Professor of Physics; Distinguished Service Professor; Department Chair; Harry Judson Distinguished Service Professor; and Harry Judson Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus.