RIKEN ASI Chief Scientist Professor Satoshi Kawata wins the 8th Leo Esaki Prize

Professor Satoshi Kawata has won the 8th Leo Esaki Prize for his work on the development of Near-Field Nanophotonics and Plasmonics. Professor Kawata is the chief scientist of the Nanophotonics Laboratory at the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute (ASI) and a professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University.

This award is given in principle to one researcher, based at a research institution in Japan, who has attained international acclaim for outstanding research achievements in the area of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

The award ceremony is to be held on October 13 at the Tsukuba International Congress Center. We offer our sincere congratulations to Professor Kawata on this honor.

Comment from Professor Satoshi Kawata

Imaging the nanoworld with light has been my dream since my days as a graduate student, and it has become my lifework. Because of the wave nature of light, however, it was long believed that in principle, it was impossible to do so. Beginning from the fact that nano-light is localized at the tip of a metal needle with a nanoscale structure, I was able in my research to develop a principle for observing nanomaterials and nanodevices at a resolution of less than one-hundredth the wavelength of light and to demonstrate it in practice. It is an enormous honor to be presented this award that bears the name of Professor Leo Esaki, a pioneer in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology, and it is a major encouragement for me to carry my research ever further. I would like to express my appreciation to RIKEN and my colleagues here for providing me with a wonderful research environment.