Hideki Yukawa
Facts
Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.
Hideki Yukawa
Nobel Prize in Physics 1949
Born: 23 January 1907, Tokyo, Japan
Died: 8 September 1981, Kyoto, Japan
Affiliation at the time of the award: Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Prize motivation: “for his prediction of the existence of mesons on the basis of theoretical work on nuclear forces”
Prize share: 1/1
Work
Atomic nuclei consist of protons and neutrons held together by a strong force. Hideki Yukawa assumed that this force is borne by particles and that there is a relationship between the range of the force and the mass of the force-bearing particle. In 1934, Yukawa predicted that this particle should have a mass about 200 times that of an electron. He called this particle a “meson”. Mesons’ existence was verified in later experiments.
Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 10 laureates' work and discoveries range from optogenetics to efforts to promote peace and international law.
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