Preface Professor Maki Kawai Chair, MSF Steering Committee Director General, Institute for Molecular Science Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo Cultivating new horizons for Condensed Matter Science The Millennium Science Forum (MSF) was established based on the voices of senior scientists who lead the modern research with the intention of cultivating new horizons for Condensed Matter Science. On this occasion of 20 years of the MSF, we would like to show the how the mission of the MSF was conceived and what was attained by twenty-two talented prize winners. The start was in 1998, when Professors Noboru Miura, Hidetoshi Fukuyama, the late Koichi Kitazawa and Sir Peter Williams met in Tokyo and came up with the idea of the MSF which was started in the following year, 1999. The Sir Martin Wood Prize was set as the core program of the MSF and Mr. Yasunobu Nakamura of NTT, currently Professor of the University of Tokyo, became the 1st awardee. In November 2018, the twentieth Sir Martin Wood Prize will be awarded to Associate Professor Yoshihiko Okamoto of Nagoya University. Here we showcase twenty-two Prize Winners with their achievements and their development since the MSF was founded. Successful advancement in their personal careers indicates the promotion of Condensed Matter Science and individual descriptions of their research represents the development of Condensed Matter Science itself in two decades. We are confident that you will enjoy the new era of the field. Sir Martin Wood Prize winners are given the opportunity of lecture trips to UK universities and institutes in Germany. This is a noteworthy experience that ties together young generations of Japan and the UK. The MSF has been always been kindly supported by the British Embassy in Tokyo, and also by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan. We are grateful to Mr. Paul Madden, British Ambassador to Japan, and to Mr. Touichi Sakata, former vice minister of MEXT, for their contribution of warm words to this book. Last but not least, twenty years of the MSF would not be possible without the devotion of Oxford Instrument KK. Without the encouragement by Mr. Jiro Kitaura, former president, the MSF would not have existed. The steering committee of the MSF is grateful for Oxford Instruments’ continued support over the past twenty years and for the future. 20 years of the Millennium Science Forum 3 Contents Page Preface 3 Professor Maki Kawai (Chair, Millennium Science Forum Steering Committee) Founder’s Message 6 Professor Noboru Miura (Founder, Millennium Science Forum) Greetings Sir Martin Wood (Founder, Oxford Instruments) 8 Sir Peter Williams (Member of Millennium Science Forum Steering Committee 10 Former Chairman, Oxford Instruments) Professor Robin Nicholas (University of Oxford) 12 Mr. Paul Madden (British Ambassador to Japan) 14 Mr. Touichi Sakata (Former vice minister, MEXT) 16 Introduction to the Sir Martin Wood Prize Professor Hidetoshi Fukuyama (Chair, Sir Martin Wood Prize Selection Committee) 18 Locations of Sir Martin Wood Prize Lectures 19 Lecture Trip Memories 20 Brief History of the MSF 22 Tony Ford (MSF Secretariat) Messages from the Sir Martin Wood Prize Winners 25 List of the Winners in alphabetical order 70 Appendix Prize Ceremony Memories 72 Record of the MSF Steering Committee and Selection Committee members 76 Guest Speakers at the Millennium Science Forum 77 20 years of the Millennium Science Forum 5 Founder’s Message Professor Noboru Miura Founder, Millennium Science Forum Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo “How can we contribute to building a bridge between the science communities of Japan and the UK by promoting the activities of top young researchers, rather than simply doing business in Japan?” “Can we search for a scheme together?” In 1997 Mr. Kitaura of Oxford Instruments asked me these unexpected, and at the same time, difficult questions so I consulted with Professor Koichi Kitazawa and Professor Hidetoshi Fukuyama. I was familiar with various cases of joint programmes between academia and industry that in many cases had glorious start-ups, but unfortunately did not last. I noticed a variety of reasons for such programmes being unsustainable so I was mindful that we needed to discuss in detail to reach a common understanding. Our concerns disappeared when we talked further with Mr. Kitaura and he assured us that Oxford Instruments direction will be different to the “unsuccessful examples” we had seen in the past and he told us:- “We just want to bridge the science communities of Japan and the UK by encouraging young scientists without linkage to the Oxford Instruments business, hence the scheme will not have the company name associated with it” This was the first time we had heard of a programme that did not have the name of the sponsor or some specific promotional target combined with it, so we immediately decided to support the activity and quickly moved ahead to create the whole scheme. At this stage I received strong encouragement from the Oxford Instruments Chairman, Sir Peter Williams, to lead the initiative with Oxford Instruments Japan. The next difficult question we faced was naming and identifying the mission and spirit of 6 20 years of the Millennium Science Forum 20 years of the Millennium Science Forum the activity. After some discussions we decided to call it the “Millennium Science Forum” (MSF) with a vision of “Looking to the Future” with commitment, consistency and continuity. At the same time we decided that the MSF should have a core program to give awards to young researchers. I was happy that Sir Martin Wood, Founder of Oxford Instruments, kindly agreed to call the award the “Sir Martin Wood Prize” and we asked our academic colleagues to support and become involved with the prize. Based on these fundamental points, everything has run smoothly since then. In 1999, we were greatly honored that HRH The Princess Royal and many distinguished guests attended the inaugural event at The British Embassy in Tokyo. The MSF has now been recognized by the scientific communities in both Japan and the UK. Below is the charter adopted for the MSF upon which our entire activities are based on and gives us strong encouragement to continue. 1. Oxford Instruments name is not directly associated with the MSF however following the will of the founder of the company, and to motivate people externally and internally, the name of the award is the “Sir Martin Wood Prize” 2. From the outset the emphasis will be on excellent results to maintain the activities, including management structure of the MSF. 3. Through these activities, our objective is to build bridges between the scientific communities of Japan and the UK. I strongly hope that by keeping our original concept the MSF will continue to prosper through the constant adoption of innovative ideas and design. 20 years of the Millennium Science Forum 7 Greetings Sir Martin Wood Founder, Oxford Instruments It was in 1955 that I first started working with physicists carrying out research in aspects of Condensed Matter Physics – then known as Solid State Physics. I was working under Dr. Nicholas Kurti at the University of Oxford's Clarendon laboratory, managing the High Magnetic Field facility, and developing new types of resistive magnet and research equipment for their experiments. Other universities wanted similar equipment so, in 1959, with the help of my wife, Audrey, I started the Oxford Instruments Company. This was two years before the American breakthrough in superconductivity which resulted in useable superconductors for magnets. It led to a great expansion of research in the field, and rapid growth at Oxford Instruments. Condensed Matter Physics has come a long way since then. I am full of admiration for the research work and achievements of the scientists who have won this Prize, which they have outlined in this booklet. I am very happy to have met many of the prize- winners in Tokyo, and most of them in my house in Oxfordshire. 8 20 years of the Millennium Science Forum I would like to thank the eminent scientists in the Millennium Science Forum who have given their time to reading all the submitted papers and judging between them. Especial thanks must go to Professor Noboru Miura, who I have known for many years and who was the first chairman of this committee. He has worked tirelessly and has accompanied most of the prize-winners on their lecture tours in the UK. Many thanks also to Tony Ford, who first developed this project with Professor Miura, and has organised the presentations and the lecture tours from the beginning. I hope the prize will continue to encourage and reward young scientists in this field for many years to come. 20 years of the Millennium Science Forum 9 Sir Peter Williams Member of Millennium Science Forum Steering Committee Former Chairman, Oxford Instruments During 1998, a small group of British and Japanese scientists and technologists gathered in the City Club of Tokyo, in Akasaka, to discuss how to mark the forthcoming millennium celebrations. Convened by Jiro Kitaura, then-president of Oxford Instruments KK, the group hatched a plan under his leadership to hold an annual seminar, if possible at the British Embassy, Tokyo, to showcase cutting edge developments in Japan in condensed matter physics. The Millennium Science Forum was born. Those present—Professor Noboru Miura, Professor Hidetoshi Fukuyama, the late Professor Koichi Kitazawa and I—further proposed to mark the occasion each year with the award of a prize to a young Japanese scientist, who would subsequently visit the UK to give prestige lectures at the University of Oxford and other leading universities. This plan has since been extended to include German research institutions.