OMU News

On October 6, 2023, Professor Wolfgang Ketterle of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2001 Nobel Prize laureate in Physics, visited OMU and paid a courtesy call to President Masahiro Tatsumisago and Vice Presidents Hiroyuki Sakuragi and Makoto Tsubota.

Professor Ketterle received the Nobel Prize in Physics for research on the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in sodium atoms and continues to be a leader in the field of ultracold atom research. This visit was made possible due to the fact that Professor Ketterle was the advisor to Professor Shin Inouye of the Graduate School of Science during his doctoral studies at MIT.

From left to right: Vice President Tsubota, President Tatsumisago, Professor Ketterle, Vice President Sakuragi, and Professor Inouye

In the President's office, discussions were held not only about Professor Ketterle's Nobel Prize win, but also about his ongoing research, memories of Professor Inouye's time at MIT, and specialized topics with the participation of Vice Presidents Sakuragi and Tsubota, who are also physics researchers. President Tatsumisago, who specializes in the field of materials chemistry, spoke from a different angle, culminating in a very lively discussion about the difference in approach between physics and other fields.

Professor Ketterle then toured Professor Inouye's lab, where Associate Professor Munekazu Horikoshi presented his ongoing project. Students then had the opportunity to present their research and ask Professor Ketterle questions with the support of Professor Inouye and others.

In the afternoon, Professor Ketterle gave a lecture, co-sponsored by the Nambu Yoichiro Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, the Atom-NO-KAI, and the Osaka branch of The Physical Society of Japan, where he introduced the basics and the latest research on ultracold atoms. A lively Q&A session with the faculty and students followed. “It was very interesting because it is rare that I get asked questions by people who are not in my field of expertise.” Shared Professor Ketterle.

All in all, it is always a valuable experience for OMU students and faculty to interact directly with researchers who are making an impact in the world.

Related Information

MIT Physics Website

Atom-NO-KAI

Nambu Yoichiro Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics

Japanese article

https://www.omu.ac.jp/info/research_news/entry-08669.html

Contact

Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University
Professor Shin Inouye
inouye [at]ml.omu.ac.jp 
Please change [at] to @.