(born 1940) is a Japanese physicist in the

Nonlinear Dynamics In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system (or a non-linear system) is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, physicists, mathem ...

group at

Kyoto University , or , is a National university, national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan. The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen gra ...

who formulated the

Kuramoto model The Kuramoto model (or Kuramoto–Daido model), first proposed by , is a mathematical model used in describing synchronization. More specifically, it is a model for the behavior of a large set of coupled oscillators. Its formulation was motivated b ...

and is also known for the

Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation In mathematics, the Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation (also called the KS equation or flame equation) is a fourth-order nonlinear partial differential equation. It is named after Yoshiki Kuramoto and Gregory Sivashinsky, who derived the equation in ...

. He is also the discoverer of so-called chimera states in networks of coupled oscillators. Kuramoto specializes in

nonlinear In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system (or a non-linear system) is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, physicists, mathe ...

dynamics (also known as

nonlinear science In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system (or a non-linear system) is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, physicists, mathem ...

) and

non-equilibrium statistical mechanics In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities. Sometimes called statistical physics or statistical thermodynamics, its applicati ...

. Notably, he has worked on the network dynamics created by

limit cycle In mathematics, in the study of dynamical systems with two-dimensional phase space, a limit cycle is a closed trajectory in phase space having the property that at least one other trajectory spirals into it either as time approaches infinity o ...

oscillators. Among his accomplishments is the derivation of the

, which describes the phase instability of oscillating fields. This is regarded as the first example of

spatiotemporal chaos In physics, spacetime, also called the space-time continuum, is a mathematical model that fuses the three dimensions of space and the one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional continuum. Spacetime diagrams are useful in visualizing ...

. Another achievement is his proposal of a solvable model for oscillator populations, now known as the

. Other achievements include deriving the complex

Ginzburg–Landau equation The Ginzburg–Landau equation, named after Vitaly Ginzburg and Lev Landau, describes the nonlinear evolution of small disturbances near a finite wavelength bifurcation from a stable to an unstable state of a system. At the onset of finite wavelen ...

in reaction-diffusion systems and studying the entrainment phenomenon in coupled oscillator systems.

Biography

He was born in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

. He holds a

Doctor of Science A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...

degree from

(1970). He is currently an emeritus professor of Kyoto University and a visiting professor at the

Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences The is a research institute attached to Kyoto University, hosting researchers in the mathematical sciences from all over Japan. RIMS was founded in April 1963. List of directors * Masuo Fukuhara (1963.5.1 – 1969.3.31) * Kōsaku Yosida (1969 ...

, Kyoto University. Kuramoto was a student of

Kazuhisa Tomita Kazuhisa (written: , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese video game developer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese ba ...

and Hajime Mori. Originally, he studied the statistical mechanics of

phase transitions In physics, chemistry, and other related fields like biology, a phase transition (or phase change) is the physical process of transition between one state of a medium and another. Commonly the term is used to refer to changes among the basic Sta ...

, but he began researching nonlinear dynamics due to doubts about the research on

dissipative structures A dissipative system is a thermodynamically open system which is operating out of, and often far from, thermodynamic equilibrium in an environment with which it exchanges energy and matter. A tornado may be thought of as a dissipative system. Dis ...

Ilya Prigogine Viscount Ilya Romanovich Prigogine (; ; 28 May 2003) was a Belgian physical chemist of Russian-Jewish origin, noted for his work on dissipative structures, complex systems, and irreversibility. Prigogine's work most notably earned him the 19 ...

and others, who received the Nobel Prize for their work. His book "Chemical Oscillations, Waves, and Turbulence" is one of the most cited publications in the field of nonlinear dynamics, and it is often said that "the number of citations exceeds the number of copies published."

Career

1964 - Graduated from the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University 1969 - Left the Doctoral Course of the Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, after earning the required credits. Assistant at the Faculty of Science, Kyushu University April 1976 - Associate Professor, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University April 1981 - Professor at the Research Institute for Fundamental Physics, Kyoto University April 1985 - Professor, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University 1995 - Professor, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University 2004 ** Retired from Kyoto University and became an Emeritus Professor of Kyoto University. Specially Appointed Professor, Hokkaido University COE 2005 - Received the Asahi Prize for his pioneering research on nonlinear science, such as synchronization phenomena. 2008 - Visiting Professor, Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Kyoto University (Itoh Kiyoshi Doctor

Gauss Prize The Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize for Applications of Mathematics is a mathematics award, granted jointly by the International Mathematical Union and the German Mathematical Society for "outstanding mathematical contributions that have found signific ...

Award Memorial (Nomura Group) Mathematical Analysis Contribution Research Division) 2013 - Deputy Director, International Institute for Advanced Studies (until March 2017)

Major works

''Chemical Oscillations, Waves, and Turbulence'' Springer-Verlag, 1984 (Reissued by Dover publications in 2003) "Iwanami Lectures: The World of Physics, Statistical Mechanics 1: Bridging Micro and Macro—Thoughts on Heat and Statistical Mechanics" (Iwanami Shoten, 2002) " New Natural Science—The Potential of Nonlinear Science" (Iwanami Shoten, 2003) Chikuma Gakugei Bunko, 2016 "Nonlinear Science" (Shueisha Shinsho, 2007) "Nonlinear Science: Synchronizing World" Shueisha Shinsho 2014

Co-authored works

"Pattern Formation" co-authored with Michio Yamada, Shigeru Shinomoto, Kyoji Kawasaki, Shoichi Kai (Asakura Publishing, 1991) "Iwanami Lectures: Modern Physics Vol.15, Dissipative Structures and Chaos" co-authored with Hajime Mori (Iwanami Shoten, 1994) ''Dissipative Structures and Chaos'' co-authored with Hajime Mori; translated by Glenn C. Paquette. Springer c1998. "The World of Rhythm Phenomena" Editor (Tokyo University Press, Nonlinear and Non-equilibrium Phenomena of Mathematics, 2005) "Mathematics of Synchronization Phenomena: Approach by Phase Description" co-authored with Hiroshi Kawamura (Baifukan, Nonlinear Science Series, 2010)

External links

Nonlinear Dynamics Laboratory, Honorary Professor Yoshiki Kuramoto

Notes

Japanese physicists Living people Kyoto University alumni Academic staff of Kyoto University Academic staff of Hokkaido University 1940 births Scientists from Osaka {{physicist-stub