Member, IUPAP, Commission 16 (2021-2024)
Professor Tajima was appointed as a Member of NAS (National Academy of Sciences)’s committee officer titled USLC (US Liaison Committee) with IUPAP (International Union of Pure Applied Physics) – he has been an appointed Member of IUPAP since 2021.
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Professor Tajima has been elected as a Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA).
This distinction is awarded to OSA members for their significant contributions to the advancement of optics and photonics through education, research, engineering, business leadership and service. The selection of these candidates is confirmed by the Board of Directors. As an OSA Fellow, Professor Tajima has joined a distinguished group of members who have served the Society and the optics and photonics community with distinction.
Toshiki Tajima
University of California Irvine, USA
For seminal contributions in broad and novel plasma physics and laser-based accelerator physics, introducing the concept of Laser Wakefield Acceleration
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The Optical Society Names Toshiki Tajima the 2020 Charles Hard Townes Award Winner Inventor of laser electron acceleration recognized for pioneering contributions.
CLICK HERE for the full story.
WASHINGTON—The Optical Society (OSA) is pleased to announce that the 2020 Charles Hard Townes Award will be presented to Toshiki Tajima, University of California Irvine, USA. Tajima is recognized for seminal contributions in broad and novel plasma physics and laser-based accelerator physics, introducing the concept of Laser Wakefield Acceleration.
“Toshiki Tajima is a worthy recipient of the Charles Hard Townes Award,” 2020 OSA President Stephen D. Fantone, founder and president of the Optikos Corporation. “His exceptional work in fundamental, laser and plasma physics, and medical applications of physics is world-renowned.”
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July 8-12, 2019 Professor Tajima – Recipient of 2019 Robert R. Wilson Prize for Achievement in the Physics of Particle Accelerators
Professor Tajima Presentation download
DOWNLOAD Paper: Laser Plasma Accelerators [T. Tajima, V. Malka]
The 46th European Physical Society Conference on Plasma Physics (EPS 2019) was held in Milan (Italy), July 8 to 12, 2019. Organized by the European Physical Society (EPS) Plasma Physics Division, this annual conference covered the wide field of plasma physics ranging from nuclear fusion to low temperature, astrophysical and laser plasmas. The EPS 2019 conference is co-organized by the Institute for Plasma Science and Technology of the National Research Council (ISTP Milano – CNR, former IFP-CNR), the University of Milano – Bicocca (UNIMIB) and the International Center Piero Caldirola
(ISPP).
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American Physical Society
Robert R. Wilson Prize for Achievement in the Physics of Particle Accelerators
April 13, 2019 “For the invention and leading the first realization of laser wakefield acceleration, which opened the way to compact acceleration applications such as ultrafast radiolysis, brilliant x-rays, intra-operative radiation therapy, wakefield beam dump, and high energy cosmic acceleration.”
CLICK HERE for the Wilson Prize Lecture.
With Professor Y.K. Kim (U. Chicago and Fermilab) and Dr. M. Minty (Brookhaven National Lab)
From the airplane to Denver A Waka poem (April 13, 2019)
「朝焼けに 白峰輝く 吾（あ）を迎ふ 巌（いわを）絨毯 会議に誘（いざな）ふ」
“Morning-shone mountains With glittering snowhite caps Welcome me on board To the Denver APS Over rocky deep-etched carpets” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Professor Toshiki Tajima Awarded AAPPS Subramanyan Chandrasekhar Prize of Plasma Physics
Association of Asia-Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS) Division of Plasma Physics (AAPPS-DPP) Subramanyan Chandrasekhar Prize of Plasma Physics [CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS] –
DOWNLOAD PAPER HERE: Wakefield Acceleration [T. Tajima, X. Q. Yan, and T. Ebisuzaki]
Professor Toshiki Tajima is selected as Laureate of 2018 –The Division of Plasma Physics (Chair: Mitsuru Kikuchi) under the Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies (President: Gui-Lu Long) selected Professor Toshiki Tajima of the University of California at Irvine as the 2018 Laureates of S. Chandrasekhar Prize of Plasma Physics, which is awarded to scientists who have made seminal / pioneering contributions in the field of plasma physics. The S. Chandrasekhar Prize is an internationally authoritative annual prize awarded to an outstanding scientist (s) in the field of plasma physics as a basis for astrophysics or fusion research, and plasma applications. Award ceremony will be held at the 2nd Asia-Pacific Conference on Plasma Physics held in Kanazawa city from November 12-17 in 2018.
Citation: For wide-ranging contributions to plasma physics, in particular for the discovery and invention of extremely intense (relativistic) laser-driven wakefields as robust and long-lasting plasma states, with broad impacts on high energy particle acceleration and other applications, including medicine; in which he exerted leadership to launch high field science and to form large new research communities.
Original Story: http://aappsdpp.org/AAPPSDPPF/prizetable.html
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. MESSAGE FROM ROGER MCWILLIAMS, UCI SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL SCIENCES ASSOCIATE DEAN:
Dear Toshi, Heartiest congratulations on Chandrasekhar Prize selection! Your inclusion in the laureates of this prize is especially meaningful in light of the prize name and previous winners. Chandrasekhar’s 1943 Reviews of Modern Physics “Stochastic Problems in Physics and Astronomy” was taught to me in graduate school by Carl Oberman and Predhiman Kaw, vastly influencing my experimental methods via the Markoff methods Chandrasekhar extolled so well.
This introduction by Carl and Predhiman opened awareness to, and appreciation of the powerful Setsuo Ichimaru statistical physics approach to plasma physics. Ichimaru, so influential to you Toshi, was the first Chandrasekhar Prize winner and Predhiman Kaw was the second. You have the great joy of being associated alongside such giants and also to have made your own giant contributions in the continuing importance of the spirit of Chandresekhar. Congratulations!
Cheers, Roger
RESPONSE FROM TOSHIKI TAJIMA:
I am humbled by the news of this award. Such an award arrives at my doorstep only because I was incubated by the great Anteater mentor and am immersed in the illustrious colleagues of mine here. When I became a graduate student of the late Professor Norman Rostoker at UCI in 1973, his lab (and such students as Dr. Rick Mako, who has become another Anteater alumnus) was conducting experiments called collective ion acceleration by using plasma. Norman (and thus UCI) was the leader in this collective acceleration at that time.
My spending substantial time in 1973-1975 at that lab taught me valuable lessons on this burgeoning field, which eventually blossomed in our work with John Dawson at UCLA in 1979, as quoted in the award. One of the earliest experimental demonstrations of laser wakefield acceleration was based on the highly compressed ultrashort ultraintense laser in Osaka that Professor Chris Barty of UCI helped construct in 1990’s. Laser wakefields and their applications have been shown in many labs around the world since then to such broad areas as ultrafast radiolysis, betatron radiation, relativistic flying mirrors, etc. Fast forward, wakefield acceleration also was found instrumental in cosmic ray particle acceleration and gamma ray bursts from black holes (BH).
With our colleagues here (such as Professor Kev Abazajian) we have identified gamma ray bursts are correlated with wakefield acceleration from BH (or neutron star) jets. Recent discovery by Professor Barry Barish of LIGO (Caltech) shows in fact the gravitational wave emission precedes gamma rays bursts, which is predicted from the wakefield mechanism. Thus once again, I feel that UCI is a warm cradle of our collective wakefield acceleration and now cosmic gamma bursts and I am happy that I am surrounded by such a galaxy of intellectual giant stars and ideas. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
American Physical Society
2019 Robert R. Wilson Prize for Achievement in the Physics of Particle Accelerators
CLICK HERE to download award letter
“For the invention and leading the first realization of laser wakefield acceleration, which opened the way to compact acceleration applications such as ultrafast radiolysis, brilliant x-rays, intra-operative radiation therapy, wakefield beam dump, and high energy cosmic acceleration.” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..