Series
AY 2015
Arts and Sciences

Universe, Materials, and Society – from Origin of Matter to Practical Application of Materials (Global Focus on Knowledge)

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#Education
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Coordinator: Yasuhiro Iye (Institute for Solid State Physics) Navigator: Koji Hukushima (College of Arts and Sciences) This Global Focus on Knowledge course welcomes and expects enrollment of students majoring in humanity, social science and life science as well as those majoring in physical science and engineering. A series of lectures are organized so as to look at various aspects of materials found in the natural world as well as in modern society. We will address fundamental questions such as how the universe we live in began and how matter was created. We will then explore the basic mechanism of how physical properties of various materials arise from the behavior of their microscopic constituents (atoms, electrons), cutting-edge experimental methods used to uncover those properties leading to novel concepts, and which material functions are expected to be utilized for the future sustainable society. The lectures will be delivered by top-class researchers in the respective fields. The aim of this course is to help students understand the origin of the natural world and the characteristics of various materials, thereby enhance their ability to use materials effectively in the future.

Content List

Introduction, History of Materials Science, and Materials in Modern Society

1:38
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#1 Introduction, History of Materials Science, and Materials in Modern Society

We start with a general introduction of this Global Focus on Knowledge course, overviewing the structure of the course and the placement of each lecture. We will then trace the historical development of the views on nature and materials, from the ancient Greek through the Medieval and Renaissance era, leading to the modern concepts. We will also overview the utilization of material properties in …

Lecturer | Yasuhiro Iye
1:38
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Where did the Universe and the Matter Come from?

1:27
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#2 Birth of Universe, Birth of Matter

We will think about why we exist in the universe, how matter was created, and how stars and galaxies were formed. The universe would have been featureless, empty and disordered if it had not been for the inflation that enlarged the universe from a size much smaller than an atom to the present macroscopic size, a microscopic fluctuation that occurred in this inflation, mysterious dark matter, Higg…

Lecturer | Hitoshi Murayama
1:27
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1:43
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#3 Birth of Dark Matter, Stars and Galaxies, Disappearance of Antimatter, and Dark Energy

We will think about why we exist in the universe, how matter was created, and how stars and galaxies were formed. The universe would have been featureless, empty and disordered if it had not been for the inflation that enlarged the universe from a size much smaller than an atom to the present macroscopic size, a microscopic fluctuation that occurred in this inflation, mysterious dark matter, Higg…

Lecturer | Hitoshi Murayama
1:43
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Forefront Study of Elementary Particles – New Image of Elementary Particles

1:49
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#4 Forefront Study of Elementary Particles – New Image of Elementary Particles

The discovery of the Higgs particle in 2012 was a great achievement that changed the way we look at elementary particles. We will start this lecture with the fundamental physics of elementary particles, and then explore how the Higgs particle differs from other particles and what role it has played in creating and developing the universe. The discovery of the Higgs boson opened the door to a new …

Lecturer | Shoji Asai
1:49
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Evolution of the Universe and Things that Make Planets and Life

1:51
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#5 Evolution of the Universe and Things that Make Planets and Life

Things that make planets, including Earth, and life on Earth, are minerals and organic matter, which consist of elements formed by the death of the stars that existed before the solar system did. Most of these stars were made from hydrogen created by the Big Bang 4.6 billion years ago, when various minerals and organic compounds were formed in the early sun, accumulated on planets and comets, and…

Lecturer | Hiroko Nagahara
1:51
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First Three Steps of Materials Science

1:41
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#6 First Three Steps of Materials Science

All materials consist of numerous combinations of a hundred or so elements. We will first look at atoms as the basic building block of materials, and then at properties of molecules and crystalline solids made up of many atoms. We will further discuss how electric, optical, and magnetic properties of solids and liquids are generated. Solids and liquids consist of a vast number of atoms or molecul…

Lecturer | Yasuhiro Iye
1:41
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Soft Matter – Origin of Its Softness

1:47
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#7 Soft Matter – Origin of Its Softness

The most striking property of soft matter, including high molecules, liquid crystals, colloids, emulsions and proteins, is its structural and dynamical hierarchy created from large components. Recent studies have revealed that apparently simple-looking liquids such as water involve certain kinds of hierarchical structures. It is this hierarchy that is the origin of the softness of soft matter rep…

Lecturer | Hajime Tanaka
1:47
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Radioactivity and Radiation

1:47
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#8 Radioactivity and Radiation – How We Face Radiations Having Various Aspects

Radionuclide emits radiation. This lecture will start with visual identification of the origin of this mysterious radiation and introduce ways of expressing hazards and risks about radiation. There are various aspects of radiation and radioactivity we are facing and dealing with, including environmental radiation and naturally occurring radioactive materials, radiation application, and safety man…

Lecturer | Takeshi Iimoto
1:47
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Superconductivity, Strong Correlation, and Topological Matter

1:51
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#9 Superconductivity, Strong Correlation, and Topological Matter

Large numbers of electrons in materials interact with each other to produce various electric and magnetic properties. For example, superconductors have zero resistance when a pair of electrons is formed by an attractive force, and strongly correlated materials exhibit gigantic electro/magnetic/optical responses when electrons repel each other. Recently, much research has been conducted on newly d…

Lecturer | Kyoko Ishizaka
1:51
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Materials in Computers

1:46
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#10 Materials in Computers

Natural science has two research methods – theoretical and experimental. Recently, a simulation method making use of computers has been considered a third research methodology. This method is used for dealing with questions that are too complicated to handle in theory and too difficult to examine through experimentation. Thanks to advances in computer technology, it has become possible to examine…

Lecturer | Koji Hukushima
1:46
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Artificial Photosynthesis – From Solar Energy to Chemical Energy

1:42
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#12 Artificial Photosynthesis – From Solar Energy to Chemical Energy

Photosynthesis, which converts about 0.1 percent of solar energy on Earth into chemical energy, is an essential reaction to sustain the global environment. To live in modern society, we consume a vast amount of fossil resources such as oil and natural gas, which are by-products of photosynthesis. Yet we face global issues such as energy and environmental problems. If we can artificially induce ph…

Lecturer | Kazunari Domen
1:42
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