Yozo Matsushima
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
mathematician
.
, Japan
. He studied at Osaka Imperial University (later named Osaka University
) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science
degree in mathematics in September 1942. At Osaka, he was taught by mathematicians Kenjiro Shoda
. After completing his degree, he was appointed as an assistant in the Mathematical Institute of Nagoya Imperial University (later named Nagoya University
). These were difficult years for Japanese students and researchers because of World War II
.
The first paper published by Matsushima contained a proof that a conjecture of Hans Zassenhaus was false. Zassenhaus had conjectured that every semisimple Lie algebra
L over a field of prime characteristic, with [L, L] = L, is the direct sum of simple ideals. Matsushima constructed a counterexample. He then developed a proof that Cartan subalgebras of a complex Lie algebra are conjugate. However, Japanese researchers were out of touch with the research done in the West, and Matsushima was unaware that French
mathematician Claude Chevalley
had already published a proof. When he obtained details of another paper of Chevalley through a review in Mathematical Reviews, he was able to construct the proofs for himself.
Matsushima published two papers in the 1947 volume of the Proceedings of the Japan Academy (which did not appear until 1950) and three papers in the first volume of Journal of the Mathematical Society of Japan.
. He presented some of his results to Ehresmann's seminar in Strasbourg, extending Cartan's classification of complex irreducible Lie algebras to the case of real Lie algebras.
In spring 1960, Matsushima became a professor of Osaka University as successor to the chair of Shoda. His research took a somewhat different direction and he wrote a series of papers on cohomology of locally symmetric spaces, collaborating with Murakami. He went to the Institute for Advanced Study in September 1962 and returned to Osaka after one year. He jointly began to organize the United States-Japan Seminar in Differential Geometry, which was held in Kyoto in June 1965. After this, he went to France and spent the academic year 1965-66 as visiting professor at the University of Grenoble. He accepted a chair at the University of Notre Dame
in Notre Dame, Indiana
in September 1966. He continued to collaborate with Murakami. In 1967, he became an editor of the Journal of Differential Geometry and remained on the editorial board for the rest of his life. After 14 years at Notre Dame, he returned to Japan in 1980. A conference was organized in his honor in May 1980 before he left Notre Dame.
for his research on continuous groups in 1962.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
.
Early life
Matsushima was born on February 11, 1921 in Sakai City, Osaka PrefectureOsaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He studied at Osaka Imperial University (later named Osaka University
Osaka University
, or , is a major national university located in Osaka, Japan. It is the sixth oldest university in Japan as the Osaka Prefectural Medical College, and formerly one of the Imperial Universities of Japan...
) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in mathematics in September 1942. At Osaka, he was taught by mathematicians Kenjiro Shoda
Kenjiro Shoda
Kenjiro Shoda was a Japanese mathematician.- Early life and career :...
. After completing his degree, he was appointed as an assistant in the Mathematical Institute of Nagoya Imperial University (later named Nagoya University
Nagoya University
Nagoya University is one of the most prestigious universities in Japan. It can be seen in the several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:...
). These were difficult years for Japanese students and researchers because of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The first paper published by Matsushima contained a proof that a conjecture of Hans Zassenhaus was false. Zassenhaus had conjectured that every semisimple Lie algebra
Lie algebra
In mathematics, a Lie algebra is an algebraic structure whose main use is in studying geometric objects such as Lie groups and differentiable manifolds. Lie algebras were introduced to study the concept of infinitesimal transformations. The term "Lie algebra" was introduced by Hermann Weyl in the...
L over a field of prime characteristic, with [L, L] = L, is the direct sum of simple ideals. Matsushima constructed a counterexample. He then developed a proof that Cartan subalgebras of a complex Lie algebra are conjugate. However, Japanese researchers were out of touch with the research done in the West, and Matsushima was unaware that French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
mathematician Claude Chevalley
Claude Chevalley
Claude Chevalley was a French mathematician who made important contributions to number theory, algebraic geometry, class field theory, finite group theory, and the theory of algebraic groups...
had already published a proof. When he obtained details of another paper of Chevalley through a review in Mathematical Reviews, he was able to construct the proofs for himself.
Matsushima published two papers in the 1947 volume of the Proceedings of the Japan Academy (which did not appear until 1950) and three papers in the first volume of Journal of the Mathematical Society of Japan.
Professorship
Matsushima became a full professor at Nagoya University in 1953. Chevalley visited Matsushima in Nagoya in 1953 and invited him to spend the following year in France. He went to France in 1954 and returned to Nagoya in December 1955. He also spent time at the University of StrasbourgUniversity of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
. He presented some of his results to Ehresmann's seminar in Strasbourg, extending Cartan's classification of complex irreducible Lie algebras to the case of real Lie algebras.
In spring 1960, Matsushima became a professor of Osaka University as successor to the chair of Shoda. His research took a somewhat different direction and he wrote a series of papers on cohomology of locally symmetric spaces, collaborating with Murakami. He went to the Institute for Advanced Study in September 1962 and returned to Osaka after one year. He jointly began to organize the United States-Japan Seminar in Differential Geometry, which was held in Kyoto in June 1965. After this, he went to France and spent the academic year 1965-66 as visiting professor at the University of Grenoble. He accepted a chair at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
in Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame is a census-designated place north of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States; it includes the campuses of three colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College. Notre Dame is split between Clay and Portage Townships...
in September 1966. He continued to collaborate with Murakami. In 1967, he became an editor of the Journal of Differential Geometry and remained on the editorial board for the rest of his life. After 14 years at Notre Dame, he returned to Japan in 1980. A conference was organized in his honor in May 1980 before he left Notre Dame.
Later life
In February 1981, a volume of papers Manifolds and Lie groups, Papers in honour of Yozo Matsushima was published by his colleagues and former students at Osaka. It also contained some papers presented to the conference held in Notre Dame in the previous May. He died on April 9, 1983 in Osaka, Japan.Honours
Matsushima received the Asahi PrizeAsahi Prize
The Asahi Prize is a prize awarded by the Japanese newspaper the Asahi shimbun for achievement in scholarship or the arts that has made a contribution to culture or society. It was established in 1929. Many recipients of this prize have later been honoured with a Nobel Prize...
for his research on continuous groups in 1962.