Eiichi Goto
Encyclopedia
Eiichi Goto was a Japanese computer scientist
, the builder of one of the first general-purpose computers in Japan.
. After attending Seikei High School he went to Tokyo University, where he graduated in 1953. He continued his graduate studies at Tokyo in physics under the supervision of Hidetosi Takahasi, earning his doctorate in 1962. He became a faculty member at Tokyo in 1959. In 1968, he became the chief scientist of the Information Science Laboratory at RIKEN
, a position he held until 1991. However, he continued to hold a position at Tokyo University as well, becoming a full professor there in 1970. He retired from the University of Tokyo in 1990, and in 1991 he moved to Kanagawa University
.
Goto was a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1961. He was vice president of the International Federation for Information Processing
from 1971 to 1974, and also served several times on the steering committee of the Information Processing Society of Japan.
Goto died on June 12, 2005, of complications of diabetes.
, a circuit element that combined a ferrite core
with a capacitor
to generate electrical oscillations whose timing could be controlled. This provided an alternative to the vacuum tube
technology then in use for building computing devices. He completed the construction of the PC-1, one of the first general-purpose computers built in Japan, in 1958, using parametron-based logic.
Soon afterwards, he proposed the Goto pair, a device related to the parametron. Parametrons continued to be used for computing in Japan until the 1960s when they gave way to transistor
s. The quantum flux parametron
is a later improvement of the parametron, also by Goto, that uses superconducting Josephson junctions to improve both the speed and the energy consumption of these devices.
During his visit to MIT in 1961, Goto devised the first time-optimal solution to the firing squad synchronization problem
, a problem of designing a cellular automaton
in which all cells simultaneously fire, starting from an initial configuration with only one active cell.
In electron beam lithography
, Goto's work included the development of double deflection tubes and variable shaping techniques. In the early 1970s, Goto's work on electron beam lithography led him to become interested in the ability of symbolic algebra systems to manipulate mathematical formulae. In order to implement these systems, Goto developed a new Lisp system called HLISP, in which he had introduced the innovative technique of hash consing
to eliminate redundant memory usage by using a hash table
to map duplicated values to the same position in memory. Goto's work in symbolic computing also included the development of FLATS, a specialized computer hardware system aimed at this problem.
Other topics in Goto's research included the search for magnetic monopole
s and fractional electrical charges
, computer graphics
, memory devices based on cathode ray tube
s, arbitrary-precision arithmetic
, and the automated analysis of bubble chamber
experiments.
in 1959 for his work on the parametron and the PC-1. He won the Okochi memorial Technology Prize in 1988, and in 1989 he was given the Purple Ribbon Medal of Honor
by the Japanese government for his work on electron beam shaping.
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
, the builder of one of the first general-purpose computers in Japan.
Biography
Goto was born in January 26, 1931 in Shibuya, TokyoShibuya, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 208,371 and a population density of 13,540 persons per km². The total area is 15.11 km²....
. After attending Seikei High School he went to Tokyo University, where he graduated in 1953. He continued his graduate studies at Tokyo in physics under the supervision of Hidetosi Takahasi, earning his doctorate in 1962. He became a faculty member at Tokyo in 1959. In 1968, he became the chief scientist of the Information Science Laboratory at RIKEN
RIKEN
is a large natural sciences research institute in Japan. Founded in 1917, it now has approximately 3000 scientists on seven campuses across Japan, the main one in Wako, just outside Tokyo...
, a position he held until 1991. However, he continued to hold a position at Tokyo University as well, becoming a full professor there in 1970. He retired from the University of Tokyo in 1990, and in 1991 he moved to Kanagawa University
Kanagawa University
, abbreviated to is a private university in Japan. The main campus is located in Rokkakubashi, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture.- History :The university was founded in 1928 by as . It was an evening school for the working youth...
.
Goto was a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in 1961. He was vice president of the International Federation for Information Processing
International Federation for Information Processing
The International Federation for Information Processing is an umbrella organization for national societies working in the field of information technology. It is a non-governmental, non-profit organization with offices in Laxenburg, Austria...
from 1971 to 1974, and also served several times on the steering committee of the Information Processing Society of Japan.
Goto died on June 12, 2005, of complications of diabetes.
Research
In 1954 while he was still a graduate student, Goto invented the parametronParametron
Parametron is a logic circuit element invented by Eiichi Goto in 1954. The parametron is essentially a resonant circuit with a nonlinear reactive element which oscillates at half the driving frequency...
, a circuit element that combined a ferrite core
Ferrite core
A ferrite core is a structure on which the windings of electric transformers and other wound components such as inductors are formed. It is used for its properties of high magnetic permeability coupled with low electrical conductivity .There are two broad applications for ferrite cores which...
with a capacitor
Capacitor
A capacitor is a passive two-terminal electrical component used to store energy in an electric field. The forms of practical capacitors vary widely, but all contain at least two electrical conductors separated by a dielectric ; for example, one common construction consists of metal foils separated...
to generate electrical oscillations whose timing could be controlled. This provided an alternative to the vacuum tube
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
technology then in use for building computing devices. He completed the construction of the PC-1, one of the first general-purpose computers built in Japan, in 1958, using parametron-based logic.
Soon afterwards, he proposed the Goto pair, a device related to the parametron. Parametrons continued to be used for computing in Japan until the 1960s when they gave way to transistor
Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
s. The quantum flux parametron
Quantum flux parametron
Invented by Eiichi Goto at the University of Tokyo, the Quantum Flux Parametron is an improvement over his earlier parametron based digital logic technology. Unlike its predecessor, QFP uses superconducting Josephson junctions on integrated circuits to improve speed and energy efficiency enormously...
is a later improvement of the parametron, also by Goto, that uses superconducting Josephson junctions to improve both the speed and the energy consumption of these devices.
During his visit to MIT in 1961, Goto devised the first time-optimal solution to the firing squad synchronization problem
Firing squad synchronization problem
The firing squad synchronization problem is a problem in computer science and cellular automata in which the goal is to design a cellular automaton that, starting with a single active cell, eventually reaches a state in which all cells are simultaneously active...
, a problem of designing a cellular automaton
Cellular automaton
A cellular automaton is a discrete model studied in computability theory, mathematics, physics, complexity science, theoretical biology and microstructure modeling. It consists of a regular grid of cells, each in one of a finite number of states, such as "On" and "Off"...
in which all cells simultaneously fire, starting from an initial configuration with only one active cell.
In electron beam lithography
Electron beam lithography
Electron beam lithography is the practice of emitting a beam of electrons in a patterned fashion across a surface covered with a film , and of selectively removing either exposed or non-exposed regions of the resist...
, Goto's work included the development of double deflection tubes and variable shaping techniques. In the early 1970s, Goto's work on electron beam lithography led him to become interested in the ability of symbolic algebra systems to manipulate mathematical formulae. In order to implement these systems, Goto developed a new Lisp system called HLISP, in which he had introduced the innovative technique of hash consing
Hash consing
In computer science, particularly in functional programming, hash consing is a technique used to share values that are structurally equal. The term hash consing originates from implementations of Lisp that attempt to reuse cons cells that have been constructed before, avoiding the penalty of memory...
to eliminate redundant memory usage by using a hash table
Hash table
In computer science, a hash table or hash map is a data structure that uses a hash function to map identifying values, known as keys , to their associated values . Thus, a hash table implements an associative array...
to map duplicated values to the same position in memory. Goto's work in symbolic computing also included the development of FLATS, a specialized computer hardware system aimed at this problem.
Other topics in Goto's research included the search for magnetic monopole
Magnetic monopole
A magnetic monopole is a hypothetical particle in particle physics that is a magnet with only one magnetic pole . In more technical terms, a magnetic monopole would have a net "magnetic charge". Modern interest in the concept stems from particle theories, notably the grand unified and superstring...
s and fractional electrical charges
Elementary charge
The elementary charge, usually denoted as e, is the electric charge carried by a single proton, or equivalently, the absolute value of the electric charge carried by a single electron. This elementary charge is a fundamental physical constant. To avoid confusion over its sign, e is sometimes called...
, computer graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
, memory devices based on cathode ray tube
Cathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
s, arbitrary-precision arithmetic
Arbitrary-precision arithmetic
In computer science, arbitrary-precision arithmetic indicates that calculations are performed on numbers whose digits of precision are limited only by the available memory of the host system. This contrasts with the faster fixed-precision arithmetic found in most ALU hardware, which typically...
, and the automated analysis of bubble chamber
Bubble chamber
A bubble chamber is a vessel filled with a superheated transparent liquid used to detect electrically charged particles moving through it. It was invented in 1952 by Donald A. Glaser, for which he was awarded the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physics...
experiments.
Awards and honors
Goto was one of the winners of 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...
in 1959 for his work on the parametron and the PC-1. He won the Okochi memorial Technology Prize in 1988, and in 1989 he was given the Purple Ribbon Medal of Honor
Medals of Honor (Japan)
Since the late 19th Century, the Government of Japan has issued six different types of to individuals for achievements in various fields.The Medals of Honor were established on December 7, 1881, and were first awarded the following year. Several expansions and amendments have been made since then...
by the Japanese government for his work on electron beam shaping.