was a Japanese physicist

Physicist

A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...

, best known for the discovery of the Toda lattice. His main interests were in statistical mechanics

Statistical mechanics

Statistical mechanics or statistical thermodynamicsThe terms statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics are used interchangeably...

 and condensed matter physics

Condensed matter physics

Condensed matter physics deals with the physical properties of condensed phases of matter. These properties appear when a number of atoms at the supramolecular and macromolecular scale interact strongly and adhere to each other or are otherwise highly concentrated in a system. The most familiar...

.

Career

After graduating from the Department of Physics, Tokyo University he became associate professor first at Keijo University and then at the Tokyo University of Education (Kyoiku University). In 1952 he was promoted professor and held subsequent positions at Chiba University

Chiba University

is a national university in the city of Chiba, Japan. It offers Doctoral degrees in education as part of a coalition with Tokyo Gakugei University, Saitama University, and Yokohama National University.-Faculties:*Letters*Education*Law and Economics*Science...

, Yokohama National University

Yokohama National University

, or is a national university in Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It offers Doctoral degrees in education as part of a coalition with Tokyo Gakugei University, Saitama University, and Chiba University. It is noted for its Business Administration program.-History:The predecessor...

, and University of the Air. In addition, he had visiting positions at São Paulo University and Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology , commonly known as NTNU, is located in Trondheim. NTNU is the second largest of the eight universities in Norway, and, as its name suggests, has the main national responsibility for higher education in engineering and technology...

. He was a professor emeritus of the Tokyo University of Education.

In 1947 he received the Mainichi Shuppan-Bunka prize for his contributions to the theory of liquids and in 1981 the Fujiwara prize for the discovery of the Toda lattice. He was a member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters

Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters

The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters is a learned society based in Trondheim, Norway.-History:DKNVS was founded in 1760 by bishop of Nidaros Johan Ernst Gunnerus, headmaster at the Trondheim Cathedral School Gerhard Schøning and Councillor of State Peter Frederik Suhm under the name...

. He died of multiple organ failure on the 6th of October 2010.

List of books available in English

Selected Papers of Morikazu Toda (Series in Pure Mathematics). Edited by Miki Wadati (University of Tokyo). World Scientific 1993. ISBN 978-981-02-1469-2.

• Statistical Physics I: Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics (Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences) R. Kubo, N. Saito, and M. Toda. 2nd. Ed. 1992. ISBN 3-540-53662-0.

• Statistical Physics II: Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics (Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences) M. Toda, N. Saito, and R. Kubo. 2nd. Ed. 1991. ISBN 3-540-53833-X.

• Theory of Nonlinear Lattices (Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences). Springer 1989. ISBN 0-387-18327-2.

• Nonlinear Waves and Solitons. Mathematics and its Applications (Japanese Series). KTK Scientific Publishers 1989, Tokyo. ISBN 079230442X