Professor Kaoru Yamanouchi stands as a world-renowned authority in physical chemistry and ultrafast laser science, with his pioneering contributions shaping the modern understanding of molecular dynamics. He currently serves as Project Professor at the Institute for Attosecond Laser Science and Director of the Institute for Attosecond Laser Facility at the University of Tokyo, and is Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo. With a PhD in Chemistry, Professor Yamanouchi has maintained an illustrious academic career spanning over four decades since first engaging in molecular science research in 1980. His promotion to Professor at the Department of Chemistry, School of Science, University of Tokyo in April 1997 marked the beginning of his formal leadership at one of the world's premier research institutions, where he has since established himself as a central figure in the development of Japan's scientific infrastructure.
Professor Yamanouchi's groundbreaking research has fundamentally transformed the field of intense laser science, particularly through his discovery of ultrafast structural deformation of molecules and hydrogen atom migration within hydrocarbon molecules under intense laser fields. His demonstration that ultrafast structural changes of molecules can be probed in real time with femtosecond temporal resolution using laser-assisted electron diffraction represents a paradigm shift in molecular observation techniques. For more than 27 years since 1996, he has been recognized internationally as one of the pioneering figures in this interdisciplinary research domain, making seminal contributions to the understanding of how atoms, molecules, and clusters behave when exposed to intense laser radiation. His recent elucidation of the mechanism behind air lasing—the generation of coherent ultraviolet radiation when intense near-infrared laser pulses propagate through air—has resolved longstanding questions about population transfer among electronic states of nitrogen molecular ions.
Beyond his experimental and theoretical discoveries, Professor Yamanouchi has profoundly influenced the trajectory of molecular science through his development of innovative techniques including ultrashort-pulsed electron diffraction and coincidence momentum imaging methods. His leadership has been recognized through prestigious awards such as the Chemical Society of Japan Award and the Japan IBM Prize, affirming his position as a leading figure in the global scientific community. Currently advancing the frontiers of quantum computing applications to atomic and molecular problems, he continues to foster international collaborations while training the next generation of scientists in cutting-edge laser technologies. With ongoing research in attosecond science and molecular dynamics, Professor Yamanouchi remains at the forefront of discovering new phenomena that illuminate the fundamental behavior of matter at the quantum level.
