Takeshi Oka Explained

Takeshi Oka
Native Name:	岡武史
Native Name Lang:	jp
Birth Date:	1932
Birth Place:	Tokyo, Japan^[1]
Citizenship:	Canada U.S.
Nationality:	Canada
Fields:	Astrochemistry
Workplaces:	University of Tokyo National Research Council of Canada University of Chicago
Alma Mater:	University of Tokyo
Academic Advisors:	Gerhard Herzberg^[2]
Doctoral Students:	Moungi Bawendi
Known For:	Discovering the Trihydrogen cation (H3+) Hydronium Methanium

,, is a Japanese-American spectroscopist and astronomer specializing in the field of galactic astronomy, known as a pioneer of astrochemistry and the co-discoverer of interstellar trihydrogen cation .^[3] ^[4] He is now R.A. Milliken Distinguished Service Emeritus Professor, Departments of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Chemistry; Enrico Fermi Institute; and the College of University of Chicago.^[5]

Education

Oka received his BS and PhD degrees in 1955 and 1960, respectively, at the University of Tokyo.^[1]

Career

From 1960 to 1963, Oka was a JSPS Fellow at the University of Tokyo, and in 1963, he was a postdoctoral fellow along with Harry Kroto and J.K.G.Watson, among others, in Gerhard Herzberg's spectroscopy laboratory at the National Research Council of Canada. Afterward, he successively worked at the National Research Council of Canada (1964–1981), and at the University of Chicago (1981–). His research group is concerned with the study of the quantum mechanics and dynamics of fundamental molecular ions and their behavior in astronomical objects.^[1]

In 1980, at the National Research Council of Canada, Oka discovered the infrared spectrum of . which is thought to be the starting point for gas phase chemistry in interstellar "molecular clouds." ^[6] Following a lengthy search Thomas R. Geballe and Oka detected the infrared spectrum of in two interstellar clouds. Since then Oka and his colleagues have published numerous papers on their observations of interstellar .

Recognition^[1]

Oka was on the list of ChemBank's prediction for the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.^[7]

Awards

2004 - Davy Medal.
2004 - Norman MacLean Faculty Award.
2002 - E. Bright Wilson Award in Spectroscopy
1998 - Ellis R. Lippincott Award.
1997 - William F. Meggers Award.
1990 - Burlington Northern Achievement Award.
1982 - Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy^[8]
1973 - Steacie Prize.

Titles

2004 - Wei Lun Visiting Professorship.
2004 - Honorary DSc from the University College London.
2003 - Earl W. McDaniel Lecture Georgia Institute of Technology.
2001 - Honoris caua, University of Waterloo.
2000 - George Pimentel Memorial Lecture, University of California, Berkeley.
1998 - Medaili Jana Marca Marci.
1997 - Distinguished JILA Visitor.
1995 - Golden Jubilee Lecture, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.
1992 - Special Issue, Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy, Vol. 153.
1992 - Lecturer, International School of Physics, "Enrico Fermi".
1992 - Lord Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
1989 - McDowell Lecturer, University of British Columbia.
1985-1986 - Chancellor's Distinguished Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley.
1981-1982 - Centenary Lecturer, Royal Society.

Membership in learned societies

Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Fellow, American Physical Society
Fellow, Optical Society of America
Fellow, Royal Society of London
Fellow, Royal Society of Canada

Publications^[1]

Oka . Takeshi . Observation of the Infrared Spectrum of H⁺₃ . Physical Review Letters . American Physical Society (APS) . 45 . 7 . 1980-08-18 . 0031-9007 . 10.1103/physrevlett.45.531 . 531–534. 1980PhRvL..45..531O .
Geballe . T. R. . Oka . T. . Detection of H⁺₃ in interstellar space . Nature . Springer Science and Business Media LLC . 384 . 6607 . 1996 . 0028-0836 . 10.1038/384334a0 . 334–335. 8934516 . 1996Natur.384..334G . 4370842 .
Gottfried . Jennifer L. . Oka . Takeshi . Near-infrared electronic spectrum of CH₂⁺ . The Journal of Chemical Physics . AIP Publishing . 121 . 23 . 2004-12-15 . 0021-9606 . 10.1063/1.1835265 . 11527–11529. 15634116 . 2004JChPh.12111527G .
Tarsitano . Christopher G. . Neese . Christopher F. . Oka . Takeshi . High-resolution spectroscopy of the 2²Π_u←X⁴Σ_g− forbidden transitions of C₂⁺ . The Journal of Chemical Physics . AIP Publishing . 121 . 13 . 2004 . 0021-9606 . 10.1063/1.1787493 . 6290–6297. 15446923 .
Hobbs . L. M. . Thorburn . J. A. . Oka . T. . Barentine . J. . Snow . T. P. . York . D. G. . Atomic and Molecular Emission Lines from the Red Rectangle . The Astrophysical Journal . IOP Publishing . 615 . 2 . 2004-11-10 . 0004-637X . 10.1086/424733 . 947–957. 2004ApJ...615..947H . free .
Oka . Takeshi . Epp . Erik . The Nonthermal Rotational Distribution of
+
H
3

. The Astrophysical Journal . IOP Publishing . 613 . 1 . 2004-09-20 . 0004-637X . 10.1086/423030 . 349–354. 2004ApJ...613..349O . free .
Oka . Takeshi . Nuclear spin selection rules in chemical reactions by angular momentum algebra . Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy . Elsevier BV . 228 . 2 . 2004 . 0022-2852 . 10.1016/j.jms.2004.08.015 . 635–639. 2004JMoSp.228..635O .
Gottfried . Jennifer L. . McCall . Benjamin J. . Oka . Takeshi . Near-infrared spectroscopy of H3+ above the barrier to linearity . The Journal of Chemical Physics . AIP Publishing . 118 . 24 . 2003-06-22 . 0021-9606 . 10.1063/1.1575737 . 10890–10899. 2003JChPh.11810890G .
Oka . Takeshi . Thorburn . Julie A. . McCall . Benjamin J. . Friedman . Scott D. . Hobbs . Lewis M. . Sonnentrucker . Paule . Welty . Daniel E. . York . Donald G. . Observations of C₃ in Translucent Sight Lines . The Astrophysical Journal . IOP Publishing . 582 . 2 . 2003-01-10 . 0004-637X . 10.1086/344726 . 823–829. 2003ApJ...582..823O . free .
Goto . Miwa . McCall . Benjamin J. . Geballe . Thomas R. . Usuda . Tomonori . Kobayashi . Naoto . Terada . Hiroshi . Oka . Takeshi . Absorption Line Survey of H₃⁺ toward the Galactic Center Sources I. GCS 3-2 and GC IRS3 . Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan . Oxford University Press (OUP) . 54 . 6 . 2002-12-25 . 0004-6264 . 10.1093/pasj/54.6.951 . 951–961. astro-ph/0212159.
McCall . B. J. . Hinkle . K. H. . Geballe . T. R. . Moriarty-Schieven . G. H. . Evans II . N. J. . Kawaguchi . K. . Takano . S. . Smith . V. V. . Oka . T. . Observations of H₃⁺ in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium . The Astrophysical Journal . IOP Publishing . 567 . 1 . 2002 . 0004-637X . 10.1086/338380 . astro-ph/0110674 . 391–406. 2002ApJ...567..391M . 118470478 .
Momose . Takamasa . Lindsay . C. Michael . Zhang . Yu . Oka . Takeshi . Sharp Spectral Lines Observed in γ-Ray Ionized Parahydrogen Crystals . Physical Review Letters . American Physical Society (APS) . 86 . 21 . 2001-05-21 . 0031-9007 . 10.1103/physrevlett.86.4795 . 4795–4798. 11384350 . 2001PhRvL..86.4795M . 2433/50041 . free .
White . E. T. . Jian. Tang. Takeshi. Oka. CH₅⁺: The Infrared Spectrum Observed . Science . American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) . 284 . 5411 . 1999-04-02 . 0036-8075 . 10.1126/science.284.5411.135 . 135–137. 10102811 . 1999Sci...284..135W .

External links

Notes and References

Web site: University Webpage. University of Chicago. July 14, 2016.
http://academictree.org/chemistry/peopleinfo.php?pid=57501 Chemistry Tree - Takeshi Oka Details
Mitchio Okumura . Benjamin J. McCall . Thomas R. Geballe . Tribute to Takeshi Oka . J. Phys. Chem. A . 2013 . 117 . 39 . 9305–9307 . 10.1021/jp4079597 . 24490723 . 2013JPCA..117.9305O . free .
Oka . Takashi . My 45 Years of Astrochemistry: Memoirs of Takeshi Oka . J. Phys. Chem. A . 2013 . 117 . 39 . 9308–9313 . 10.1021/jp4035826 . 24490724 . 2013JPCA..117.9308O . free .
https://astro.uchicago.edu/people/takeshi-oka.php The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics | Takeshi Oka
Geballe, T. R. . Oka, T. . Detection of H+3 in interstellar space . Nature. . 1996 . 384 . 6607 . 334-335 . 2013JPCA..117.9305O . free .
http://blog.chembark.com/category/prizes-and-awards/nobel-predictions/ Nobel Predictions | ChemBark
Web site: Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy & Dynamics . American Physical Society . 7 July 2022.