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Scientist

Leo Esaki

1925– · Quantum physics, Semiconductor physics, Electronics
The first experimenter to observe quantum tunneling in solids; created the tunnel diode, ushering in a new era of nanoelectronics.

Biography

Graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1947. Began his career at Sony, where in 1957 he discovered the tunneling effect in semiconductors, creating the Esaki diode. In 1960 he moved to the USA, worked at IBM, then at the University of Tokyo. Nobel Prize laureate in Physics 1973 (jointly with Josephson and Giaever).

Key discoveries

💡 When Esaki proposed using heavily doped p-n junctions to observe tunneling, colleagues considered the idea useless. Even after presenting at an international conference, he met with no understanding, and only his persistence turned the Esaki diode into reality.
"He believed that tunneling could be observed in a simple diode, and his belief proved correct, which he saw as the birth of new worlds."
Concepts
excitonquantum dotquantum tunnelingsiliconuncertainty principlewave-particle duality
Laws
tunnel effectJosephson effect
Scientists
Robert HookeLouis de BroglieArthur ComptonWilliam Lawrence BraggGeorge GamowNiels BohrChristiaan HuygensAlbert Einstein

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Optics2026-01-081 minarXiv:2601.04933express
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Materials2026-01-081 minarXiv:2601.05018express
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Materials2026-01-101 minarXiv:2601.06365express
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An electron beam strikes a proton like a billiard ball hitting another ball. But between them is no empty space: the particles exchange virtual photons and Z bosons, like players passing a ball behind their backs. This exchange slightly alters the scattering trajectory, and hidden within it is a hint of new physics.
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Classical Physics2026-01-111 minarXiv:2601.06855express
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Mesoscale2026-01-112 minarXiv:2601.06927express
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An ordinary wire at high frequencies is like a road full of potholes: the signal jumps, and some energy is lost as heat. A superconducting chain made of aluminum and indium arsenide (a semiconductor) turned out to be a smooth highway for microwaves.
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Instrumentation and Detectors2026-01-151 minarXiv:2601.10807express
Diamond: The Mystery of Scattered Speeds
Diamond is not just a gemstone. This crystal can conduct electricity when free charge carriers, electrons and holes, appear in it. But how fast do they move? In scientific papers, numbers vary by tens of times. One lab reports a mobility of 1000 cm²/(V·s), another 4000.
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Optics2026-01-162 minarXiv:2601.11343express
Silicon Catches Invisible Waves
Terahertz waves sit between microwaves and infrared light. They pass through paper, plastic, and fabric, but not through metal or water. That makes them handy for inspecting packages without opening them or scanning luggage at the airport. But receivers for these waves have so far been made from pricey materials like gallium arsenide.
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