Other notable students Mitchio Okumura Field Astrochemistry | Nationality Japanese | |
Doctoral students Moungi G. BawendiBenjamin J. McCallChristopher M. LindsayChristopher G. TarsitanoJennifer L. GottfriedChristopher P. MorongChristopher F. Neese Notable awards Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy (1982) Institutions University of Chicago, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, University of Tokyo | ||
Takeshi Oka (岡 武史, Oka Takeshi, born 1932), FRS FRSC, is a Japanese-American chemist and astronomer specializing in the field of galactic astronomy, known as the pioneer of astrochemistry and the discoverer of extraterrestrial trihydrogen cation (H+
3).
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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.
Education
Oka was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1932. He received his BS and PhD degree in 1955 and 1960, respectively, from the University of Tokyo.
Career
In 1963, Oka working as a postdoctoral fellow with Harry Kroto at Gerhard Herzberg's laboratory, National Research Council of Canada. Among them, Kroto and Herzberg have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, furthermore, the Nobel laureate Robert Curl was also Oka's colleague.
From 1960 to 1963, Oka appointed a fellow at JSPS, the University of Tokyo. Afterward, he was successively worked at Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (1963-1981), and the University of Chicago (1981-).
In 1980, Oka discovered the infrared spectrum of H+
3, and revealed that "molecular clouds" are the birthplace of stars and that the chemical evolution of the clouds is a crucial step in star formation.
Currently, Oka group's studies specializing in the field of the quantum mechanics and dynamics of fundamental molecular ions and their behavior in astronomical objects.
Honors and awards
Oka was on the list of ChemBank's prediction for the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.