The Essence of a Genius

Yoichiro Nambu was one of the giants in the physics of the last century. His profound ideas in fundamental physics are still playing an important role and are being rediscovered over and over again.

He preferred to share some of his deepest insights in talks, rather than publications, but Nambu's papers and talks were not easy to understand. Like the Japanese gentleman he was, he did not want to humiliate the reader with obvious statements. Even if it is an interpretation, it fits very well with his character of a very polite and considerate human being with a self-reliance inside him that he did not show on the outside. It is no wonder that many of his breakthroughs were not immediately appreciated by his contemporaries, with a late award of a well-deserved Nobel Prize. He was probably the only one in the highest stratum of physicists who was respected by everybody.

The purpose of this book, half-history, half-physics is to trace Nambu's progress formulating some of his greatest ideas. It is structured in seven chapters, describing a paper or a series of papers (or talks) where Nambu's originality and genius emerge. Each chapter begins with a historical background section that sets the physics climate of the time, followed by a somewhat detailed discussion of his papers/talks.

This tribute to Nambu hopes that he will be remembered and admired for many years to come.