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Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERNMENT POLICIES IN EDUCATION,SCIENCE AND CULTURE1991 > Part1 Chapter3 2 6

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Part 1 Promotion of Scientific Research
Chapter 3. Trends of Scientific Research in Japan
2 Trends of Scientific Research in Specific Fields
6 Electrical Engineering


Electrical engineering is a scientific field aimed at finding applications for electromagnetic phenomena which are caused by; charged particles known as electrons and ions. Building upon classical electromagnetics which originated in the 19th century, electric engineering, electronics, information engineering, and other specialized fields have been established, skillfully handling various properties of electricity in the development and application of techniques in the generation, conversion, and storage of electricity, and in the development of communication techniques.

In recent years, electrical engineering and electronics, merging with modern physics and mathematics, and especially with quantum theory, statistical mechanics, information theory, as well as with nuclear tests and experiments on elementary particles, have successively opened up new fields. These fields, compounded with conventional fields, have created other fields. For example, the joining of electronics with physics and mathematics has brought about the development of the computer, upon which today's information engineering has been constructed. Also, the association of electrical engineering and electronics with physics has resulted in the particle accelerator. Another example is discharge engineering, which developed from electrical engineering and has now formed a new field called plasma science. Plasma science contributed not only to the realization of the ultraviolet laser, other special light sources, and special corpuscular beam source, but also to the promotion of many applications ranging from the big electric power controller to the experimental fusion reactor core. Further, nuclear power generation has been rout to practical use as a power source of high efficiency and low cost, and thermonuclear power is now studied as the energy source of the future.

In Japan, research in this field has been greatly developed. In the estab1isnment of basic technology for this development, both academic and industrial circle splayed an important role. With regard to the transistor, which is the basic component of the computer and other electronic information devices, academic and industrial circles have pursued u1tra-high speeds and super miniaturization. They have also promoted ultrahigh density semiconductor integrated circuits. Today, general interest is focused on the elucidation of the behavior of electrons in the hyper-fine structure which is related to the atom's basic composition material, and on the techniques for constructing and utilizing such a hyper-fine structure. Attention is also paid to basic studies in interdisciplinary areas related to subjects such as the biosensor modeled on the sensory functions or living things, the intel1igent micro-robot based on the findings of both electronics and mechanical engineering, the computer modeled on neural and brain functions, and so on.

In fields related to communication engineering, the amount of transmittable information has been greatly increased due to the practical application of optical fiber communication as well as the application of basic technology of the information oriented age, including high density magnetic recording and optical recording. In opto-electronics, Japan has always been a world leader, promoting basic research on the light source of optical fibers and semiconductor lasers. Important subjects for the future will include the ultra-high capabilities of optical communication. The optical computer, the micro-radio communication apparatus, the satellite communication system, etc.

In addition, in the field of electrical engineering, the research for developing new materials such as those for the high temperature superconductor is continuing. In the study of the oxide superconductor, Japanese universities have attained pioneering achievements, and now lead the international community. In related fields such as electrical insulation engineering, research for the development of new materials is continuing and investigations are conducted concerning the properties of materials under extreme conditions or at molecular or atomic levels.

The particle accelerator is now widely used not only as a research instrument in nuclear physics or elementary particle physics but also for the production of semiconductors, for the reforming of substances such as ceramics, for medical treatment, and so forth. Strong rays produced by the accelerator, the so-called emitted rays, ranging from ultraviolet rays to X-rays, are applied in various fields of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, medicine, etc. and used, for example, in the structural analysis of protein and in micron-size processing technology. Further, the development of the new particle accelerator adopting plasma and research concerning the free electron laser generator by the application of the accelerator is under way.

In the studies of atomic energy, the products from research on the use of neutrons from fission reactions have been applied in scientific and technological fields including medicine, agriculture, and archaeology. As for the problems involved in nuclear power generation and other aspects of atomic power, they should be solved through further promotion of relevant basic research.

Plasma is the fourth state of matter following solid, liquid and gas. Substances in space are mostly in the plasma state, forming an important research area. In the first place, magnetohydrodynamics was developed as a science dealing with plasma in space, and contributed to the development of research on nuclear fusion. On earth, plasma has been studied for a long time in the field of electrical engineering as a discharge phenomenon, and this research has been applied in light sources, heat sources and the large-scale circuit breakers. Today, plasma is utilized in advanced technological fields, including surface processing of materials, beam sources, laser generation, rocket propulsion, the formation of special substances, the degradation of harmful materials, and so forth.

The plasma confinement system for fusion control is still at the method research stage, but the state of plasma research in terms of temperature, density,and confinement time is steadily approaching the appropriate conditions for use in the fusion reactor core. Japanese universities, are tackling the problem of how to develop several promising methods for the confinement of plasma. At the National Institute for Fusion Science the construction of a large-scale helical apparatus is under way, which is expected to play a complimentary role with the Tokamak style apparatus at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute and other research institutes once the data bases will have been established. In the coming years, research in so-called core engineering will become necessary for developing materials which, facing plasma temperatures of over 100 million degrees C., will with-stand the irradiation of fast neutrons.

Electrical engineering includes various research fields which are closely related to industry in Japan. The outcomes from the basic research in these fields are contributing greatly to the expansion of interdisciplinary research areas. Under these circumstances, it is expected that a great achievement will be attained through the promotion of cooperative research projects by researchers from a diversity of fields.


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