Oral History: Toshio Mitsui (2016)

Prof. Toshio Mitsui was born in 1926 in Hida, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. He graduated in Physics at the Hokkaido University, under the guidance of Prof. Furuichi. His area of research was on domain observations in Rochelle Salt. His research continued at the Pennsylvania State University (1956) with Prof. Pepinsky, Dr. Jona, and Dr. Okaya. His main scientific interests were on crystal symmetry and structure, using neutron diffraction at Brookhaven. These were early days of ferroelectrics, with new compounds being discovered at a rapid pace, as extended at MIT with Profs. Von Hippel, Newnham, and Westphal. Upon his return to Hokkaido University, he published his seminal book on “The Introduction to the Physics of Ferroelectrics” and completed ferroelectric data for Landolt-Bӧrnstein. In 1969, he moved to Osaka University, leaving ferroelectrics for the exciting field of biophysics.

This interview describes Mitsui’s early life and early days of ferroelectrics with some of the top researchers in the field.