In 2007, Kharzeev, McLerrana, and Warringa proposed that magnetic field and chirality fluctuations generated in the early stage of relativistic heavy-ion collision experiments cause a charge transport phenomenon through a quantum anomaly, which is called the chiral magnetic effect. Prof. Fukushima, in collaboration with Prof. Kharzeev and Dr. Warringa, derived a general formula for the chiral magnetic effect from the framework of quantum field theory by introducing the chiral chemical potential [1]. This is a simple formula, which states that the quantum anomaly induces an electric current parallel to the magnetic field in proportion to the product of the chiral chemical potential and the magnetic field. It can be seen from his own recollections [2] that he made an important contribution to this paper. The theoretical aspects of the chiral magnetic effect are explained in detail in his review [3].
Thanks to the achievements of Prof. Fukushima and his colleagues, the chiral magnetic effect can be applied not only to relativistic heavy-ion collision experiments but also to a wide range of fields including particle physics, condensed matter physics, astrophysics, and cosmology, and has been cited in more than one thousand publications. For example, chiral kinetic theory, which describes chiral magnetic effects in terms of kinetic theory such as Boltzmann's equation, was developed and applications to the early universe and supernovae have been discussed. The chiral vortex effect, which is a similar phenomenon to the chiral magnetic effect, has also been actively studied.
After this paper, Prof. Fukushima continued to work on chiral magnetic effects and is internationally known as a leading researcher in this field. He has also produced many other important research results on nuclear theory using field theory techniques. For these reasons, Prof. Fukushima is a suitable recipient of the Kimura Prize.
List of key publications related to the achievement