Ryogo Kubo

Ryogo Kubo (15 February 1920 to 31 March 1995) was a Japanese mathematical physicist, best known for his work in statistical physics and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. In the early 1950s he transformed research into the linear response properties of near-equilibrium condensed-matter systems, in particular the understanding of electron transport and conductivity, through the Kubo formalism, a Green's function approach to linear response theory for quantum systems. In 1977 he was awarded the Boltzmann Medal for his contributions to the theory of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and the theory of fluctuation phenomena. He is cited particularly for establishing the basic relations between transport coefficients and equilibrium time correlation functions, relations with which his name is generally associated. He also edited and co-wrote many books in English on statistical mechanics, thermodynamics and solid state physics.