*Dhofar University, Department of Mathematics and Sciences, College of Arts and Applied Sciences, Salalah, Sultanate of Oman

*rohelakhan@yahoo.com, http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1264-2302.

Abstract:

The Division of Plasma Physics (DPP) under Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS) has selected Qiu-Gang Zong (Peking University, Haidian, Beijing, China and the Macao University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau, China) as the 2025 laureate of the Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Prize of Plasma Physics. The AAPPS–DPP also awarded the Plasma Innovation Prize to Keishi Sakamoto (Kyoto Fusioneering, Tokyo, Japan, https://kyotofusioneering.com/en/).

Keywords:

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Prize for Plasma Physics

Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies

Van Allen radiation belts

Space weather

The Division of Plasma Physics (DPP), under the Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS), has selected Qiu-Gang Zong (Peking University, Haidian, Beijing, China and the Macao University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau, China) as the 2025 laureate of the Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Prize of Plasma Physics. The award was given during the annual Asia–Pacific Conference on Plasma Physics (this year, it was held in Fukuoka, Japan from September 21–26, 2025; https://www.aappsdpp.org/DPP2025/). The prize, named in honor of Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, was founded in 2014 by AAPPS–DPP and is awarded annually for seminal contributions in the field of plasma physics [11]. The previous laureates are Setsuo Ichimaru (2014), Predhiman Krishan Kaw (2015), Donald Blair Melrose (2016), Chio Zong Cheng and Lou-Chuang Lee (2017), Toshiki Tajima (2018), Liu Chen and Kazunari Shibata (2019), Hyeon Keo Park (2020), Taik Soo Hahm (2021), Arnab Rai Choudhuri (2022), Katsumi Ida (2023), and Pisin Chen (2024) (see [12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19] for details).

The many contributions of Zong are recognized by the following citation: ‘For his exceptional scientific achievements in space plasma physics, especially his breakthrough contributions in identifying acceleration mechanisms of radiation belt electrons via drift resonance with ultra-low-frequency waves excited by interplanetary shocks impacting the Earth’s magnetosphere, and in developing innovative energetic particle instruments for space investigations.’ His research focuses on a variety of space plasma topics, particularly the Earth’s magnetosphere and the Van Allen radiation belts. The Van Allen radiation belts are two concentric rings of high-energy charged particles, primarily electrons and protons, that are trapped in Earth’s magnetosphere. The planet’s magnetic field acts as a protective barrier, capturing these particles from the solar wind and cosmic rays and holding them in place. One of Zong’s most significant discoveries was identifying the mechanism by which high-energy, or “killer” electrons are accelerated in the Earth’s radiation belts. This had been a difficult and unresolved issue for researchers. Zong’s research demonstrated how ultra-low frequency waves are created by the impact of interplanetary shocks on the Earth’s magnetosphere, which in turn causes the electrons in the radiation belts to accelerate by drift resonance to high energies [20]. Much of Zong’s work has focused on the interaction between ultra-low-frequency waves and charged particles within the magnetosphere. When the drift period of electrons matches the wave period, a drift resonance occurs, accelerating the electrons to very high energies. Zong’s research covers a range of topics concerning the magnetosphere, including its interaction with the solar wind, magnetic reconnection, and particle transport. He is a key innovator in developing new space plasma physics instrumentation. His team created a new generation of imaging instruments with ultra-high spatial and temporal resolution, as well as an array energy electron detector [21]. Zong led the development of Peking University’s Imaging Electron Spectrometer (IES). The IESs were deployed on twelve Chinese satellites, enabling China to be internationally competitive in space weather forecasting capabilities. The particle spectrometer developed under his leadership provides high-sensitivity imaging of the space storms on Earth and other planets, as well as the heliospheric outer boundaries. They are now being used routinely to safeguard space missions.

Zong served as the “Yangtze” professor and director of the Center of Planetary and Space Sciences at Peking University, where he has worked from 2007. Since 2023, Zong has served as director and chair professor of the State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences at Macau University of Science and Technology. Zong is the recipient of the 2020 Hannes Alfvén Prize from the European Physical Society [22].

Along with the Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Prize of Plasma Physics, there are other awards instituted by AAPPS–DPP, including the Plasma Innovation Prize (in recognition for seminal/pioneering contributions in the field of plasma applications, focusing on impacts on industry, established in 2019). The 2025 Plasma Innovation Prize was awarded to Keishi Sakamoto (Kyoto Fusioneering, Tokyo, Japan, https://kyotofusioneering.com/en/). Rajdeep Singh Rawat (now at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) served as the Chair of the selection committee. The citation is as follows: ‘For his outstanding contributions to the development and commercialization of gyrotron and mm-wave facilities and demonstration for 1 MW gyrotron oscillation, electron spent beam energy recovery and diamond output window for delivering high-efficiency power of megawatt-class gyrotrons, that have helped elucidate fusion plasma devices; for commercialization of gyrotron for plasma heating and demonstration for a practical energy source, fusion energy.’ Sakamoto has decades of experience in the research and development of gyrotrons, which are high-power millimeter-wave sources. This technology is crucial for achieving the extremely high temperatures required to initiate and sustain a plasma reaction in fusion devices through a process called ‘electron cyclotron heating.’ Sakamoto has been instrumental in transitioning this technology from national research institutions to commercial applications. He successfully transferred decades of research and developments experience at Japan’s premier laboratories to Kyoto Fusioneering, where he focuses on delivering commercially viable gyrotron systems to the global market [23]. The nominations close in April of each year [11].

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