Researcher Information

KOBAYASHI Shimpei

Professor

A study of shapes in terms of hidden symmetries

Department of Mathematics, Mathematics

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Theme

Differential Geometry and integrable systems

FieldDifferential Geometry
KeywordHarmonic maps, Variational problems, Discrete differential geometry, Integrable systems
Room addressScience building #4

Department of Mathematics, Mathematics

KOBAYASHI Shimpei

Professor

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What is your dream that you want to achieve through your research?

I would like to understand beautiful mathematical structures.

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What is the research theme that you are currently focusing on?

Soap bubbles are round, for the surface area to be minimized, and such phenomenon is commonly called the variational principle. It is deeply related to differential geometry and partial differential equation in mathematics and I am studying on the differential geometry side. It has been more than 200 years since Euler’s prominent study of elastic curves, but there are still new discoveries to be made.

Minimal surfaces in the 3-dimenisonal Heisenberg group
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Please tell us your memories until you became a researcher.

Nowadays, most computer displays are LCD monitors, but when I was a graduate student, there were many CRT monitors, and the one assigned to me was also a CRT monitor. However, it did not suit me and my eyes began to hurt immediately, which caused me great difficulty in conducting research using computer simulations. I asked the university if I could somehow get an LCD monitor, but the request was rejected out of hand and I was at a loss. It was then that my mentor bought me an LCD monitor personally. I was very grateful and will never forget it.