Mikio Sato

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Mikio Sato (Japanese: 佐藤幹夫 Sato Mikio; born April 18, 1928) is a Japanese mathematician, working in what he calls algebraic analysis. He studied at the University of Tokyo, and then did graduate study in physics as a student of Shin'ichiro Tomonaga. From 1970 Sato has been professor at the Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences, of Kyoto University.

He is known for his innovative work in a number of fields, such as prehomogeneous vector spaces and Bernstein-Sato polynomials; and particularly for his hyperfunction theory. This initially appeared as an extension of the ideas of distribution theory; it was soon connected to the local cohomology theory of Grothendieck, for which it was an independent origin, and to expression in terms of sheaf theory. It led further to the theory of microfunctions, interest in microlocal aspects of linear partial differential equations and Fourier theory such as wave fronts, and ultimately to the current developments in D-module theory. Part of that is the modern theory of holonomic systems: PDEs over-determined to the point of having finite-dimensional spaces of solutions.

He also contributed basic work to non-linear soliton theory, with the use of Grassmannians of infinite dimension. In number theory he is known for the Sato-Tate conjecture on L-functions.

He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences since 1993. He received the Schock Prize in 1997, and the Wolf Prize in 2003.