Hsu Yu-chuan

Hsu Yu-chuan (1928 – 18 September 2017) was a Taiwanese scientific instrument technician and master scientific glassblower from Shinchiku Prefecture, Taiwan. He worked at both and the National Taiwan University Department of Physics, where he became known for his expertise in the fabrication of scientific glassware.

In 1945, Hsu was hired as a technician's assistant by Jiro Tayama at Taihoku Imperial University, where he received training in scientific glassblowing. During this period, he also produced laboratory glassware for chemist Tetsuo Nozoe, who later became the first Japanese scientist to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Following the end of World War II, Hsu joined the reconstruction of a Cockcroft–Walton generator at National Taiwan University under the leadership of and . The team conducted the first postwar artificial-nucleus collision experiment in the Republic of China, and one of the earliest such experiments in postwar Asia, in 1948.

In addition to manufacturing glass components for particle accelerators, Hsu contributed to the development of Taiwan's first medical laser scalpel and its first educational electron gun. He was widely referred to as a “national treasure” of Taiwan's scientific glassmaking community for his decades of contributions to scientific research and education. Hsu's mother died when he was six years old, and his father died when he was twelve. Due to financial hardship, he was forced to leave school and did not complete elementary education until the age of seventeen, graduating as the oldest student in his class. According to Hsu's later recollections, Tayama provided extensive guidance and support, teaching him scientific glassblowing techniques and allowing him to live in his home. Tayama also purchased a bicycle for Hsu so that he could commute to the university for work. The building now houses the NTU Physics Heritage Hall, formerly the university's nuclear physics laboratory.

Following the end of World War II, Hsu worked under the leadership of and , together with Suetsugu Kawada, Chou Mu-chun, Lin Sung-yun, and others, to reconstruct the Cockcroft–Walton generator originally built by Bunsaku Arakatsu and his colleagues. The original accelerator was used in 1934 at to conduct the second successful artificial nuclear transmutation experiment in the world. Hsu was responsible for fabricating all of the glass apparatus required for the reconstruction project. The reconstruction project began in October 1946. After nearly two years of work, the team successfully conducted an artificial nuclear-collision experiment at 8:35 p.m. on 13 May 1948. The experiment was the first artificial nuclear collision experiment conducted in the Republic of China and the first such experiment in postwar Asia.

Under the direction of Yun-ki Hsu, the group later constructed a Cloud chamber for observing the trajectories of alpha particles. To obtain heavy water for these experiments, Hsu constructed a Mercury-arc valve using Pyrex beakers and electrodes salvaged from discarded high-power vacuum tubes formerly used by the Broadcasting Corporation of China. Unable to locate suitable glass tubing matching the original design specifications, he melted and fused five glass beakers together, designed a supporting frame, and attached three flasks to create the apparatus. In 2004, the Department of Physics at National Taiwan University initiated a project to reconstruct the accelerator. Under the leadership of Yun-ki Hsu, Hsu Yu-chuan, and Lin Sung-yun, the scattered components were recovered, and the original nuclear physics laboratory was rebuilt, becoming the NTU Physics Heritage Hall. Because scientific glassblowing required continuous concentration, Hsu rarely answered telephone calls while working. He explained that interruptions could ruin an entire piece of work. As a result, colleagues usually visited his workshop in person and knocked on the glass door to get his attention. According to Lin Sung-yun, the door was knocked on so frequently that it often seemed as though it might break.

Carbon-14 Dating. I (1965).

Wilson Cloud Chamber for the Study of the (n, α) Reaction (1968).

Counter Telescope for Studying 14 MeV Neutron-induced Reactions (1975).

Surface Treatment of the Al Cold Cathode for He-Ne Laser (1975).

150 keV Heavy Ion Generator for Sputtering Studies (1978).