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Alexandr AhizerSoviet and Ukrainian theoretical physicist
Date of Birth: 31.10.1911
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
- Alexander Akhiezer
- Career at UFTI
- Quantum Electrodynamics
- Nuclear Physics
- Plasma Physics
- - Predicted electron cyclotron resonance in 1947.
- Solid State Physics
- Academic and Scientific Leadership
- - Head of the theoretical department at UFTI from 1938 to 1988
- Legacy
- Awards and Honors
- - Medal "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War" (1945)
- - Honored Scientist of Ukraine (1986)
- - Order of Ukraine "For Services" of the III Degree (1996)
- - State Prize of Ukraine (2002, posthumously)
Alexander Akhiezer
Early Life and EducationAlexander Illich Akhiezer was born on February 23, 1911, in the town of Cherikov, Russia (now Belarus). He came from a family of doctors, with his father being a district physician. After completing his secondary education, Akhiezer entered the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, where he graduated in 1934 with a degree in physics and mathematics.
Career at UFTI
In the same year, Akhiezer began his career at the Ukrainian Institute of Physics and Technology (UFTI) in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Under the leadership of renowned physicist Lev Landau, he became a member of the theoretical department. Akhiezer made significant contributions to the development of theoretical physics, particularly in the fields of:
Quantum Electrodynamics
- Developed a theory for scattering photons on photons and nuclei in 1936, eliminating divergences through gauge invariance principles.
- Calculated radiative corrections for quantum electrodynamic effects in 1963 and 1974-1982.
- Formulated a theory for quantum electrodynamic phenomena in crystals in 1975-1995.
Nuclear Physics
- Predicted the possibility of obtaining cold neutrons in 1941-1947.- Developed a theory for resonant nuclear reactions and diffraction scattering of charged particles on nuclei (the Akhiezer-Pomeranchuk model) in 1948-1949.
- Predicted the diffractive splitting of deuterons in 1955 and calculated electromagnetic characteristics of hadrons in 1964.
Plasma Physics
- Predicted the exponential growth of fluctuations in plasma under an electron beam (beam plasma instability) in 1949.
- Established criteria for the stability of magnetohydrodynamic waves in 1948.
- Predicted electron cyclotron resonance in 1947.
- Studied scattering of electromagnetic waves on plasma fluctuations in 1957.
Solid State Physics
- Developed the kinetic theory of sound absorption in solids (the Akhiezer mechanism) in 1938.
- Introduced the concept of magnons (quanta of spin waves) in ferroelectrics and studied their interactions in 1946.
- Predicted the magnetoacoustic resonance effect in 1956 and built a theory for coupled magnetoacoustic waves.
Academic and Scientific Leadership
Akhiezer was a highly respected academic and scientific leader. He founded the Department of Theoretical Nuclear Physics at the Kharkiv University in 1940 and chaired it until 1975. He also served as:
- Head of the theoretical department at UFTI from 1938 to 1988
- Deputy Director of Science at UFTI from 1956 to 1959- Professor at the Kharkiv University from 1941 onwards
- Founder of the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the National Scientific Center "Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology"
Legacy
Alexander Akhiezer's work had a profound impact on the development of theoretical physics. He mentored numerous students and oversaw the training of 72 candidates and 33 doctors of science. Among his notable students were renowned scientists such as Vladimir Bar'yakhtar, Yakov Fainberg, Sergey Peletminskiy, and Anatoly Sitenko.
Awards and Honors
Throughout his career, Akhiezer received numerous awards and honors, including:
- Medal "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War" (1945)
- L.I. Mandelstam Prize of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1949)- Order of the Badge of Honor (1954)
- Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1971, 1981)
- K.D. Sinelnikov Prize of the Ukrainian SSR Academy of Sciences (1978)
- Honored Scientist of Ukraine (1986)
- State Prize of the Ukrainian SSR (1986)- Honorary Diploma of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR
- N.N. Bogolyubov Prize of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (1995)
- Order of Ukraine "For Services" of the III Degree (1996)
- Order of Ukraine "For Services" of the II Degree (1999)- ITEP International Prize named after I.Ya. Pomeranchuk (1998)
- A.S. Davydov Prize of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (2000)
- State Prize of Ukraine (2002, posthumously)
Alexander Akhiezer passed away on October 17, 2000, leaving behind an enduring legacy as one of the most influential theoretical physicists of his time.
