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Ilya LifshitsSoviet theoretical physicist, academician (1970).
Date of Birth: 13.01.1917
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Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Career and Research
- Investigations on the behavior of electrons in disordered systems
- School of Solid-State Physics
- Personal Life and Death
- Honors and Distinctions
Early Life and Education
Ilya Mikhailovich Lifshitz was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in 1917. He followed in the footsteps of his brother, Evgeny Mikhailovich Lifshitz, and pursued a career in physics. Lifshitz graduated from Kharkiv University in 1936 and Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute in 1938.
Career and Research
In 1937, Lifshitz joined the Kharkiv Physico-Technical Institute, where he worked as head of the theoretical department from 1941. Simultaneously, he held the chair of physics at Kharkiv University from 1944. In 1969, he became head of the theoretical department at the Institute of Physical Problems of the USSR Academy of Sciences. From 1964, he was also a professor at Moscow State University.
Lifshitz made significant contributions to the fields of solid-state physics and the general theory of condensed matter. His groundbreaking work included:
Investigations on the behavior of electrons in disordered systems
Development of the theory of twinning processes (1948)Establishment of the connection between metal properties and the geometry and topology of their Fermi surfaces, leading to the development of fermiology
Construction of the modern electronic theory of metals (1954-65), earning him the Lenin Prize in 1967
Development of the theory of quantum transitions of the first kind at low temperatures
Prediction of the 2 1/2 order phase transition (1960) and the phenomenon of quantum diffusion (1969)
School of Solid-State Physics
Lifshitz was a prolific author and mentor, fostering a prominent school of solid-state physics. Notable students included M. I. Kaganov and V. M. Tsukernik.
Personal Life and Death
Ilya Mikhailovich Lifshitz was an avid philatelist, specializing in chronological collections of stamps from the Russian Empire, the USSR, and European countries. His collection comprised over 200,000 stamps and related materials by 1976. Lifshitz passed away in Moscow on October 23, 1982, and was laid to rest in the Troekurovskoye Cemetery.
Honors and Distinctions
Lifshitz's achievements were recognized with numerous accolades:Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Lenin Prize (1967)
Fritz Simon Prize
L. I. Mandelstam Prize of the USSR Academy of Sciences
Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge University (1962)
Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States (1982)
