Citizendia

Lev Davidovich Landau

BornJanuary 22, 1908(1908-01-22)
Baku, Russian Empire
DiedApril 1, 1968 (aged 60)
Moscow, Soviet Union
FieldsPhysics
InstitutionsKharkiv University
Kharkiv Polytechnical Institute
Institute for Physical Problems
Alma materSaint Petersburg State University
Doctoral studentsAlexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov
Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov
Known forSuperfluidity, superconductivity
Notable awardsNobel Prize in Physics (1962)

Lev Davidovich Landau (Russian language: Ле́в Дави́дович Ланда́у) (January 22, 1908 – April 1, 1968) was a prominent Soviet physicist who made fundamental contributions to many areas of theoretical physics. Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Baku (Bakı sometimes known as Baqy, Baky, Baki or Bakü, is the capital the largest city and the largest port of Azerbaijan The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. Kharkiv National University (also known as Karazin Kharkiv National University, Ukrainian: Харківський національний університет National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnical Institute" is one of the oldest technical universities in Ukraine. PL Kapitza Institute for Physical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" It was used in Ancient Rome as a title for the mother Goddess, and in Medieval Saint Petersburg State University ( Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a Russian federal state-owned higher Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov (Алексе́й Алексе́евич Абрико́сов (born June 25, 1928) is a Russian theoretical physicist Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov (Исаак Маркович Халатников b Superfluidity is a phase of matter or description of Heat capacity in which unusual effects are observed when Liquids, typically of Helium-4 Superconductivity is a phenomenon occurring in certain Materials generally at very low Temperatures characterized by exactly zero electrical resistance The Nobel Prize in Physics (Nobelpriset i fysik is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 A physicist is a Scientist who studies or practices Physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning Theoretical physics employs Mathematical models and Abstractions of Physics in an attempt to explain experimental data taken of the natural world His accomplishments include the co-discovery of the density matrix method in quantum mechanics, the quantum mechanical theory of diamagnetism, the theory of superfluidity, the theory of second order phase transitions, the Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductivity, the explanation of Landau damping in plasma physics, the Landau pole in quantum electrodynamics, and the two-component theory of neutrinos. Quantum mechanics is the study of mechanical systems whose dimensions are close to the Atomic scale such as Molecules Atoms Electrons Diamagnetism is the property of an object which causes it to create a magnetic field in opposition of an externally applied Magnetic field, thus causing a repulsive effect Superfluidity is a phase of matter or description of Heat capacity in which unusual effects are observed when Liquids, typically of Helium-4 In Thermodynamics, phase transition or phase change is the transformation of a thermodynamic system from one phase to another Superconductivity is a phenomenon occurring in certain Materials generally at very low Temperatures characterized by exactly zero electrical resistance In Physics, Landau damping, named after its discoverer the eminent Soviet physicist Lev Davidovich Landau, is the effect of Damping ( exponential In Physics and Chemistry, plasma is an Ionized Gas, in which a certain proportion of Electrons are free rather than being bound In Physics, Landau pole is the Energy scale (or the precise value of the Energy) where a Coupling constant (the strength of an interaction of Quantum electrodynamics ( QED) is a relativistic Quantum field theory of Electrodynamics. Neutrinos are Elementary particles that travel close to the Speed of light, lack an Electric charge, are able to pass through ordinary matter almost He received the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physics for his development of a mathematical theory of superfluidity that accounts for the properties of liquid helium II at a temperature below 2. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Nobel Prize in Physics (Nobelpriset i fysik is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Helium exists in Liquid form only at very low Temperatures The Boiling point and critical point depend on the Isotope 17 K (−270. 98 °C).

Contents

Biography

Early years

Landau was born January 22, 1908 into a Jewish family in Baku, Azerbaijan. Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Baku (Bakı sometimes known as Baqy, Baky, Baki or Bakü, is the capital the largest city and the largest port of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan ( English; Azərbaycan officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan Respublikası is the largest and most populous country in the South Recognized very early as a child prodigy in mathematics, Landau was quoted as saying in later life that he scarcely remembered a time when he was not familiar with calculus. List of child prodigies|Fictional child prodigies A child prodigy is a one who masters one or more skills or arts at an early age Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Calculus ( Latin, calculus, a small stone used for counting is a branch of Mathematics that includes the study of limits, Derivatives Landau graduated at 13 from gymnasium. A gymnasium (pronounced with ɡ- in several languages is a type of school providing Secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar His parents regarded him too young to attend university, so for a year attended the Baku Economical Technicum. In 1922, at age 14, he matriculated at Baku State University, studying in two departments simultaneously: Physico-Mathematical and Chemical. Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Baku State University (Bakı Dövlət Universiteti is a Public university located in Baku, Azerbaijan. Subsequently he ceased studying Chemistry, but remained interested in the field throughout his life.

In 1924, he moved to the main centre of Soviet physics at the time: the Physics Department of Leningrad University. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Saint Petersburg State University ( Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a Russian federal state-owned higher In Leningrad, he first made the acquaintance of genuine theoretical physics and dedicated himself fully to its study, graduating in 1927. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Landau subsequently enrolled for post-graduate study at the Leningrad Physico-Technical Institute, and at 21, received a doctorate. Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute is one of Russia 's largest research centers specialized in Physics and technology Landau got his first chance to travel abroad in 1929, on a Soviet government traveling fellowship supplemented by a Rockefeller fellowship. The Rockefeller Foundation (RF is a prominent Philanthropic organization and Private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue New York City. After brief stays in Göttingen and Leipzig, he went to Copenhagen to work in Niels Bohr's Institute for Theoretical Physics. Göttingen ( ˈgœtɪŋən, Low German: Chöttingen is a College town in Lower Saxony, Germany. This sort of fix restores section edit linkpoints to where they belong Copenhagen (ˌkəʊpənˈheɪgən ˌkəʊpənˈhɑːgən ˈkəʊpənˌheɪgən ˈkəʊpənˌhɑːgən kʰøb̥ənˈhɑʊ̯ˀn kʰøb̥m̩ˈhɑʊ̯ˀn is the capital and largest city The Niels Bohr Institute is part of the Niels Bohr Institute for Astronomy Physics and Geophysics of the University of Copenhagen. After the visit, Landau always considered himself a pupil of Bohr's, and his attitude to physics was greatly influenced by Bohr's example. Niels Henrik David Bohr (nels ˈb̥oɐ̯ˀ in Danish 7 October 1885 – 18 November 1962 was a Danish Physicist who made fundamental contributions to understanding After his stay in Copenhagen he visited Cambridge and Zürich before returning to the Soviet Union. The city of Cambridge (ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England Zürich (, Zürich German: Züri, Zurich, Zurigo; in English generally Zurich) is the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the In the period of 1932-1937 he headed the department of theoretical physics at Kharkov Mechanics and Machine Building Institute. Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnical Institute" is one of the oldest technical universities in Ukraine.

The Landau school

Apart from his theoretical accomplishments, Landau was the principal founder of a great tradition of theoretical physics in the Soviet Union centered at Kharkov (now Kharkiv, Ukraine), sometimes referred to as the "Landau school". Kharkiv or Kharkov (Харків Харьков is the second largest city in Ukraine. He was the head of the Theoretical Division at the Institute for Physical Problems from 1937 until 1962 when, as a result of a car accident, he suffered injuries from which he was never able to recover fully. PL Kapitza Institute for Physical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [1] His students include Lev Pitaevskii, Alexei Abrikosov, Arkady Levanyuk, Evgeny Lifshitz, Lev Gor'kov, Isaak Khalatnikov and Boris Ioffe. Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov (Алексе́й Алексе́евич Абрико́сов (born June 25, 1928) is a Russian theoretical physicist Evgeny Mikhailovich Lifshitz (Евгений Михайлович Лифшиц February 21 1915 &ndash October 29 1985) was a leading Soviet Lev Gor'kov (born 14 June 1928 in Moscow) is an American research physicist from Russia who is internationally known for his pioneering work in the field Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov (Исаак Маркович Халатников b

Landau developed a comprehensive exam called the "Theoretical Minimum" which students were expected to pass before admission to the school. The exam covered all aspects of theoretical physics, and between 1943 and 1961 only 43 candidates passed. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In this way his students became proper physicists, rather than narrow specialists.

It was also in Kharkov that, with his friend and former student, E.M. Lifshitz, he began writing the well-known Course of Theoretical Physics, ten volumes that together span the whole of the subject and are still widely used as graduate-level physics texts. Evgeny Mikhailovich Lifshitz (Евгений Михайлович Лифшиц February 21 1915 &ndash October 29 1985) was a leading Soviet A graduate school or ("grad school" is a school that awards advanced degrees such as doctoral degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned

Great Purge

During the Great Purge, Landau was investigated within the UPTI Affair in Kharkov, but he managed to leave for Moscow. Great Purge (Большая чистка transliterated Bolshaya chistka) was a series of campaigns of Political repression and Persecution The UPTI Affair (Дело УФТИ Delo UFTI) was a fabricated criminal case against a number of scientists of the Ukrainian Physics and Technology Institute by the Kharkiv or Kharkov (Харків Харьков is the second largest city in Ukraine. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Still, he was arrested on April 27, 1938 and held in an NKVD prison until his release on April 29, 1939 after his colleague Pyotr Kapitsa, an experimental low-temperature physicist, wrote a letter to Stalin, personally vouching for Landau's behavior. Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The NKVD ( НКВД, ru Народный Комиссариат Внутренних Дел ''Narodnyy Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del'') or People's Commissariat A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa ( Russian Пётр Леонидович Капица ( July 9, 1894 &ndash April 8, 1984) was an innovative Within the field of Physics, experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines concerned with the Observation of physical Phenomena

Death and legacy

On January 7, 1962, Landau's car collided with an oncoming lorry. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He was severely injured and spent three months in a coma. In Medicine, a coma (from the Greek koma, meaning deep sleep is a profound state of Unconsciousness. Landau never fully recovered, and was much less creative than before the accident. His death on April 1, 1968 was also a consequence of the injuries from the accident. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

In 1965 former students and coworkers of Landau founded the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, located in the small town of Chernogolovka near Moscow, and headed for the following three decades by Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. The LD Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences is a research institution located in the small town of Chernogolovka near Chernogolovka (Черноголо́вка is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located 43 km northeast from Moscow border Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov (Исаак Маркович Халатников b

The minor planet 2142 Landau discovered in 1972 by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Chernykh is named in his honor. Minor planet is a term used since the 19th century to describe objects such as Asteroids that are in Orbit around the Sun but are not Planets 2142 Landau (1972 GA is a Main-belt Asteroid discovered on April 3, 1972 by L The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 [2] The lunar crater Landau is named in his honor. This is a list of craters on the Moon. The large majority of these features are Impact craters The crater nomenclature is governed by the International Landau is a large lunar crater that is located in the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon.

Landau's list

Landau kept a list of names of physicists which he ranked on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 5. A physicist is a Scientist who studies or practices Physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning The highest ranking, a 0, was assigned to Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein received a 0. Sir Isaac Newton, FRS (ˈnjuːtən 4 January 1643 31 March 1727) Biography Early years See also Isaac Newton's early life and achievements Albert Einstein ( German: ˈalbɐt ˈaɪ̯nʃtaɪ̯n; English: ˈælbɝt ˈaɪnstaɪn (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955 was a German -born theoretical 5. A rank of 1 was awarded to Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Paul Dirac and Erwin Schrödinger, the founding fathers of quantum mechanics, as well as Satyendra Nath Bose and Eugene Wigner. Niels Henrik David Bohr (nels ˈb̥oɐ̯ˀ in Danish 7 October 1885 – 18 November 1962 was a Danish Physicist who made fundamental contributions to understanding Werner Heisenberg (5 December 1901 in Würzburg &ndash1 February 1976 in Munich) was a German theoretical physicist best known for enunciating the Quantum mechanics is the study of mechanical systems whose dimensions are close to the Atomic scale such as Molecules Atoms Electrons Satyendra Nath Bose (/sɐθjinðrɐ nɑθ bos/ সত্যেন্দ্র নাথ বসু ( January 1, 1894 &ndash February 4, 1974 Eugene Paul "EP" Wigner ( Hungarian Wigner Pál Jenő) ( November 17, 1902 &ndash January 1, 1995) was a Landau ranked himself as a 2. 5 but later promoted himself to a 2. David Mermin was ranked in the fourth division, which was considered quite respectable. In Solid-state physics, N David Mermin is a polymathic physicist at Cornell University best known for the eponymous Mermin-Wagner theorem and his application Mermin would later write My Life with Landau: Homage of a 4. 5 to a 2. [3][4] In spite of his consideration of his own talent by the so-called scale, Landau is widely considered among Albert Einstein, Paul Dirac, Wolfgang Pauli, Enrico Fermi and Richard Feynman to be a brilliant physicist with a superb imaginative intellect. Richard Phillips Feynman (ˈfaɪnmən May 11 1918 – February 15 1988 was an American Physicist known for the Path integral formulation of quantum

Works

Landau and Lifshitz Course of Theoretical Physics

Other books

Some books about Landau

See also

References

  1. ^ Dorozynski
  2. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. In Physics, the Landau-Hopf theory of turbulence, named for Lev Landau and Eberhard Hopf, was until the mid 1970s the accepted theory of how a Fluid In physics the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation, named for Lev Landau and Evgeny Lifshitz and T In Solid-state physics, the Landau-Lifshitz equation ( LLE) named for Lev Landau and Evgeny Lifshitz, is a partial differential equations describing Landau is a large lunar crater that is located in the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, 5th, New York: Springer Verlag, p. 174. ISBN 3540002383.  
  3. ^ Hey, Tony (1997). Einstein's Mirror. Cambridge University Press, p. 1. ISBN 0-521-43532-3.  
  4. ^ Physics Today, November 2006, letter from Asoke Mitra

Further reading

Persondata
NAMELandau, Lev Davidovich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTIONPhysicist
DATE OF BIRTHJanuary 22, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATHApril 1, 1968
PLACE OF DEATH
Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
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