Lev Artsimovich - the famous Soviet scientist, the founder of the scientific school of controlled thermonuclear fusion, who made an invaluable contribution to the development of astronomy and atomic physics. It was under his leadership that the thermonuclear reaction was first carried out in a laboratory.
A man with a capital letter, who devoted his whole life to his beloved work, Lev Andreyevich is a vivid
example of professionalism, determination, perseverance and courage. The phrase is attributed to him by the popular rumor: "Science is the best method of satisfaction at the expense of the state of its own curiosity."
Lev Andreyevich Artsimovich: biography
Lev Artsimovich was born in Moscow on February 25, 1909. Mom - Olga Lvovna, came from a Jewish family, Andrei Mikhailovich - father, was a noble family, subsequently impoverished. The Artsimovichs lived in the capital until 1919, but because of the devastation and poor food situation, they were forced to change their place of residence to Mogilev, where they offered their father the place of head of the statistical bureau. Then the transfer took place again: first to Gomel, then to a small town Klintsy. However, the financial situation of the Artsimovichs catastrophically worsened, and, in the end, it became simply unbearable. For this reason, and in the hope of at least some stable feeding, parents were forced to identify their son in an orphanage.
The boy could not be in this institution and, preferring the lifestyle of a homeless child, escaped from there. At the end of the Civil War, the Artsimovichs, whose situation improved somewhat, returned to Gomel, and Leo returned to his parents. Father at that time was appointed head of the department at the State Belarusian University. After graduation, his beloved son also went there.
Life Choice: Physics
The young man's choice fell on the physics and mathematics department. The luggage of knowledge gained during the training did not seem to the purposeful young man, so he went to Moscow to comprehend his favorite science, where he spent the whole year visiting various scientific libraries. In 1929, he defended his thesis on X-ray spectra with brilliance at his native university, and a year later he changed his place of residence to Leningrad. There, Artsimovich Lev Andreevich got a job as a freelance doctor at the Institute of Physics and Technology: first, in the X-ray department, and six months later, in the department of X-rays and electronic phenomena. The young physicist-researcher, probably, like all the great scientists at the beginning of his path, was completely unable to set up experiments and experiments. The task of helping him in this fell on the shoulders of senior comrades who had been teaching Leo the simplest skills required for scientific activity for quite some time .
The first studies of a Soviet scientist
The first thing Lev Andreevich was to study the complete reflection of x-rays from thin layers of various metals. These experiments, conducted in 1931, only 40 years later came to practice and interested scientists. The year 1933 was marked by studies of the atomic nucleus; Lev Artsimovich’s task in this area was the organization of a high-voltage laboratory, which studied the properties of slow neutrons and developed amplification tubes and pulsed generators for producing fast electrons.
In wartime, Artsimovich Lev Andreyevich was engaged in the development of night vision devices using the infrared spectrum. It was required for the country's defense industry; conditions for research conducted within the walls of Kazan University, to put it mildly, were absent. Inadequate basement for scientific experiments did not become an obstacle to the successful completion of the task.
Post-war years
1944 for the Soviet scientist was marked by the post of head of the scientific department at the Institute of Atomic Energy, and in 1946 Artsimovich Lev Andreevich was elected a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences and became the head of one of the research areas in the field of nuclear physics. For the invention of dividing plants capable of separating lithium isotopes, Lev Andreyevich was awarded the Stalin Prize of the 1st degree. In 1950, he received a new appointment - the head of experimental research in the field of fusion controlled fusion, and a year later the Soviet scientist became an academician. In 1952, on his account, the discovery of neutron radiation from high-temperature plasma and, as a result, the award of the Lenin Prize.
In search of an energy source
In 1955, the results of ongoing developments of an electrodynamic plasma accelerator formed the basis of a new direction - plasma physics.
At the end of his life, a Soviet physicist was engaged in research of high-temperature plasma in thermonuclear installations, trying to find an inexhaustible source of energy. Realizing that the development of astrophysics can help this project (after all, plasma must be studied outside the Earth - on the Sun and the stars), Leo supported the construction of astronomical instruments to the maximum extent and directed a lot of efforts to build an astronomical observatory in the Caucasus. The results obtained in scientific laboratories led to an understanding of the physics of plasma, the nature of emissions and flares on the Sun, causing the appearance of magnetic storms.
Invaluable contribution to science
It was thanks to L. A. Artsimovich that the astronomy of the Soviet country came to the forefront. Also, Artsimovich Lev Andreyevich made a huge contribution to education. Since 1953, for 20 years he taught at Moscow State University, giving courses in plasma and atomic physics.
A talented researcher has written a large number of textbooks; At the department, on his behalf, a laboratory for fusion was organized, analogues of which were not found in any university in the world. Artsimovich Lev Andreevich and his children, whom he considered his students, conducted important experiments in it. By the way, many of the students of the Soviet physicist subsequently became major scientific leaders in different countries. Leo Andreevich died on March 1, 1973. A talented scientist was buried at the
Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow. In honor of Lev Andreyevich Artsimovich, who made an invaluable contribution to Soviet and world science, he received the name Crater on the Moon, and in 1974 he was named after the ship, and the great scientists of our time are based on the results obtained by Artsimovich.