Great Soviet scientists are known all over the world. One of them is Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov, a physicist, public figure. He was one of the first to write works on the implementation of the thermonuclear reaction, so it is believed that Sakharov is the "father" of the hydrogen bomb in our country. Sakharov Anatoly Dmitrievich is an academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, professor, doctor of physical and mathematical sciences. In 1975, he received the Nobel Peace Prize.
The future scientist was born in Moscow on May 21, 1921. His father was Dmitry Sakharov, physicist. The first five years, Andrei Dmitrievich studied at home. Then followed 5 years of study at school, where Sakharov, under the guidance of his father, was seriously engaged in physics, conducted many experiments.
Studying at the university, working at a military factory
Andrei Dmitrievich in 1938 entered the Moscow State University at the Faculty of Physics. After the outbreak of World War II, Sakharov, together with the university, went to evacuate to Turkmenistan (Ashgabat). Andrei Dmitrievich was carried away by the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. In 1942 he graduated with honors from Moscow State University. At the University, Sugar was considered the best student among all who have ever studied at this faculty.
At the end of Moscow State University, Andrei Dmitrievich refused to stay in graduate school, which Professor A. A. Vlasov advised him. A. D. Sakharov, becoming a specialist in the field of defense metal science, was sent to the military plant in Kovrov (Vladimir region), and then Ulyanovsk. The living and working conditions were very difficult, however, it was during these years that Andrei Dmitrievich made his first invention. He proposed a device that allows you to control the hardening of armor-piercing cores.
Marriage to Vikhireva K.A.
An important event in Sakharovâs personal life happened in 1943 - the scientist married Vikhireva Klavdiya Alekseevna (years of life - 1919-1969). She was originally from Ulyanovsk, she worked at the same factory as Andrei Dmitrievich. The spouses had three children - a son and two daughters. Due to the war, and later due to the birth of children, Sakharovâs wife did not graduate from the university. For this reason, subsequently, after the Sakharovs moved to Moscow, it was difficult for her to find a good job.
Graduate School, PhD thesis
Andrei Dmitrievich, having returned to Moscow after the war, continued his studies in 1945. He entered graduate school to E. I. Tamm, a famous theoretical physicist who taught at the Physics Institute. P.N. Lebedev. A. D. Sakharov wanted to work on the fundamental problems of science. In 1947, his Ph.D. thesis was presented . The topic of the work was nonradiative nuclear transitions. In it, the scientist proposed a new rule, according to which selection should be made by charging parity. He also presented a method for taking into account the interaction of a positron and an electron during pair production.
Work at the âfacilityâ, hydrogen bomb test
In 1948, A.D. Sakharov was included in a special group led by I.E. Tamm. Its purpose was to verify the design of the hydrogen bomb made by a group of Ya. B. Zeldovich. Andrei Dmitrievich soon presented his bomb project, in which layers of natural uranium and deuterium were placed around an ordinary atomic nucleus. When an atomic nucleus explodes, ionized uranium significantly increases the density of deuterium. It also increases the rate of the thermonuclear reaction, and under the influence of fast neutrons begins to divide. This idea was supplemented by V.L. Ginzburg, who proposed using lithium-6 deuteride for a bomb. Tritium is formed from it under the influence of slow neutrons, which is a very active thermonuclear fuel.
In the spring of 1950, with these ideas, the Tamm group was sent almost in its entirety to the âfacilityâ - a secret nuclear enterprise whose center was in the city of Sarov. Here, the number of scientists working on the project has increased significantly as a result of the influx of young researchers. The work of the group ended with the test of the first hydrogen bomb in the USSR, which successfully took place on August 12, 1953. This bomb is known as the Sakharov puff.
The very next year, on January 4, 1954, Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov became the Hero of Socialist Labor, and also received the Hammer and Sickle medal. A year earlier, in 1953, the scientist became an academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
A new test and its consequences
The group, headed by A. D. Sakharov, further worked on the compression of thermonuclear fuel using radiation obtained from an explosion of an atomic charge. In November 1955, a successful test of a new hydrogen bomb was carried out. However, it was overshadowed by the death of a soldier and a girl, as well as the injuries of many people who were at a considerable distance from the landfill. This, as well as the massive eviction of residents from nearby territories, made Andrei Dmitrievich seriously think about the tragic consequences of atomic explosions. He wondered what would happen if this terrible power suddenly got out of hand.
Sakharov's ideas laying the foundation for large-scale research
Along with work on hydrogen bombs, Academician Sakharov, together with Tamm, in 1950 proposed the idea of ââhow to carry out magnetic confinement of plasma. The scientist made fundamental calculations on this issue. He also owned the idea and calculations for the formation of superstrong magnetic fields by compressing the magnetic flux with a cylindrical conducting shell. The scientist dealt with these issues in 1952. In 1961, Andrei Dmitrievich proposed the use of laser compression in order to obtain a thermonuclear controlled reaction. Sakharov's ideas laid the foundation for large-scale research carried out in the field of thermonuclear energy.
Two articles by Sakharov on the harmful effects of radioactivity
In 1958, Academician Sakharov presented two articles on the harmful effects of radioactivity from bombings and its effect on heredity. As a result of this, as the scientist noted, the average life expectancy of the population decreases. According to Sakharovâs assessment, in the future, every megaton explosion will lead to 10 thousand cases of cancer.
Andrei Dmitrievich in 1958 tried unsuccessfully to influence the decision of the USSR to extend the moratorium declared by him on the implementation of atomic explosions. In 1961, the moratorium was interrupted by testing a very powerful hydrogen bomb (50 megatons). It had, rather, political rather than military significance. Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov March 7, 1962 received the third medal "Hammer and Sickle".
Social work
In 1962, Sakharov entered into sharp conflicts with state authorities and his colleagues on the development of weapons and the need to prohibit their testing. This confrontation had a positive result - in 1963 an agreement was signed in Moscow prohibiting the testing of nuclear weapons in all three environments.
It should be noted that the interests of Andrei Dmitrievich in those years were not limited solely to nuclear physics. The scientist conducted an active social activity. In 1958, Sakharov spoke out against Khrushchevâs plans, which he planned to shorten the time for secondary education. A few years later, together with his colleagues, Andrei Dmitrievich delivered Soviet genetics from the influence of T. D. Lysenko.
Sakharov in 1964 made a speech at the Academy of Sciences , in which he opposed the election of the biologist N.I. Nuzhdin as an academician, who in the end did not become him. Andrei Dmitrievich believed that this biologist, like T. D. Lysenko, was responsible for the difficult, shameful pages in the development of domestic science.
The scientist in 1966 signed a letter to the 23rd Congress of the CPSU. In this letter ("25 Celebrities"), famous people opposed the rehabilitation of Stalin. It noted that the âgreatest disasterâ for the people would be any attempt to revive intolerance of dissent - the policy pursued by Stalin. In the same year, Sakharov met with R. A. Medvedev, who wrote a book about Stalin. She significantly influenced the views of Andrei Dmitrievich. In February 1967, the scientist sent his first letter to Brezhnev, in which he spoke out in defense of four dissenters. The harsh response of the authorities was the deprivation of Sakharov one of the two posts that he held at the "facility".
Manifest article, suspension from work on the "object"
An article by Andrei Dmitrievich appeared in foreign media in June 1968, in which he reflected on progress, intellectual freedom, and peaceful coexistence. The scientist spoke about the dangers of environmental self-poisoning, thermonuclear destruction, dehumanization of mankind. Sakharov noted that there is a need for rapprochement between the capitalist and socialist systems. He also wrote about the crimes committed by Stalin, about the absence of democracy in the USSR.
In this manifesto article, the scientist advocated the abolition of political courts and censorship, against the placement of dissidents in psychiatric clinics. The reaction of the authorities followed quickly: Andrei Dmitrievich was suspended from work at a secret facility. He lost all posts, one way or another connected with military secrets. The meeting between A. D. Sakharov and A. I. Solzhenitsyn took place on August 26, 1968. It was revealed that they look differently at the social transformations that the country needs.
Death of a spouse, work at FIAN
This was followed by a tragic event in Sakharovâs personal life - in March 1969 his wife died, leaving the scientist in a state of despair, which was later replaced by a long-standing spiritual devastation. I.E. Tamm, who at that time headed the Theoretical Division of the Lebedev Physical Institute, wrote a letter to M.V. Keldysh, President of the USSR Academy of Sciences. As a result of this and, apparently, sanctions from above, Andrei Dmitrievich was admitted to the department of the institute on June 30, 1969. Here he took up scientific work, becoming a senior research fellow. This position was the lowest of all that a Soviet academician could get.
Continuing advocacy
In the period from 1967 to 1980, the scientist wrote more than 15 scientific papers. Then he began to conduct active social activities, increasingly no longer in line with the policies of official circles. Andrei Dmitrievich initiated calls for the release of human rights defenders Zh. A. Medvedev and P. G. Grigorenko from psychiatric hospitals. Together with R. A. Medvedev and physicist V. Turchin, the scientist published the âMemorandum of Democratization and Intellectual Freedomâ.
Sakharov came to Kaluga to take part in the picketing of the court, where the trial of dissidents B. Weil and R. Pimenov was carried out. In November 1970, Andrei Dmitrievich, together with physicists A. Tverdokhlebov and V. Chalidze, founded the Human Rights Committee, whose task was to implement the principles laid down by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Together with academician Leontovich M. A. in 1971, Sakharov opposed the use of psychiatry for political purposes, as well as for the right of the Crimean Tatars to return, for freedom of religion, for German and Jewish emigration.
Marriage to Bonner E.G., campaign against Sakharov
The marriage to Bonner Elena Grigoryevna (years of life - 1923-2011) occurred in 1972. A scientist met this woman in 1970 in Kaluga when he went to court. Having become a colleague and faithful friend of her husband, Elena Grigoryevna concentrated the activities of Andrei Dmitrievich on protecting the rights of individuals. From now on, Sakharov considered program documents as subjects for discussion. However, in 1977, a theoretical physicist nevertheless signed a collective letter addressed to the Presidium of the Supreme Council, which spoke about the need to abolish the death penalty and about amnesty.
In 1973, Sakharov gave an interview to W. Stenholm, a radio correspondent from Sweden. In it, he spoke about the nature of the then Soviet system. The deputy attorney general issued a warning to Andrei Dmitrievich, but despite this, the scientist held a press conference for eleven Western journalists. He condemned the threat of persecution. A response to such actions was a letter from 40 academics published in the newspaper Pravda. It was the beginning of a vicious campaign against the social activities of Andrei Dmitrievich. On his side were human rights activists, as well as Western scholars and politicians. A. I. Solzhenitsyn proposed to award the scientist the Nobel Peace Prize.
First hunger strike, Sakharovâs book
In September 1973, continuing the struggle for everyoneâs right to emigrate, Andrei Dmitrievich sent a letter to the American Congress in which he supported the Jackson amendment. The following year, R. Nixon, President of the United States, arrived in Moscow. During his visit, Sakharov went on his first hunger strike. He also gave a television interview to draw public attention to the fate of political prisoners.
EG Bonner, on the basis of the French humanitarian prize received by Sakharov, founded the Fund for Assistance to Children of Political Prisoners. Andrei Dmitrievich in 1975 met with G. Belle, a famous German writer. Together with him, he issued an appeal aimed at protecting political prisoners. Also in 1975, the scientist published his book in the West, entitled "On the Country and the World." In it, Sakharov developed the ideas of democratization, disarmament, convergence, economic and political reforms, and strategic equilibrium.
Nobel Peace Prize (1975)
The Nobel Peace Prize was deservedly awarded to the academician in October 1975. His wife, who was treated abroad, received the award. She announced Sakharovâs speech prepared for the ceremony. In it, the scientist called for "genuine disarmament" and "true detente", for political amnesty throughout the world, as well as for the universal release of all prisoners of conscience. The next day, Sakharovâs wife gave his Nobel lecture âPeace, Progress, Human Rightsâ. In it, the academician argued that all three of these goals are closely related to each other.
Charge, link
Despite the fact that Sakharov actively opposed the Soviet regime, he was not formally charged until 1980. It was brought forward when the scientist sharply condemned the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. On January 8, 1980, A. Sakharov was deprived of all his government awards. His exile began on January 22 when he was sent to Gorky (today it is Nizhny Novgorod), where he was under house arrest. The photo below shows the house in Gorky, in which the academician lived.
Sakharovâs hunger strike for the right of E. G. Bonner to leave
In the summer of 1984, Andrei Dmitrievich went on a hunger strike for his wifeâs right to travel to the United States for treatment and meeting with relatives. It was accompanied by painful feeding and forced hospitalization, but it did not bring any results.
In April-September 1985, the last academician hunger strike took place, pursuing the same goals. Only in July 1985, E. G. Bonner was granted permission to leave. This happened after Sakharov sent a letter to Gorbachev with a promise to stop his public speeches and fully concentrate on scientific work, if the trip is allowed.
Last year of life
In March 1989, Sakharov became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The scientist thought a lot about the reform of the political structure in the Soviet Union. In November 1989, Sakharov introduced a draft constitution, which was based on the protection of individual rights and the right of peoples to statehood.
Andrei Sakharovâs biography ends on December 14, 1989, when he died after another busy day at the Congress of Peopleâs Deputies. As the autopsy showed, the academician's heart was completely worn out. In Moscow, at the Vostryakovsky cemetery, lies the "father" of the hydrogen bomb, as well as an outstanding human rights activist.
A. Sakharov Foundation
The memory of the great scientist and public figure lives in the hearts of many. In 1989, the Andrei Sakharov Foundation was established in our country, the purpose of which is to preserve the memory of Andrei Dmitrievich, promote his ideas, as well as protect human rights. In 1990, the Fund appeared in the United States. Elena Bonner, the wife of an academician, has long been the chairman of these two organizations. She died on June 18, 2011 from a heart attack.
In the photo above - a monument to Sakharov, installed in St. Petersburg. The square where he is located is named after him. The Soviet Nobel Prize laureates are not forgotten, as evidenced by the flowers brought to their monuments and graves.