Kharkiv Theoretical Physics School
Encyclopedia
The Kharkiv Theoretical Physics School was foundered by Lev Landau
in Kharkov, Soviet Union
(now Kharkiv
, Ukraine
). It is sometimes referred to as the Landau school. Landau 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 back to science.His students included Lev Pitaevskii, Alexei Abrikosov
, Arkady Levanyuk, Evgeny Lifshitz
, Lev Gor'kov
, Isaak Khalatnikov
, Boris L. Ioffe and Isaak Pomeranchuk
.
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. In this way his students became proper physicists, rather than narrow specialists.
In Kharkiv, he and his friend and former student, Evgeny Lifshitz
, began writing the Course of Theoretical Physics
, ten volumes that together span the whole of the subject and are still widely used as graduate
-level physics texts.
Lev Landau
Lev Davidovich Landau was a prominent Soviet physicist who made fundamental contributions to many areas of theoretical physics...
in Kharkov, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(now Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). It is sometimes referred to as the Landau school. Landau was the head of the Theoretical Division at the Institute for Physical Problems
Institute for Physical Problems
P.L. Kapitza Institute for Physical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The Institute was founded in 1934. The founder of the Institute, Prof. Kapitsa served as its head for many years. The head of the theoretical division of the Institute was Prof. Landau. The primary direction of...
from 1937 until 1962 when, as a result of a car accident
Car accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
, he suffered injuries from which he was never back to science.His students included Lev Pitaevskii, Alexei Abrikosov
Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov
Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov is a Soviet and Russian theoretical physicist whose main contributions are in the field of condensed matter physics. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2003.- Biography :...
, Arkady Levanyuk, Evgeny Lifshitz
Evgeny Lifshitz
Evgeny Mikhailovich Lifshitz was a leading Soviet physicist of Jewish origin and the brother of physicist Ilya Mikhailovich Lifshitz. Lifshitz is well known in general relativity for coauthoring the BKL conjecture concerning the nature of a generic curvature...
, Lev Gor'kov
Lev Gor'kov
Lev Gor'kov is a Soviet-Russian-American research physicist internationally known for his pioneering work in the field of superconductivity.He is a professor of physics at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, and a program director in Condensed Matter at the National High Magnetic...
, Isaak Khalatnikov
Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov
Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov is a leading Soviet physicist, well known for his role in developing the BKL conjecture in general relativity.Khalatnikov was born in Dnipropetrovsk and graduated from Dnipropetrovsk State University with a degree in Physics in 1941. He has been a member of the...
, Boris L. Ioffe and Isaak Pomeranchuk
Isaak Pomeranchuk
Isaak Yakovlevich Pomeranchuk was a Soviet physicist, who was the founder and first head of the theory division at ITEP. The particle pomeron is named in his honour. For his work, Pomeranchuk was twice awarded Stalin Prize .-External links:**...
.
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. In this way his students became proper physicists, rather than narrow specialists.
In Kharkiv, he and his friend and former student, Evgeny Lifshitz
Evgeny Lifshitz
Evgeny Mikhailovich Lifshitz was a leading Soviet physicist of Jewish origin and the brother of physicist Ilya Mikhailovich Lifshitz. Lifshitz is well known in general relativity for coauthoring the BKL conjecture concerning the nature of a generic curvature...
, began writing the Course of Theoretical Physics
Course of Theoretical Physics
The Course of Theoretical Physics is a ten-volume series of books covering theoretical physics that was initiated by Lev Landau and written in collaboration with his student Evgeny Lifshitz starting in the late 1930s....
, ten volumes that together span the whole of the subject and are still widely used as graduate
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
-level physics texts.
Selected scientists associated with the school
- Lev LandauLev LandauLev Davidovich Landau was a prominent Soviet physicist who made fundamental contributions to many areas of theoretical physics...
- Ilya Mikhailovich Lifshitz
- Evgeny LifshitzEvgeny LifshitzEvgeny Mikhailovich Lifshitz was a leading Soviet physicist of Jewish origin and the brother of physicist Ilya Mikhailovich Lifshitz. Lifshitz is well known in general relativity for coauthoring the BKL conjecture concerning the nature of a generic curvature...