Alexander Sergeevich Davydov (russian: Александр Сергеевич Давы́дов, uk, Олекса́ндр Сергі́йович Дави́дов) (26 December 1912 – 19 February 1993) was a Soviet and Ukrainian physicist. Davydov graduated from Moscow State University in 1939. In 1963-1990 he was Director of Institute for Theoretical Physics of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. His main contributions were in theory of

absorption Absorption may refer to: Chemistry and biology * Absorption (biology), digestion **Absorption (small intestine) *Absorption (chemistry), diffusion of particles of gas or liquid into liquid or solid materials *Absorption (skin), a route by which ...

, scattering and dispersion of the light in

molecular crystal A molecular solid is a solid consisting of discrete molecules. The cohesive forces that bind the molecules together are van der Waals forces, Dipole-Dipole Forces, dipole-dipole interactions, Quadrupole, quadrupole interactions, Pi interaction, � ...

s. In 1948, he predicted the phenomenon that is known as ''Davydov splitting'' or ''factor-group splitting'', "the splitting of bands in the electronic or vibrational spectra of crystals due to the presence of more than one (interacting) equivalent molecular entity in the unit cell." In the period 1958–1960 he developed the theory of collective excited states in spherical and non-spherical nuclei, known as Davydov-Filippov Model and Davydov-Chaban Model. In 1973, Davydov applied the concept of molecular solitons in order to explain the mechanism of muscle contraction in animals. He studied theoretically the interaction of intramolecular excitations or excess electrons with autolocal breaking of the translational symmetry. These excitations are now known as

Davydov soliton Davydov soliton is a quantum quasiparticle representing an excitation propagating along the protein α-helix self-trapped amide I. It is a solution of the Davydov Hamiltonian. It is named for the Soviet and Ukrainian physicist Alexander Davydov ...

s. In 1979, Davydov published the first textbook on

quantum biology Quantum biology is the study of applications of quantum mechanics and theoretical chemistry to aspects of biology that cannot be accurately described by the classical laws of physics. An understanding of fundamental quantum interactions is importan ...

entitled "Biology and Quantum Mechanics" in Russian, which was then translated in English three years later.

Publications

* ''Theory of Absorption of Light by Molecular Crystals'',

Naukova Dumka Naukova Dumka ( uk, Наукова Думка — literally "scientific thought") is a publishing house in Kyiv, Ukraine. It was established by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 1922, largely owing to the efforts of Ahatanhel Krymsky ...

, Kiev (1951) * ''Theory of Atomic Nuclei'', Nauka, Moscow (1958) * ''Theory of Molecular Excitons'', McGraw-Hill, New York (1962) * ''Quantum Mechanics'', Pergamon Press (1965) * ''Theory of Molecular Excitons'', Plenum Press, New York (1971) * ''Theory of Solids'', Nauka, Moscow (1980) * ''Biology and Quantum Mechanics'', Pergamon Press (1982) * ''Solitons in Molecular Systems'', D. Reidel (1985) * ''Solitons in Bioenergetics'',

, Kiev (1986) *
The Theoretical Investigation of High-Temperature Superconductivity
', Physics Reports, vol. 190, no. 4–5, pp. 191–306 (1990) * ''High-Temperature Superconducitvity'',

, Kiev (1990).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davydov, Alexander 1912 births 1993 deaths People from Yevpatoria People from Yevpatoriysky Uyezd 20th-century Ukrainian physicists Quantum biology Members of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Heroes of Socialist Labour Recipients of the Order of Lenin Burials at Baikove Cemetery

Publications

See also

References