Lev Petrovich Gor'kov (; 14 June 1929 – 28 December 2016) was a Russian-American research physicist internationally known for his pioneering work in the field of
superconductivity
Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in superconductors: materials where Electrical resistance and conductance, electrical resistance vanishes and Magnetic field, magnetic fields are expelled from the material. Unlike an ord ...
. He was particularly famous for developing microscopic foundations of the
Ginzburg–Landau theory of superconductivity (
Vitaly Ginzburg was awarded the 2003 Nobel prize in physics for developing, together with
Lev Landau
Lev Davidovich Landau (; 22 January 1908 – 1 April 1968) was a Soviet physicist who made fundamental contributions to many areas of theoretical physics. He was considered as one of the last scientists who were universally well-versed and ma ...
, that phenomenological theory). Gor'kov was a professor of physics at
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
in
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...
, and a program director in Condensed Matter at the
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab) is a facility at Florida State University, the University of Florida, and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, that performs magnetic field research in physics, biology, bioengineeri ...
. He was one of the Magnet Lab's founding scientists.
Biography
Gor'kov was born in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
and received his academic training when he was at
Moscow State University
Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...
, after which he entered
Kapitza Institute for Physical Problems, and eventually joined the
Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics.
In 1966, he was awarded the
Lenin Prize
The Lenin Prize (, ) was one of the most prestigious awards of the Soviet Union for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was originally created on June 23, 1925, and awarded until 1934. During ...
, Russia's highest award for scientific achievement, in recognition of his groundbreaking work on superconductivity. In 1981, he received the Bardeen Prize (with
Alexei Abrikosov and
Vitaly Ginzburg). In 1988, he received the
Landau Prize, the highest award in Russia for theoretical physics.
In 1992, less than a year after the collapse of the Soviet Union, he left Moscow for the United States at age 63.
In 2004, he was a co-recipient of the prestigious
Eugene Feenberg Award, given to recognize researchers who have advanced the field of many-body physics. In 2005, he became an elected member of the
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...
, one of the very highest honors that can be bestowed on any U.S. scientist or engineer.
He belonged to the last generation of scientists who were direct disciples of Soviet theorist
Lev Landau
Lev Davidovich Landau (; 22 January 1908 – 1 April 1968) was a Soviet physicist who made fundamental contributions to many areas of theoretical physics. He was considered as one of the last scientists who were universally well-versed and ma ...
. Gor’kov's contributions to physics reflect the unique style of the Landau Institute.
In addition to his duties at the Magnet Lab, Gor'kov maintained his
RAS membership and continued to perform research for the Landau Institute.
In 2015, he was awarded the prestigious
Ugo Fano Gold Medal of the Rome International Center for Materials Science Superstripes RICMASS for his key prediction of two electronics components in cuprate high temperature superconductors.
Gor'kov died on 28 December 2016 at the age of 87.
On June 24–26, 2019, The Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics hosted an International Conference in his honor.
References
External links
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory faculty profileLev P. Gor'kov Site of RAS
Gor'kov, Lev P.NAS Section: Physics
Research for Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian FederationUgo Fano Gold Medal 2015, RICMASS, Rome, ItalyPublications of Lev Gor'kov 1955-2016* Modern Trends in Condensed Matter Physics, Lev Gor'kov Memorial Conference, http://gorkovconf.itp.ac.ru/gorkov2019/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorkov, Lev Petrovich
1929 births
2016 deaths
Scientists from Moscow
Fellows of the American Physical Society
Florida State University faculty
Full Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Full Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology alumni
Academic staff of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
Recipients of the Lenin Prize
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Russian physicists
American physicists