Lev Pavlovich Rapoport (russian: Лев Павлович Рапопорт, link=no, January 13, 1920 – September 15, 2000) was well known for his pioneering works in nuclear and atomic theoretical physics.
Early work
His first works in this field concerned the simplest of atoms, atomic hydrogen, and, more specifically, light scattering from, and two-photon ionization of, hydrogen atoms. His analytical calculations of the cross sections for those processes are now considered classic works, and the methods he used to derive the corresponding formulas have formed the basis of many subsequent theoretical works by researchers both in Russia and abroad.
Further work
Rapoport's scientific achievements spanned a wide range of physics. After becoming a well-known specialist in theoretical nuclear physics during the 1950s, he published works in the then-new fields of superfluidity and superconductivity in the early 1960s. He gave a generalization of the
Ginzburg–Landau equations applicable for lower temperatures and proposed a microscopic theory of magnetic flux quantization in superconductors. He also contributed to the development of the theory of finite Fermi systems, which he applied to the nuclear processes of beta decay and electron capture. In this work, the
Green's function
In mathematics, a Green's function is the impulse response of an inhomogeneous linear differential operator defined on a domain with specified initial conditions or boundary conditions.
This means that if \operatorname is the linear differential ...
method formed the basis for numerical calculations. Further modifications of the Green's function method enabled researchers to study multiphoton processes in many-electron atoms and in simple molecules and also made possible numerical calculations of higher-order relativistic effects in atomic spectra.
Co-workers
Rapoport involved many of his students in scientific research. His high standards for teaching made him a leader in education, not only in physics but in many other programs at
Voronezh State University
Voronezh State University is one of the main universities in Central Russia, located in the city of Voronezh. The university was established in 1918 by professors evacuated from the University of Tartu in Estonia. The university has 18 faculties ...
. For example, he was a member of the university's scientific council, on which he actively influenced both the curricula and the scientific research of the university's mathematics and science departments. During the last quarter century of his life, he was the leading professor at
Voronezh State University
Voronezh State University is one of the main universities in Central Russia, located in the city of Voronezh. The university was established in 1918 by professors evacuated from the University of Tartu in Estonia. The university has 18 faculties ...
. In all, he trained 25 PhD students, 8 of whom subsequently obtained the DSc degree in physics and became professors who are now working in Russia and abroad. One may say that Rapoport guided the development of both the curricula and the faculty of the department of theoretical physics at
Voronezh State University
Voronezh State University is one of the main universities in Central Russia, located in the city of Voronezh. The university was established in 1918 by professors evacuated from the University of Tartu in Estonia. The university has 18 faculties ...
.
Recognition
The high quality of his research brought Rapoport increasing recognition. For his pioneering contributions to the theory of multiphoton processes in atoms, he was awarded the DSc degree in 1970 by
St. Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the G ...
. In 1980, he was given the title Distinguished Scientist of the Russian Federation, which is an honor granted annually by the Russian government to only about 100 scientists in all scientific fields. Additionally, he was among the first recipients of grants for fundamental research from both Russian and international scientific foundations, including the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the International Science Foundation. Rapoport also served on the
Russian Academy of Science's Scientific Council for
Atomic Spectroscopy
Atomic spectroscopy is the study of the electromagnetic radiation absorbed and emitted by atoms. Since unique elements have characteristic (signature) spectra, atomic spectroscopy, specifically the electromagnetic spectrum or mass spectrum, is appl ...
and Scientific Council for Coherent and
Nonlinear Optics
Nonlinear optics (NLO) is the branch of optics that describes the behaviour of light in ''nonlinear media'', that is, media in which the polarization density P responds non-linearly to the electric field E of the light. The non-linearity is typica ...
.
External links
Lev Pavlovich Rapoport
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rapoport, Lev Pavlovich
1920 births
2000 deaths
Rapoport, Lev
Rapoport, Lev
Academic staff of Voronezh State University