Blokhintsev, Dmitry Ivanovich

Even in childhood, carried away by aircraft and rocket science, independently mastered the basics of differential and integral calculus, got acquainted with the works of Herman Obert and Max Valle , corresponded with K. E. Tsiolkovsky .

He graduated from the Physics Department of Moscow State University (1930). In 1930-1933 he studied at graduate school (supervisor - I.E. Tamm ). In 1934 he defended his thesis on the quantum theory of a solid body; in 1935, according to the results of the defense, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Physics and Mathematics. Professor of Moscow State University since 1935, from the 1950s - head of the department of atomic nucleus theory. He was the creator of the Department of Nuclear Physics at the Physics Department of Moscow State University. In 1935-1947 he also worked at the Physics Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences (LPI) . Member of the CPSU (b) since 1943. Since 1947 - Director of the Research Laboratory in Obninsk , on the basis of which the Physics and Energy Institute was created under his leadership. Head of Laboratory "B" of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR (implementation of the decree " On the design and construction of facility 627 "), later the Institute of Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences was created on its basis.

It is considered one of the initiators of the creation of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna . In 1956, the Committee of Plenipotentiaries of Eleven Countries unanimously elected him the first director of the institute. In 1956-1965 - Director of JINR, since 1965 - Director of the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics of JINR.

Son Leonid (born 1932) is a physicist ^{[1] [2]} .

The works are devoted to solid state theory, semiconductor physics, optics , acoustics , quantum mechanics and quantum electronics, nuclear physics , theory of nuclear reactors, quantum field theory , particle physics , philosophical and methodological problems of physics.

Based on the quantum theory, he explained the phosphorescence of solids and the effect of rectification of electric current at the boundary of two semiconductors.

In 1944, based on the equations of gas hydrodynamics, he constructed the theory of sound phenomena in moving and inhomogeneous media, obtained the most general acoustic equations ( Blokhintsev equations ), based on which he derived a number of acoustic laws, explained and calculated various acoustic phenomena in moving and inhomogeneous media ( including turbulent ones) relating, on the one hand, to the mechanism of generating noise, and on the other hand, to methods and means of its reception. He formulated the equations of geometric acoustics.

He performed one of the first works on nonlinear optics, in particular, he developed the theory of the Stark effect in a strong alternating field, and studied nonlinear effects.

At the turn of 1940-1950, he formulated his own interpretation of quantum mechanics, the so-called Blokhintsev interpretation , or ensemble interpretation ^[3] .

A significant place in the scientific work of Blokhintsev is occupied by studies on the theory and technical problems of chain nuclear reactions and nuclear reactors. He did a lot for the development of Soviet atomic science and technology. He supervised the design and construction of the first nuclear power plant, which went into operation in 1954 (Lenin Prize, 1957 ). He developed effective methods for calculating fast, intermediate, and thermal neutrons. Together with A. I. Leipunsky, he supervised the development of the ideology and design of the first in Europe fast neutron reactor with a liquid metal coolant. He put forward the idea (1955) and built pulsed fast neutron reactors IBR-1 (1960) and IBR-2 (launched in 1984) ^[4] .

While serving as director of the “Object B” of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs in Obninsk, Blokhintsev, with the support of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, initiated work on the creation of a nuclear rocket engine for space flights.

Since 1956, Blokhintsev's research interests have focused on elementary particle physics. In particular, his studies here related to the structure of elementary particles, the limits of applicability of quantum electrodynamics, the interaction of high-energy particles, nonlocal field theory, problems associated with the concept of space and time in the microworld. Back in 1938, he carried out calculations that essentially predicted the Lamb shift . This most important discovery of D. I. Blokhintsev was not understood by contemporaries and the article was rejected by the editors of JETP . The work was published only in 1958 in the works of D. I. Blokhintsev, although its results were presented earlier in a review by Ya. A. Smorodinsky (UFN, 1949, vol. 39, issue 1, p. 325) ^[5] .

He proposed ideas on fluctuations in the density of nuclear matter (1957), on quantum stochastic spaces, on the existence of several vacuums and a spontaneous transition between them, pointed to the existence of the so-called unitary limit, and developed the theory of confinement of ultracold neutrons, etc.

• Hero of Socialist Labor ( 1956 )
• Laureate of the Stalin Prize of the first degree ( 1952 )
• Laureate of the Lenin Prize ( 1957 )
• Laureate of the USSR State Prize ( 1971 )
• 4 Orders of Lenin (06/10/1945; 04/01/1954; 12/08/1951; 09/11/1956)
• Order of the October Revolution (09/17/1975)
• Order of the Red Banner of Labor (08.21.1953)
• medals
• Order of Cyril and Methodius 1st Class (Bulgaria)
• Registered Gold Medal of the Czech Academy of Sciences
• Member of several academies of sciences and scientific societies
• In 1966-1969 - President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics
• Honorary Citizen of Dubna ^[6]

• Blokhintseva street in Dubna .
• Library named after Blokhintsev in Dubna.
• Blokhintsev Street in Obninsk .

Books

• Blokhintsev D.I. Einstein's Theory of Relativity. - M .; L .: Gostekhizdat , 1940.
• Blokhintsev D.I. Acoustics of a heterogeneous and moving medium. (1st ed. - 1946) - 2nd ed., Moscow: Nauka , 1981.
• Blokhintsev D. I. Fundamental questions of quantum mechanics. - M .: Nauka , 1966.
• Blokhintsev D.I. Birth of a peaceful atom. - Dubna, 1970.
• Blokhintsev D.I. Stochastic spaces. - Dubna, 1971.
• Blokhintsev D.I. Fundamentals of quantum mechanics. Tutorial. - 5th ed., Moscow: Nauka , 1976.
• Blokhintsev D. I. Quantum mechanics (lectures on selected issues). "1981.
• Blokhintsev D.I. Quantum mechanics. - M.: Atomizdat , 1981.
• Blokhintsev D.I. Space and time in the microworld. - 2nd ed., Moscow: Nauka , 1982.
• Blokhintsev D. I. What is the theory of relativity?
• Blokhintsev D.I. Proceedings on the methodological problems of physics. - M.: Publishing House of Moscow State University , 1993 .-- 237 p. - ISBN 5-211-01605-X
• Blokhintsev D.I. Selected Works. T. 1-2. - M .: Fizmatlit, 2009.
• Blokhintsev D.I. Fundamentals of quantum mechanics. Tutorial. - M., 2015.

Other

• Articles by Dmitry Ivanovich Blokhintsev (and about him) in the journal Uspekhi Fizicheskikh Nauk
• Blokhintsev D. I. Actual issues of modern science - the focus of philosophers // Methodological problems of science. - M., Nauka, 1964 .-- p. 269-271.

• Interpretation of Blokhintsev
• Lamb shift
• Stark effect

• A section of the book by Loren Graham "Natural Sciences, Philosophy and the Science of Human Behavior in the Soviet Union" , dedicated to D. I. Blokhintsev
• B. M. Barbashov. Dmitry Ivanovich Blokhintsev (on his sixtieth birthday) "Advances in Physical Sciences". 1968.V. 94, c. 1. pp. 185-186.
• B. M. Barbashov, A. V. Efremov, V. N. Pervushin. Dmitry Ivanovich Blokhintsev. Essay on scientific activity.
• Hramov Yu. A. Blokhintsev Dmitry Ivanovich // Physicists: Biographical Reference / Ed. A.I. Akhiezer . - Ed. 2nd, rev. and add. - M .: Nauka , 1983 .-- S. 34 .-- 400 p. - 200,000 copies. (in per.)
• Bogunenko N.N., Pelipenko A.D., Sosnin G.A. Belov Anatoly Sergeevich // Heroes of the atomic project. - Sarov: Rosatom, 2005 .-- S. 59-60. - ISBN 5-9515-0005-2 .

Blokhintsev, Dmitry Ivanovich (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".

• Profile of Dmitry Ivanovich Blokhintsev on the official website of the RAS
• Blokhintsev Dmitry Ivanovich // Big Soviet Encyclopedia : [in 30 vol.] / Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov . - 3rd ed. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
• D.I. Blokhintsev. Photo Gallery
• An article about D. I. Blokhintsev on the website of the city of Dubna