Neumann, Mikhail Samoilovich

Born on February 22 ( March 7 ), 1905 in Sevastopol in a family of Crimean Karaites . Father is a small employee, he was engaged in gardening with his wife.

In 1922 he graduated from the Simferopol General Education College , and in 1928 - the Faculty of Physics and Mechanics of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute , majoring in Radio Engineering, with the qualification of “Physicist Engineer”.

In 1926, while still a student, he joined the Central Radio Laboratory (TsRL) of the State Electrotechnical Trust of low-current factories. Here began (and continued through 1941) his scientific and engineering activities in the field of short-wave transmitting devices. In combination, he taught at the A. A. Zhdanov Leningrad State University , Mikhail I. Kalinin LPI , and since 1938 he became head of the Department of Theoretical Radio Engineering at the Leningrad Electrotechnical Institute (LETI) . In 1939, M.S. Neumann defended his doctoral dissertation in the field of closed oscillatory electromagnetic systems and was approved as a professor.

In February 1941, Neumann, as part of a team of specialists, was seconded by the Glavradioprom in the United States as part of a technical assistance agreement with one of the leading radio engineering companies, RCA. Shortly after the outbreak of World War II , the "Government Procurement Commission of the USSR in the USA" was organized, which was engaged in Lend-Lease issues. Among many Soviet specialists, M.S. Neumann was also enrolled there for the entire period of the war. He worked as deputy head of the communications department.

In 1946-1974, Mikhail Samoilovich headed the Department of Radio Transmission Devices of the Aviation Institute's Aircraft Electronics Department named after S. Ordzhonikidze .

M.S. Neumann was one of the organizers of the faculty, the chairman of its Academic Council with the duties of the supervisor of the faculty, and was a member of the Academic Council of the Moscow Aviation Institute. With his active participation, the curricula and programs of the faculty were developed, the issue of assigning the qualifications of a radio engineer to faculty graduates was resolved. His two-part textbook “The Course of Radio Transmitting Devices” ^[1] , which was published in its first edition in 1957-1958, and textbooks were both fundamental and intelligible. Under his leadership, prepared six doctoral and about 20 master's theses. At the department, headed by M.S. Neumann, studies were conducted in the field of radio transmitting and antenna systems. He led the department "Microwave Technique" of the problem laboratory of the radio engineering faculty of the Moscow Aviation Institute.

Since 1946, M.S. Neumann worked part-time at the Central Scientific Research Radio-Technical Institute (formerly VNII-108). Under his leadership, a number of studies and development of new methods for generating, emitting and receiving microwave signals, obtaining large powers in the centimeter and decimeter ranges, the design of disk klystrons, etc. was conducted. M.S. Neumann was a member of the Scientific Council of TsNIRTI.

M.S. Neumann died on June 25, 1975 . He was buried in Moscow at the Khimki cemetery . On one of the buildings of the Moscow Aviation Institute a memorial plaque was installed in his memory.

In 1995, a meeting was held at the Moscow Aviation Institute dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of M.S. Neumann. In the speeches of the employees and students of Mikhail Samoilovich huge respect sounded to his scientific and pedagogical activities, to his personality. Many noted that even now the example of M.S. Neumann - a real scientist, an excellent teacher and a person with high moral qualities, is for them a guide in work and life.

In 2005, the Moscow Aviation Institute's Department of Radio Electronics of Aircraft held a Conference of Young Scientists, Graduate Students and Students, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of M.S. Neumann.

M.S. Neumann made a significant contribution to the development of many areas of radio electronics. In the 1920s and 1930s, under his leadership and with his participation, radio transmitters of various capacities and ranges, antenna-feeder systems of different ranges for the largest Soviet short-wave transmitting centers were developed. He developed methods for controlling the phase velocity of propagation of electromagnetic waves along antenna wires, which subsequently found wide application in traveling wave lamps of decimeter and centimeter ranges, as well as in surface wave antennas. He published the monograph Transmitting Antennas ^[2] , which for a long time served as a guide for the design of such antennas and was used as a textbook. Created a general theory of frequency stabilization. Developed a theory of calculating passive vibrators. He conducted a study of the phenomenon of flare outflow from antenna wires, the results of which were used in the design of antennas of Soviet powerful and super-powerful short-wave radio stations. Created a general theory of receiving antennas, based on the electrodynamic principle of reciprocity, generally accepted since then in radio engineering (The Mikhail Neumann Principle - 1935). He performed a number of theoretical and experimental studies of band antennas (in-phase and rhombic), developed the theory of rhombic antennas, and invented two advanced systems of rhombic antennas. He created the theory of inhomogeneous lines with wave resistance, which varies exponentially. He proposed and developed a general theory and methods for calculating closed oscillatory electromagnetic devices, later called “volume resonators” and which are the basis of many systems of decimeter and centimeter ranges. Developed a new type of antenna - diffraction (one of their types - slotted). He proposed a theory and method for obtaining waves traveling along wires without loss of power. He formulated general requirements and principles for the construction of transmitting television broadband antennas. He discovered and first described the phenomenon, called the "feeder echo." Together with A.A. Pistolkors developed the theory of direct measurement of the traveling wave coefficient in feeders and created the corresponding measuring instruments called “feeder reflectometers”.

In the late 1940s, M.S. Neumann developed the theory of electronic modes of triode and tetrode generators at large angles of passage of electrons and at large amplitudes of oscillations. The monograph "Triode and tetrode generators of superhigh frequencies" ^[3] was reprinted in German and Chinese.

In the 1950s and 1960s, M. S. Neumann: proposed a new principle for creating broadband antennas free of reflection phenomena and called “smooth radiation antennas”, and a new method for calculating the power and radiation resistance of metal antennas based on the calculation of the radiation of electrons moving in metal. He generalized the theory of circuits and lines to oscillating, canalizing and radiating electromagnetic microwave systems, creating the basis for designing a wide class of microwave systems (monograph "Generalization of circuit theory to wave systems" ^[4] ). He developed the theory of transverse joints of waveguide systems. He proposed a number of design and calculation methods for triode, tetrode, pentode, klystron, platinum, magnetron and resonator amplifiers and generators. He performed research on surface electromagnetic waves. In the monograph “Automatic Processes and Phenomena” ^{[5] he} proposed a number of original propositions of the general theory of automatic processes. He conducted a number of studies in the field of computer technology: he investigated the theoretical issues of radio-pulse systems of high-speed discrete automation; He expressed fundamental considerations on the automation of research, programming automation of ultra-fast computing systems.

In 1964–65, M. S. Neumann expressed original ideas and fundamental considerations about the radical miniaturization of the elements of recording, storage and retrieval of discrete information to the molecular-atomic level, including the use of biological structures — DNA molecules. Subsequently, the real use of DNA molecules for these purposes in specific devices began - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_digital_data_storage . For the full text of M. S. Neumann's articles on radical microminiaturization, see https://sites.google.com/site/msneiman1905/

In the years 1966-1967, M.S. Neumann generalized the non-entropy principle of information to discrete information processing systems, identifying the limitations of the relationships between their speed and the energy level of functioning of their elements. He expressed a number of fundamental principles of the theory of extracting information from objective processes, revealed the causes of the emergence of contradictions and paradoxes in it. He dealt with issues of history and prospects for the development of radio electronics.

M.S. Neumann published about 90 scientific papers, including six monographs and a textbook for universities, published in two editions.

More information about the life and work of M.S. Neumann can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/msneiman1905/

• Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the RSFSR (1962)
• Stalin Prize of the third degree (1952) - for the scientific work “Triode and Tetrode Generators of Microwaves” (1950)
• Order of the Badge of Honor
• medals
• Honorary radio operator of the USSR
• Veteran of Labor

• Granovskaya R. A., Ruslanov V. I. Professor M. S. Neiman: a name in the history of radio electronics and the Moscow Aviation Institute. To the 100th anniversary of his birth. - M.: Publishing. House "World of History". - 2005. - 32 p.
• Mikhail Samoilovich Neumann (on the occasion of his 100th birthday) // Radio engineering. - 2005. - No. 12. - S. 83-84.
• Mikhail Samoilovich Neumann // Virtual Computer Museum. http://www.computer-museum.ru/connect/neiman.htm
• Rebrova I. M., Rebrova O. Yu. Professor Mikhail Samoilovich Neumann // Telecommunications: history and modernity. - 2006. - No. 2. - S. 16-24.
• Neumann M.S. The first decade of work (1926-1935). Memories. - M.: Publishing. House "World of History". - 2005 .-- 128 s.
• Conference of young scientists, graduate students and students dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of professor, doctor of technical sciences Mikhail Samoilovich Neumann, March 17-18, 2005 // Antennas. - 2005. - No. 12 (103). - S. 42-49.