Alexander Mikhailovich Prokhorov is a prominent figure in Soviet and Russian physics. He was engaged in one of the most complex and useful developments in the field of quantum electrodynamics. Thanks to his work, together with his followers, he received the Nobel Prize in 1964. He also taught and studied other fields of science. Interested in space development.
Family of Alexander Mikhailovich Prokhorov
The brilliant scientist was born on July 11, 1916 in a family of revolutionaries - Mikhail Ivanovich and Maria Ivanovna. His parents fled the repression of the Russian royal family and were forced to emigrate to Australia from Ukraine. The father of Alexander Mikhailovich Prokhorov was a member of the workers' party since 1902 and was active in politics. The scientist's mother had no education, but by nature she had a sharp mind and quick wits. She fully supported her husband, which is why she was also subjected to repression.
Due to constant persecution, the young family was forced to flee to Vladivostok,after which they went to Australia. There, in the north-west of Queensleck, among the Russian colonists, a young couple of revolutionaries continued their lives.
Early years
The biography of Alexander Prokhorov begins in a small house on the outskirts of Australia. From the memoirs of the scientist it is known that he was in the care of his sisters - Claudia, Valentina and Eugenia. He did not have peers with whom he could communicate, and therefore his family brightened up his leisure. In a brief biography of Alexander Mikhailovich Prokhorov, it is noted that he grew up as a quiet and calm child. The most vivid memory from childhood was the story that happened to him for 5 years. The child went to meet his parents, but got lost in the forest. He was found early in the morning - tired, tortured and exhausted. In 1923, after receiving news from their homeland, the family went to the Soviet Union. The move was not easy, not everyone was able to endure acclimatization. Claudia and Valentina died from illness, which left a sad mark on the heart of young Alexander Mikhailovich.
After moving to Tashkent, Prokhorov begins to study hard at his first Russian school. He regularly receives an education up to the 5th grade, after which he falls in love with physics.
Moving to Leningrad
After successfully graduating from school, Alexander moves with his family. Leningrad welcomes the young and promising scientist with open arms. His abilities turned out to be enough to easily enter the Leningrad Electrotechnical University named after Lenin -one of the best universities in the Soviet Union. During his studies, Alexander Prokhorov's main interest was still physics. But he also did an in-depth study of radio technology.
A special atmosphere of scientific research reigned at the university. It was there that Ioffe opened a fundamentally new department of the experimental faculty of physics. After receiving the first higher education, Alexander Prokhorov submits documents to the Faculty of Physics. In the process of studying, he managed to improve his knowledge of the English language. This factor greatly helped him in the future - while working in other countries.
Active research period
After graduating from university, the scientist began to do what he loved - studying the effects of radio waves. He developed the world's first phase receiver, which differed from the inventions of his contemporaries by high signal transmission accuracy. In 1941 he went on an expedition to the Moscow region. There he studied the ionosphere using the radio interference method, which he himself developed.
1941 was one of the most difficult years in the history of Soviet Russia, which was reflected in the scientist's memoirs. He and his followers went on a skiing expedition. For one of his studies, he invited his future wife, Galina Alekseevna, who was also interested in the development of science. She graduated from the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University and was a great conversationalist for a young inventor.
Alexander Prokhorov was seriously injured after the bombing of Moscow and was forced to retire from research activities. scientist smogrecover from injury only 2 years later - in 1944. After that, he began to develop the theory of stabilization of the lamp frequency.
Post-war years
After graduating from high school, the scientist defended his doctoral dissertation in physics in 1946. By 1948 he began research in a new field for the whole world - radio spectroscopy. He discovered the structure of molecules and determined its role in stable power lines, which greatly simplified the transmission of signals over a greater distance. In parallel with this, he was engaged in physical particle accelerators. He conducted various experiments with his own device - the betatron. His research is still continued by many physicists around the world.
Received Ph. D. for the work "On the extension of the scope of the small parameter method". His diploma was personally signed by the head of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Alexander Mikhailovich was also awarded the Mandelstam Prize. Already by the 1950s, a clear and individual handwriting of the scientist could be traced in his works. It was important for him not only to discover a new field of knowledge, but also to find a practical application for it in life. Alexander Prokhorov was engaged in the popularization of science and teaching until the end of his days.
Doctor of Science, Nobel Laureate
November 12, 1951, the scientist became a doctor of science, defending another thesis on the radiation of centimeter radio waves. He not only did science himself, but also inspired others. Peers and fellow students were drawn to him andtried to get closer to its result. The scientific laboratory of Alexander Prokhorov became more and more famous and expanded the range of its research.
In the 60s, Alexander Prokhorov was called the most promising and hardworking scientist of our time. He became one of the founders of quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1964.
The scientist was also awarded many awards in his homeland, including the Lenin Prize. Nevertheless, he became a member of the Academy of Sciences only in 1966.
In the mid-eighties, his research center became part of the Russian Academy of Sciences and was named the "Institute of General Physics". To this day it is recognized all over the world. The IOF is considered one of the most advanced and respected scientific organizations.
Recent years
Alexander Prokhorov did not stop doing science throughout his life. He had a passion for physics and received his latest award in 1998 for the development of infrared LEDs.
Every day he came to work at the institute and worked until the evening. On January 8, 2002, he died in his own office. It is difficult to imagine a more productive and hardworking scientist than Alexander Prokhorov. His contribution to the development of quantum physics cannot be overestimated, and therefore his name will forever remain in history.
