Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov
Encyclopedia
Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov is a leading Soviet physicist
, well known for his role in developing the BKL conjecture
in general relativity
.
Khalatnikov was born in Dnipropetrovsk
and graduated from Dnipropetrovsk State University with a degree in Physics in 1941. He has been a member of the Communist Party
since 1944. He earned his doctorate in 1952. His wife Valentina was the daughter of Revolutionary hero Nikolay Shchors
.
Much of Khalatnikov's research has been a collaboration with, or inspired by, Lev Landau
, including the Landau-Khalatnikov theory of superfluidity.
In 1970, inspired by the mixmaster model
introduced by Charles W. Misner
, then at Princeton University
, Khalatnikov, together with Vladimir A. Belinsky and Evgeny Mikhailovich Lifshitz, introduced what has become known as the BKL conjecture
, which is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding open problems in the classical theory of gravitation
.
Khalatnikov directed the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics
in Moscow
from 1965 to 1992. He was elected to the Soviet Academy of Sciences in 1984. He has been awarded the Landau Prize and the Alexander von Humboldt Award, and he is a foreign member of the Royal Society of London.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, well known for his role in developing the BKL conjecture
BKL singularity
A BKL singularity is a model of the dynamic evolution of the Universe near the initial singularity, described by an anisotropic, homogeneous, chaotic solution to Einstein's field equations of gravitation...
in general relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
.
Khalatnikov was born in Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
and graduated from Dnipropetrovsk State University with a degree in Physics in 1941. He has been a member of the Communist Party
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
since 1944. He earned his doctorate in 1952. His wife Valentina was the daughter of Revolutionary hero Nikolay Shchors
Nikolay Shchors
Nikolay Aleksandrovich Shchors was a Red Army commander, member of the Russian Communist Party, renowned for his personal courage during the Russian Civil War and sometimes being called the Ukrainian Chapayev. In 1918-1919 he fought against the new established Ukrainian government in Kyiv...
.
Much of Khalatnikov's research has been a collaboration with, or inspired by, Lev Landau
Lev Landau
Lev Davidovich Landau was a prominent Soviet physicist who made fundamental contributions to many areas of theoretical physics...
, including the Landau-Khalatnikov theory of superfluidity.
In 1970, inspired by the mixmaster model
Mixmaster universe
The Mixmaster Universe is a solution to Einstein's field equations of general relativity studied by Charles Misner in an effort to better understand the dynamics of the early universe...
introduced by Charles W. Misner
Charles W. Misner
Charles W. Misner is an American physicist and one of the authors of Gravitation. His specialties include general relativity and cosmology. His work has also provided early foundations for studies of quantum gravity and numerical relativity....
, then at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Khalatnikov, together with Vladimir A. Belinsky and Evgeny Mikhailovich Lifshitz, introduced what has become known as the BKL conjecture
BKL singularity
A BKL singularity is a model of the dynamic evolution of the Universe near the initial singularity, described by an anisotropic, homogeneous, chaotic solution to Einstein's field equations of gravitation...
, which is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding open problems in the classical theory of gravitation
Gravitation
Gravitation, or gravity, is a natural phenomenon by which physical bodies attract with a force proportional to their mass. Gravitation is most familiar as the agent that gives weight to objects with mass and causes them to fall to the ground when dropped...
.
Khalatnikov directed the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics
Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics
The L. D. Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences is a research institution, located in the small town of Chernogolovka near Moscow...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
from 1965 to 1992. He was elected to the Soviet Academy of Sciences in 1984. He has been awarded the Landau Prize and the Alexander von Humboldt Award, and he is a foreign member of the Royal Society of London.
Honours and awards
- Order of Merit for the FatherlandOrder of Merit for the FatherlandThe Order of Merit for the Fatherland was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree. The statutes describe it as a decoration for merit, not an order of knights....
, 3rd class - Order of the October RevolutionOrder of the October RevolutionThe Order of the October Revolution was instituted on October 31, 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was awarded to individuals or groups for services furthering communism or the state, or in enhancing the defenses of the Soviet Union, military and civil...
- Order of the Patriotic WarOrder of the Patriotic WarThe Order of the Patriotic War is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisans for heroic deeds during the German-Soviet War, known by the former-Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War.- History :The Order was...
, 2nd class - Order of the Red Banner of LabourOrder of the Red Banner of LabourThe Order of the Red Banner of Labour was an order of the Soviet Union for accomplishments in labour and civil service. It is the labour counterpart of the military Order of the Red Banner. A few institutions and factories, being the pride of Soviet Union, also received the order.-History:The Red...
, three times - Order of Friendship of PeoplesOrder of Friendship of PeoplesThe Order of Friendship of Peoples was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons , organizations, enterprises, military units, as well as administrative subdivisions of the USSR for accomplishments in strengthening of inter-ethnic and international friendship and cooperation, for...
- Order of the Badge of Honour
- Stalin Prize (1953)