Sergei Alexander Schelkunoff
Encyclopedia
Dr. Sergei Alexander Schelkunoff (January 27, 1897 - May 2, 1992), who published as S. A. Schelkunoff, was a distinguished mathematician
and electromagnetism
theorist who made noted contributions to antenna theory.
in 1897, attended the University of Moscow before being drafted in 1917. He crossed Siberia
into Manchuria
and then Japan
before settling into Seattle in 1921. There he received bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics from the State College of Washington, now the University of Washington
, and in 1928 received his Ph.D. from Columbia University
for his dissertation On Certain Properties of the Metrical and Generalized Metrical Groups in Linear Spaces of n Dimension.
After receiving his degree, Schelkunoff joined Western Electric
's research wing, which became Bell Laboratories. In 1933 he and Sally P. Mead began analysis of waveguide
propagation discovered analytically by their colleague George C. Southworth. Their analysis uncovered the transverse mode
s. Schelkunoff appears to have been the first to notice the important practical consequences of the fact that attenuation in the TE01 mode decays inversely with the 3/2 power of the frequency. In 1935 he and his colleagues reported that coaxial cable
, then new, could transmit television
pictures or up to 200 telephone
conversations.
During his 35 year career at Bell Labs, Schelkunoff's research included radar
, electromagnetic wave propagation in the atmosphere and in microwave guides, short-wave radio, broad-band antenna
s, and grounding. He ultimately served as assistant director of mathematical research and assistant vice president for university relations, taught for five years at Columbia University
, where he retired in 1965, and served as a consultant on magnetrons for the United States Naval Station at San Diego.
Schelkunoff received 15 patents, the IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award
from the Institute of Radio Engineers
(1942), and the Franklin Institute
's Ballantine Award for physics (1949). He died on May 2, 1992, in Hightstown, New Jersey
.
Patents -- Ultra short wave radio system -- Bell Laboratories
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and electromagnetism
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
theorist who made noted contributions to antenna theory.
Biography
Schelkunoff was born in Samara, RussiaSamara, Russia
Samara , is the sixth largest city in Russia. It is situated in the southeastern part of European Russia at the confluence of the Volga and Samara Rivers. Samara is the administrative center of Samara Oblast. Population: . The metropolitan area of Samara-Tolyatti-Syzran within Samara Oblast...
in 1897, attended the University of Moscow before being drafted in 1917. He crossed Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
into Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
and then Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
before settling into Seattle in 1921. There he received bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics from the State College of Washington, now the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, and in 1928 received his Ph.D. from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
for his dissertation On Certain Properties of the Metrical and Generalized Metrical Groups in Linear Spaces of n Dimension.
After receiving his degree, Schelkunoff joined Western Electric
Western Electric
Western Electric Company was an American electrical engineering company, the manufacturing arm of AT&T from 1881 to 1995. It was the scene of a number of technological innovations and also some seminal developments in industrial management...
's research wing, which became Bell Laboratories. In 1933 he and Sally P. Mead began analysis of waveguide
Waveguide
A waveguide is a structure which guides waves, such as electromagnetic waves or sound waves. There are different types of waveguides for each type of wave...
propagation discovered analytically by their colleague George C. Southworth. Their analysis uncovered the transverse mode
Transverse mode
A transverse mode of a beam of electromagnetic radiation is a particular electromagnetic field pattern of radiation measured in a plane perpendicular to the propagation direction of the beam...
s. Schelkunoff appears to have been the first to notice the important practical consequences of the fact that attenuation in the TE01 mode decays inversely with the 3/2 power of the frequency. In 1935 he and his colleagues reported that coaxial cable
Coaxial cable
Coaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis...
, then new, could transmit television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
pictures or up to 200 telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
conversations.
During his 35 year career at Bell Labs, Schelkunoff's research included radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
, electromagnetic wave propagation in the atmosphere and in microwave guides, short-wave radio, broad-band antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
s, and grounding. He ultimately served as assistant director of mathematical research and assistant vice president for university relations, taught for five years at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where he retired in 1965, and served as a consultant on magnetrons for the United States Naval Station at San Diego.
Schelkunoff received 15 patents, the IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award
IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award
The initially called Morris Liebmann Memorial Prize provided by the Institute of Radio Engineers , the IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award was created in 1919 in honor of Colonel Morris N. Liebmann. It was initially given to awardees who had "made public during the recent past an important...
from the Institute of Radio Engineers
Institute of Radio Engineers
The Institute of Radio Engineers was a professional organization which existed from 1912 until January 1, 1963, when it merged with the American Institute of Electrical Engineers to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers .-Founding:Following several attempts to form a...
(1942), and the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
's Ballantine Award for physics (1949). He died on May 2, 1992, in Hightstown, New Jersey
Hightstown, New Jersey
Hightstown is a Borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,494.Hightstown was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 5, 1853, within portions of East Windsor Township. The borough became...
.
Selected works
Publications- "Electromagnetic Waves in Conducting Tubes", Phys. Rev. 52, 1078 - 1078, November 1937.
- "On Diffraction and Radiation of Electromagnetic Waves", Phys. Rev. 56, 308, 1939.
- Electromagnetic waves, New York : D. Van Nostrand Company, 1943.
- Advanced antenna theory, New York : John Wiley & Sons, 1952.
- Antennas: Theory and Practice, Sergei A. Schelkunoff and Harald T. FriisHarald T. FriisHarald Trap Friis , who published as H. T. Friis, was a noted Danish-American radio engineer whose work at Bell Laboratories included pioneering contributions to radio propagation, radio astronomy, and radar...
, Bell Telephone Laboratories, New York : John Wiley & Sons, 1952. - «Electromagnetic Fields», Blaisdell Publishing Company/A Division of Random House, 1963.
Patents -- Ultra short wave radio system -- Bell Laboratories