Lev Landau
Lev Davidovich Landau was born on the 22nd of January 1908 in Baku, then part of the Russian Empire. His father worked as an engineer for the local oil industry while his mother practiced medicine. The family moved to Baku from Mogilev and both parents had graduated from the same gymnasium there. Landau learned differential calculus by age twelve and integral calculus by age thirteen. He completed his secondary education at only thirteen years old in 1920. Parents deemed him too young for university so he attended a technical school for one year instead. By 1924 he moved to Leningrad State University to study theoretical physics. He graduated three years later in 1927 before pursuing postgraduate work.
Landau developed a comprehensive examination known as the Theoretical Minimum between 1934 and 1961. Only forty-three candidates successfully passed this rigorous test during that period. Those who did pass went on to become notable theoretical physicists themselves. The exam covered every aspect of theoretical physics required for admission into his school. Landau headed the Department of Theoretical Physics at the Kharkov Institute from 1932 until 1937. He lectured simultaneously at the University of Kharkov and the Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute. His friend Evgeny Lifshitz co-wrote ten volumes of the Course of Theoretical Physics with him. These texts remain widely used graduate-level resources today.
On the 27th of April 1938 Landau was arrested by Soviet authorities. Police seized a leaflet comparing Stalinism to German Nazism and Italian Fascism. He remained imprisoned within the NKVD's Lubyanka prison facility for over a year. Pyotr Kapitsa wrote letters directly to Joseph Stalin demanding Landau's release. Kapitsa personally vouched for Landau's behavior and threatened to quit his own institute if the physicist stayed jailed. Landau finally gained freedom on the 29th of April 1939 after these interventions. Kapitsa served as founder and head of the institute where Landau worked. This dramatic rescue allowed Landau to continue his research career despite political persecution.
Landau received the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physics for developing a mathematical theory of superfluidity. His work explained properties of liquid helium II at temperatures below 2.17 Kelvin or minus 270.98 degrees Celsius. He discovered how sound waves called phonons could explain Kapitsa's observations of superfluidity. A new excitation he named roton became central to this explanation. Landau led the theoretical division at Moscow's Institute for Physical Problems from 1937 until 1962. His scientific achievements included quantum mechanical diamagnetism and Fermi liquid theory. He also contributed to plasma physics through what is now known as Landau damping. These contributions laid foundations for twentieth century condensed matter physics.
Landau calculated dynamics of the first Soviet thermonuclear bomb during Stalinist repression. He predicted yield figures for hydrogen bomb development while leading a team of mathematicians. The government awarded him the Stalin Prize twice in 1949 and 1953 for this work. In 1954 officials bestowed the title Hero of Socialist Labour upon him. Landau believed in free love rather than monogamy though his wife Kora T. Drobanzeva disagreed. Their son Igor later became a theoretical physicist himself. Landau published articles criticizing religious superstition and capitalist dominance in Soviet newspapers like Izvestia. He considered himself a passionate communist emboldened by revolutionary ideology throughout his career.
On the 7th of January 1962 Landau's car collided with an oncoming truck on a highway. He suffered severe injuries requiring two months in a coma before recovering partially. His scientific creativity ended permanently despite physical improvements from the accident. Complications from these injuries prevented him from accepting the Nobel Prize in person that year. Landau died six years later on the 1st of April 1968 at age sixty. Former students founded the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics near Moscow in June 1965. Isaak Khalatnikov led that institute for three decades following its establishment. The physics community rallied to save his life after the crash but could not prevent death.
Two celestial objects bear Landau's name including minor planet 2142 Landau and lunar crater Landau. Russian Academy of Sciences awards the highest prize in theoretical physics as the Landau Gold Medal. Google celebrated what would have been his 111th birthday with a digital doodle on the 22nd of January 2019. Landau kept a logarithmic scale ranking physicists from zero to five based on productivity. Isaac Newton received rank zero while Albert Einstein earned 0.5. Landau initially ranked himself 2.5 before promoting himself to 2. He also created diagram-based scales measuring genius versus tenacity. His Course of Theoretical Physics remains influential across generations of students worldwide today.
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Common questions
When was Lev Landau born and where did he grow up?
Lev Davidovich Landau was born on the 22nd of January 1908 in Baku, which was then part of the Russian Empire. His family moved to Baku from Mogilev and both parents had graduated from the same gymnasium there.
What is the Theoretical Minimum exam created by Lev Landau?
Lev Landau developed a comprehensive examination known as the Theoretical Minimum between 1934 and 1961. Only forty-three candidates successfully passed this rigorous test during that period before becoming notable theoretical physicists themselves.
Why was Lev Landau arrested and how long was he imprisoned?
Soviet authorities arrested Lev Landau on the 27th of April 1938 after police seized a leaflet comparing Stalinism to German Nazism and Italian Fascism. He remained imprisoned within the NKVD's Lubyanka prison facility for over a year until gaining freedom on the 29th of April 1939 following interventions by Pyotr Kapitsa.
For what achievement did Lev Landau receive the Nobel Prize in Physics?
Landau received the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physics for developing a mathematical theory of superfluidity. His work explained properties of liquid helium II at temperatures below 2.17 Kelvin or minus 270.98 degrees Celsius through discoveries involving phonons and rotons.
How did the car accident affect Lev Landau's career and when did he die?
Lev Landau suffered severe injuries from a collision with an oncoming truck on the 7th of January 1962 which permanently ended his scientific creativity. Complications from these injuries prevented him from accepting the Nobel Prize in person that year before he died six years later on the 1st of April 1968 at age sixty.