Boris Yevgenievich Paton

Disciples of Alexander Illich Akhiezer have asked me to share my recollection about him, our academician. With pleasure I perform this request.

Alexander Illich over forty years was the member of the Academy in its Physics and Astronomy Department. It is necessary to tell, that this Section takes a special place among other departments. In its staff there were and presently are many bright persons, people with their personal handwriting not only in a science, but also in everyday life. If you like, true knights of the Science. The members of this department always voted not "at the request", but in good conscience, that me pleased much. But, frankly speaking, at the same time this department delivered much troubles. And, to admit honestly, there were occasions, when I was rather afraid of it.

I remember, for example, the elections to the Academy of such large scientist and organizer of science, as Boris Ieremievich Verkin. As many know, he was a man of strong-willed character and it has influenced his election to the Academy. It was necessary to organized a common session of two departments: Physics and Astronomy Departments and Departments of Physical and Technical Problems of Material Science. B.I. Verkin was elected to the Academy. Several years later, physics told me: "Boris Yevgenievich, you have correctly acted, having supported a nominee of B.I. Verkin at the elections. It has been of benefit to the Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering, organized by him, and, undoubtedly, to Boris Ieremievich himself". I could cite many other examples of similar work within Physics and Astronomy Department, but this is already another subject.

Returning to the story about Alexander Illich Akhiezer, who was, undoubtedly, one of the most outstanding members of Physics and Astronomy Department, I want especially to tell about such feature, intrinsic to him, as deep decency in everything and in any, without no exceptions, circumstances. In this respect, on my deep belief, he was and remains a model for each true scientist, irrespective of its speciality.

Alexander Illich was a bright representative and simultaneously one of the founders of the famous Kharkov school of physics. He, by the way, as well as I, has graduated from the Kiev Politechnical Institute. Straight away after graduating he became a post-graduate researcher with L.D. Landau in KIPT or, as this institute was then named, UPhTI (Ukrainian Physico-Technical Institute), which in pre-war time and long after the war was a leader of physics on Ukraine.

Thanks to L.D. Landau, and after his departure for Moscow, due to the activity of A.I. Akhiezer and I.M. Lifshits a mighty school of modern theoretical physics was created in Kharkov. Among the disciples of Alexander Illich Akhiezer there are the academicians V.G. Baryakhtar, D.V. Volkov, S.V. Peletminsky, A.G. Sitenko, Ya.B. Fainberg, corresponding members of our Academy K.N. Stepanov and P.I. Fomin. Few in of our Academy, and not only in ours, take pride in such progeny of so talented disciples.

With Alexander Illich Akhiezer I had not the occasion to work either in the field of a science, or in the organization of scientific researches. But I worked much with his disciple Yakov Borisovich Fainberg on problems of plasma physics and physics of plasma beams. With his active participation the experiment on the influence of plasma beams on space plasma was organized and realized. In its time it was an absolutely new and very important experiment. With its other disciple Viktor Grigorievich Baryakhtar we work together any more than one decade in the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. They both, certainly, are bright persons.

Yakov Borisovich Fainberg and Viktor Grigorievich Baryakhtar frequently told to me about Alexander Illich. And I though have issued, tried to monitor work& of this remarkable scientist. Me always attracted it style of work and manner to select to itself the schoolboys. They remind to me my father and do(make) Alexander Illich by the person, close for me.

Alexander Illich, as well as my father, did not think of the existence without high school, without the students.

He has written many books, among which there are a lot of first-class textbooks. And in this also he reminds me of my father. Alexander Illich invited his former students for post-graduate study and for work in his department. Yevgeny Oscarovich Paton acted in the same manner. The Electric Welding Institute was created by Yevgeny Oscarovich largely with the help of the former students of the Kiev Politechnical Institute, to whom he lectured.

Alexander Illich Akhiezer took active part in important scientific and technical projects. First of all, as a researcher of the Laboratory No 2, or LIPAN, he participated in the Soviet nuclear project. Together with I.Ya. Pomeranchuk and I.I. Gurevich he calculated neutron fields in nuclear reactors. On the instruction of I.V. Kurchatov he, together with I.Ya. Pomeranchuk, have written the first in the world text-book on applied and fundamental nuclear physics. This text-book has played a large role in the personnel training for Soviet nuclear project.

In a 1945 at the request of I.V. Kurchatov Alexander Illich returned again to KIPT from Moscow. Here he continued to work till the last days of the life. When in the middle of 60s the Institute for Theoretical Physics was being organized in Kiev, we, together with Nikolai Nikolaevich Bogolyubov, wanted to take Alexander Illich to Kiev. But he had not abandon Kharkov. He loved his Kharkov very much and highly appreciated it.

In Kharkov A.I. Akhiezer continued to research in nuclear physics, and from the beginning of 1950s he actively joined in the program of creation of the largest on that time electron accelerator at 4 GeV energy. Together with his disciple Yakov Borisovich Fainberg he becomes one of the leaders of this project and developes the theory of linear accelerators. Certainly, that without the participation of A.I. Akhiezer this project would not be so successfully executed in KIPT.

Since 1956 Alexander Illich becomes the scientific manager of the theoretical part of the project on controlled thermonuclear synthesis. Precisely, of that part of this Soviet project, which was assigned by I.V. Kurchatov to KIPT. To that time A.I. Akhiezer already was a recognized leader in the field of physics of plasma. Together with Ya.B. Fainberg the beam instability of plasma was discovered by him, and, together with L.E. Pargamanik, the oscillatory properties of plasma in the magnetic field were investigated. As was shown by I.Ye. Tamm and A.D.Sakharov, only plasma in a magnetic field can be a candidate for the controlled thermonuclear reactor. It at once has made the works of A.I. Akhiezer and its school especially actual.

Alexander Illich, certainly, was a very deep and prominent theoretician. He was interested in the innermost secrets of the World. Here he has received his great scientific results. He was interested also in philosophical problems of physics. Already in his last years he has written a remarkable, perfect book "Developing Physical Picture of the World".

I frequently recollect brilliant scientific talks, which Alexander Illich repeatedly presented at the meetings of the Presidium of our Academy. As a rule, these reports were devoted to the most important problems of modern physics. They evoked vivid interest in all present — and not only among physicists, but also among specialists in other fields of science. First of all, it was due to the depth of the analysis of the most complicated problems, which was integrally combined with the extreme clarity and brilliance of the presentation.

At the same time during all his life Alexander Illich actively and with large enthusiasm engaged in applied works and encouraged to do it his disciples and followers. He, without doubt, represented an example of the scientist leading purposeful fundamental researches, always appreciated in our Academy. Here again I want to underline: it is very important, when great physicists, experimentalists and the theoreticians, are also the engineers. It helps them to create new, quite often unique devices and installations, so needed for large scale researches. On the other hand, it brings them closer to successful fulfillment of already mentioned basic researches.

Alexander Illich was a prominent bright figure. And apart from all other, he possessed a huge sense of humor, that is not unimportant and, if you wish, is necessary in a science. To meet him, to listen to him, to communicate with him always gave a huge satisfaction.

All of us highly appreciate that physicist of such large talent and with such brilliant results, a person of highest decency, was a member of our Academy of Sciences.