Abram Fedorovich Ioffe was born on October 17 (29), 1880 in the city of Romny, Poltava province, in the family of a merchant of the second guild. He graduated from the Romny real school, then - the St. Petersburg Institute of Technology (1902) and the University of Munich (Germany), where he received a Ph.D. Since 1906, he worked at the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, where 12 years later he organized the Faculty of Physics and Mechanics to train physicists. In 1913, Abram Fedorovich defended his master's thesis in physics and received the title of professor, and two years later - a doctorate. From 1918 he was a corresponding member, created the Physics and Technology Department at the State X-ray and Radiological Institute, in the same year he became president of this institute, from 1920 he was a full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. A year later, he took the post of director of the Physico-Technical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, created on the basis of the above department. Since 1932 - director of the Agrophysical Institute. During the campaign "to combat cosmopolitanism" from December 1950, Ioffe was removed from the post of director and removed from the academic council of the institute. In 1952, he headed the Semiconductor Laboratory of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and two years later, on its basis, he organized the Institute of Semiconductors of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Abram Fedorovich died in his office on October 14, 1960.
Abram Fedorovich Ioffe can rightfully be considered the founder of the Soviet physics school, which has educated many brilliant theoretical and experimental scientists. The list of Ioffe's students includes the flower of Soviet science: P. L. Kapitsa, L. D. Landau, I. V. Kurchatov and many others. Abram Fedorovich was not only a brilliant scientist, but also possessed remarkable organizational skills - he knew how to find and recruit young talents, promote science, and captivate colleagues with dreams about the future of technology.
The main achievements of Ioffe are related to the field of solid state physics. Back in Munich, working in the laboratory as an assistant to the physicist V.-K. Roentgen, Ioffe conducted a number of major studies that earned him a reputation as a scientist who deeply delved into the mechanisms of the processes under study and conducted experiments with exceptional accuracy.
The first work of Abram Fedorovich was devoted to the elementary photoelectric effect (1911). In it, he proved the existence of the electron independently of the rest of matter and determined the absolute value of its charge. The scientist exposed the smallest electrified metal dust particles to X-rays and an electric field. The conditions of the experiment were such that the electric field balanced the force of gravity and the dust particles remained in suspension. However, under the influence of X-rays, which knocked out part of the charge, the dust particles began to move, and in order to balance them, it was necessary to change the electric field strength. By changing the field parameters, the scientist could control the dust particles: transfer them to any point of the chamber, inform them of the lost charge, and observe the reverse movement. As a result of these studies, it was proved that the charge of dust particles changes in certain portions, and this confirms that the atom consists of charged particles with very specific charges. In addition, with the help of this experiment, Abram Fedorovich was able to calculate the specific charge of an elementary particle, balancing the gravity of a dust particle with the help of an electric field. The resulting charge always turned out to be a multiple of a certain value - the charge of the electron.
The same experiment, independently of Joffe, was carried out by Robert Milliken (1912). But instead of a metal speck, he used a drop of oil. However, Millikan's publication came out earlier than the press release about Ioffe's experience, so the discovery belongs to the American scientist.
Ioffe's further research in the field of solid state physics was a natural continuation of work in the Roentgen laboratory - the study of the elastic and electrical properties of quartz. The scientist experimentally proved that in crystals an electric current can be conducted with the help of free ions, and not just electrons. Abram Fedorovich, studying the mechanical properties of crystals, established the dependences of their destruction, which was of great importance for technology.
Ioffe solved the problem of the electrical anomalies of quartz, showing that they are associated with the formation of space charges inside the substance, pointed out the strong influence of even minor impurities on the electrical conductivity of dielectrics - materials that poorly or do not conduct electric current at all, developed methods for cleaning crystals and created new electrical materials. The scientist also proposed methods for eliminating overvoltages in crystals, formulated a new idea about the nature of the semiconductor properties of a large group of alloys, discovered a phenomenon (later called the Ioffe effect), as a result of which the strength of a crystal increases when its surface is smoothed. This smoothing can be achieved by slowly dissolving the crystal. Surprising is the fact that the dissolution of the crystal goes better along the microcracks and as a result, they disappear, and the strength of the crystal increases hundreds of times.
Ioffe summarized all his significant work in the field of solid state physics in the book "Physics of Crystals", which was created on the basis of numerous lectures he gave in 1927 during a business trip to the United States.
In the early 1930s, Ioffe studied materials that were new for that time - semiconductors, which became one of the main directions of his subsequent research.
The experiments led the scientist to the bold hypothesis that semiconductors are capable of efficiently converting radiation energy into electrical energy. And this, in turn, gave impetus to the development of new areas of knowledge, for example, the creation of silicon solar energy converters, commonly known today as solar cells. True, it was still far from the creation of full-fledged solar batteries, and in the near future, Ioffe's work in the field of semiconductors came in handy at the front. So, the scientist proposed an original design of a soldier's bowler hat ... to ensure the operation of radio stations - semiconductor junctions were attached to the bottom of the bowler hat, and other junctions, depending on the season, were placed in cold water or snow. Then the bowler hat was hung over the fire. As a result of the temperature difference between the junctions in such a peculiar circuit, an electrodynamic force arose that ensured the uninterrupted operation of partisan radio stations.
After the war, on the basis of the Institute of Semiconductors, work on their application continued - extensive searches and study of new materials were carried out. Ioffe and his students created a classification system for semiconductor materials, developed methods for determining their basic properties. On the basis of these studies, a series of cooling devices was designed and tested at the Institute. As a result, Ioffe gave birth to a new branch of science - thermoelectric power engineering, which is designed to solve such urgent problems for modern society as the conversion of light and thermal energy into electrical energy.
Ioffe Abram Fedorovich
(b. 1880 - d. 1960)
Soviet physicist, organizer of physical research in the USSR, teacher. Academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1916), RAS (1920), USSR Academy of Sciences (in 1942-1945 its vice-president), Honored Scientist of the RSFSR (1933), Hero of Socialist Labor (1955). Founder and head (1918–1951) of the Physico-Technical Department of the State X-ray and Radiological Institute, director of the Physico-Technical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, director of the Institute of Semiconductors of the USSR Academy of Sciences (since 1955). His main works are devoted to solid state physics. His work laid the foundation for the physics and technology of semiconductors. Head of numerous school of physicists. Laureate of the Stalin Prize (1942) and Lenin Prize (1961, posthumously). Author of the biographical book "Meetings with Physicists".
When it comes to Abram Fedorovich Ioff, one gets the impression that most of the major Russian physicists of the middle of the 20th century were directly or indirectly students of this St. Petersburg academician. Although he was not a Nobel laureate, his contribution to physics and to the creation of a national scientific school of physicists is enormous. He practically created a school comparable in level to the schools of E. Rutherford in Cambridge and M. Born in Göttingen. Well-known Soviet physicists came out of the Ioffe school, many of whom themselves became the founders of their own schools: Academicians A. P. Aleksandrov, A. I. Alikhanov, L. A. Artsimovich, P. L. Kapitsa, B. P. Konstantinov, G. V. Kurdyumov, I. V. Kurchatov, P. I. Lukirsky, I. V. Obreimov, N. N. Semenov, Yu. B. Khariton; Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR Ya. I. Frenkel, Academicians of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR A. K. Walter, V. E. Lashkarev, A. I. Leipunsky, K. D. Sinelnikov and many others. Among scientists, he was called the "father of Soviet physics" or even "Papa Ioffe." In many respects, the successes of Soviet physics were predetermined by his personal qualities - a great talent as an experimental physicist, outstanding organizational skills, the ability to quickly and accurately navigate the complex problems of new physics that was being born at that time, his amazing flair for the new, which allowed him already in the 1920s years to understand the meaning of nuclear physics, and in the 1930s, the physics of semiconductors and polymers. An extremely important quality of the comprehensively gifted personality of Ioffe was the gift of the Teacher and the highest responsibility of Ioffe to the country where physics was in its infancy. He brought up a new type of physicists - "physically minded" people who could quickly understand the essence of new, unexpectedly arising problems before them, and not just have a good knowledge of the whole theory and practice of certain established technical issues.
Abram Fedorovich was born on October 29, 1880 in Romny, Poltava province, in the family of a merchant of the 2nd guild. Since there was no gymnasium in the small town, but only a men's real school, he entered it. It is noteworthy that S.P. Timoshenko, later a major mechanic, turned out to be Ioffe's classmate. Abram became interested in physics at the school. He often emphasized that this did not happen due to the influence of teachers, but rather in spite of: the level of teaching at the school was very low. A gifted young man dreamed of entering a university, but, as you know, before the revolution, in order to enter universities, it was necessary to know the ancient languages that were taught only in gymnasiums. Therefore, after graduating from a real school, Ioffe chose the St. Petersburg Institute of Technology, in which, in his opinion, physics could be studied to the greatest extent. Outstanding scientists taught at this institute, in particular, I. I. Borgman, N. A. Gezekhus, and B. L. Rosing. Along with physics, Ioffe worked a lot in the field of its biological applications, which was more than unusual in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was also engaged in purely engineering work, mainly during summer practice.
In 1902, a graduate of the Institute of Technology, having secured recommendations, went to Munich to gain experience in setting up an experiment to test the resonant theory of smell and sense of smell he had created during his studies at the school. In those years, the best experimental physicist V. K. Roentgen, according to St. Petersburg professors, worked there. At first, Abram was a trainee and lived on his own money, and then he got a job as an assistant. A fruitful and most trusting relationship has developed between the Nobel Prize winner and the aspiring physicist. During the years of work in the laboratory of Roentgen (1903-1906), Ioffe conducted a number of major studies, among which was an experiment to determine the "energy power" of radium, work on the mechanical and electrical properties of crystals, etc. These studies cemented his reputation as a physicist who thought deeply about the mechanisms of the processes he studied and, with exceptional accuracy, conducting experiments that expand the understanding of atomic-electronic phenomena in solids. Already in his doctoral dissertation, carried out in the Roentgen laboratory in Munich, Ioffe showed the skill of an experimenter and solved the then important question of the elastic aftereffect in crystals, for which he was awarded a doctorate degree with the highest honors.
In 1906, Abram Fedorovich, refusing Roentgen's flattering offer to stay to continue research and teaching at the University of Munich, returned to Russia and got a job as a senior laboratory assistant at the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute. In 1906-1917, in the physical laboratory of the Ioffe Institute, he performed brilliant work to confirm Einstein's quantum theory of the external photoelectric effect, to prove the granular nature of the electronic charge, and to determine the magnetic field of cathode rays. In 1913, after defending his master's thesis, he became an extraordinary professor, and in 1915, having defended his doctoral dissertation, he became a professor in the department of general physics at his institute. For research on the elastic and electrical properties of quartz and some other crystals, the Academy of Sciences in 1914 awarded him the Prize. S. A. Ivanova.
In addition to these important studies, Ioffe was engaged in theoretical developments in the field of thermal radiation, in which the classical studies of M. Planck were further developed. And the results of studies on the electrical conductivity of ionic crystals (in collaboration with M. V. Milovidova-Kirpicheva) were later, after the end of the First World War, brilliantly reported by him at the Solvay Congress of 1924 and, having caused a lively discussion among its famous participants, received them full recognition. Along with intensive research work, Abram Fedorovich devoted a lot of time and energy to teaching. He lectured not only at the Polytechnic Institute, but also at the well-known courses of P. Lesgaft in the city, at the Mining Institute and at the university. However, the most important thing in this activity of Ioffe was the organization in 1916 of a seminar on new physics at the Polytechnic Institute. It was during these years that Ioffe - first a participant, and then the leader of the seminar - developed that wonderful style of conducting such meetings, which created him a well-deserved fame and characterized him as the head of the school. The Ioffe Seminar at the Polytechnic Institute is rightfully considered the most important center in the field of crystal physics.
In October 1918, on the initiative of Ioffe, a department of physics and technology was created at the X-ray and Radiological Institute (soon reorganized into the Institute of Physics and Technology), and a year later, a department of physics and mechanics at the Polytechnic Institute, of which he was also dean for more than 30 years. The creation of the Institute of Physics and Technology later gave rise to an extensive network of research institutes in the field of physics (15 affiliated institutes, including institutes of physics and technology in Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Tomsk, etc.).
A broad outlook and ability to foresee, an outstanding talent as a scientist and organizer allowed Ioffe to carry out the reform of physics in the USSR, to educate a large detachment of physicists, to show the importance of physics for technology and the national economy. Until 1954, Ioffe was director of the Physico-Technical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and then headed the Institute of Semiconductors of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
The scientific work of A.F. Ioffe in the 1920s was focused on the study of the mechanical and electronic properties of solids, with the beginning of the 1930s, nuclear physics became one of the main areas. The scientist quickly appreciated its future role in the further progress of science and technology. Therefore, nuclear physics has firmly entered the subject of the work of the Physicotechnical Institute. At the same time, Ioffe's own scientific work focused on another problem - the problem of the physics of semiconductors as new materials for electronics. He created a methodology for determining the main parameters characterizing the properties of semiconductors, and a classification system for these materials (1931–1940). These works served as a prerequisite for the development of new areas of semiconductor technology - the creation of thermo- and photoelectric generators and refrigeration devices. In the late 1930s, Ioffe proposed a mechanism for rectifying current in semiconductors, which was used in the production of diodes, and put forward the idea of plasma thermoelectricity. All these works were distinguished by phenomenal scrupulousness and accuracy, as well as an invariable desire to reduce all the observed effects into a single coherent scheme - features absorbed by all the students of the Ioffe school.
However, the life of a prominent physicist was not cloudless. His fate was affected by all the methods of moral terror, with the help of which the authorities tried to excommunicate many prominent scientists from science. True, Ioffe never clashed with the authorities, he always emphasized his loyalty and even devotion to the system, which gave him the opportunity to occupy large administrative positions in science and directly influence state policy in this area. But the authorities felt that he was alien to them in spirit: firstly, he worked in Munich and absorbed the spirit of classical science, not dependent on anything but the truth. Therefore, he was considered "hard to manage", always had his own opinion and was not afraid to express it openly. Secondly, Abram Fedorovich, although he had been a member of the CPSU since 1942, did not actively participate in political events. Well, and thirdly, Ioffe was a Jew, and the authorities, especially during the years of the struggle against cosmopolitanism, "forgot" about the fifth point only when they had no choice - without the help of Jewish scientists it was difficult to solve the most important defense tasks . So, during the war years, Ioffe participated in the construction of radar installations in Leningrad, during the evacuation in Kazan he was the chairman of the Naval and Military Engineering Commissions.
One should remember at least the atomic problem or the problem of creating rocket weapons. Back in the winter of 1920, in cold and hungry Petrograd, the Atomic Commission was created, in which A.F. Ioffe also took a direct part. He considered it necessary to carry out research on the atom quickly and intensely and to put work on atomic physics under special conditions. The center of scientific research was the X-ray Institute, and later the Physico-Technical Institute, headed by him. A galaxy of talented researchers united around him. The famous Leningrad Institute of Physics and Technology, which today bears the name of Academician Ioffe, was called differently: the Parnassus of New Physics, and the Mighty Handful, and even the Kindergarten of Papa Ioffe. Academician I.K. Kikoin recalls: “It really was a kindergarten - in the sense that the main force, the main army of the institute's employees were students of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd courses. They did science at the Physico-Technical Institute, which means they did science - physics - in the country as well. But the garden must also bear fruit. This Fiztekhov kindergarten has borne fruit, and, I would say, the results are not bad. For example, Soviet atomic technology, atomic energy - this is the fruit of the very garden that Abram Fedorovich Ioffe planted and nurtured.
The academician had a special nose not only for talent, but he could even predict in which direction this or that scientist would be able to show his best side. Thus, Abram Fedorovich contributed to the reorientation of IV Kurchatov in the early 1930s from ferroelectric to nuclear problems. And when, during the Great Patriotic War, Ioffe, as an unsurpassed organizing scientist, was offered to lead this direction, he again put forward Kurchatov, who in that difficult 1943 was not yet an academician, but served in the navy, dealing with the neutralization of German mines and developing a method of degaussing warships.
Many physicists owe their growth and career to Ioffe, but there were plenty of envious people. Colleagues from the academy, Academician V. F. Mitkevich and Corresponding Member A. A. Maksimov, were especially zealous. The latter did not spare papers to prove that Abram Fedorovich was "an irresponsible Soviet citizen." He wrote on the pages of the magazine “Under the banner of Marxism”: “The self-praise of Academician A.F. Ioffe, who attributes to himself the merit belonging to the entire team of Soviet physicists and achieved under the leadership of the party and government, is a style of boasting, sensationalism, exaggeration, direct fraud.” He was echoed by A. K. Timiryazev, professor of the Physics Department of Moscow State University: “We hope that the Soviet public will fully reveal where the enemies and where the friends of Soviet physics are, and will appreciate the slanderous statements of Acad. Ioffe". It was a direct call for violence. But Ioffe was not arrested either then or later. Apparently, high international prestige and a generally loyal position towards the authorities saved him from repression. Nevertheless, clouds were gathering, especially at the height of the campaign against "rootless cosmopolitanism." Increasingly, the name of Ioffe was mentioned among the “rootless”. In October 1950, President of the USSR Academy of Sciences S. I. Vavilov summoned him and, after a long conversation, offered to resign from the post of director of the Leningrad Institute of Physics and Technology. Abram Fedorovich wrote a statement with a request to release him from the post of director and transfer him to the head of the laboratory at the same institute. On December 8, 1950, the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences approved this decision and appointed A.P. Komar as director of the LPTI.
However, the situation at the institute remained difficult. The new leadership openly bullied Ioffe, and although he felt the moral support of his friends and colleagues during the difficult time, his situation sometimes became unbearable. The atmosphere in which Ioffe lived and worked during that period is well conveyed by the history of the discussion of his book Basic Concepts of Modern Physics (1949). It was the first post-war book in which the basics of modern physics were quite popular and clearly stated: the theory of relativity, statistical, atomic and nuclear physics. Readers accepted it well, and the first scientific reviews were very favorable. But as soon as the rumor spread that Ioffe had been removed from the post of director of the institute, almost simultaneously devastating reviews appeared in special journals, pointing to "very large ideological breakdowns" (and this is in a book on physics!) and the problem of problems with "dialectical materialism" . Naturally, Ioffe made the traditional admission of mistakes. From today's standpoint, his speech could be considered unprincipled, but who knows what feelings the disgraced academician experienced in those days, what defense tactics he chose?
Ioffe was forced to completely leave the institute. The Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences organized a special semiconductor laboratory for him, allocated staff and premises. In 1950, the scientist developed a theory, on the basis of which the requirements were formulated for semiconductor materials used in thermopiles and ensuring the maximum value of their efficiency. Following this, in 1951, L. S. Stilbans, under the leadership of A. F. Ioffe and Yu. P. Maslakovets, developed the world's first refrigerator. This was the beginning of the development of a new field of technology - thermoelectric cooling. Appropriate refrigerators and thermostats are now widely used throughout the world to solve a number of problems in radio electronics, instrumentation, medicine, space biology, and other fields of science and technology.
If you try to compile a list of scientific and civil achievements of Abram Fedorovich, it will take more than one page. He is the author of many monographs, articles, textbooks and a number of memoirs. His last organizational brainchild was the creation of the Institute of Semiconductors of the USSR Academy of Sciences. And since 1954, the number of publications of the venerable scientist in scientific journals, reflecting his scientific activity, has increased dramatically. His performance could not but arouse surprise and admiration. No wonder one of A.F. Ioffe's books on thermoelectricity was called "The Bible on thermoelectricity". Abram Fedorovich was a member of many academies of sciences: Göttingen (1924), Berlin (1928), American Academy of Sciences and Arts (1929), honorary member of the German Academy of Sciences "Leopoldina" (1958), Italian Academy of Sciences (1959), honorary doctor of the University of California (1928 ), the Sorbonne (1945), the universities of Graz (1948), Bucharest and Munich (1955). Twice he was awarded the State Prize of the USSR (1942, 1961 - posthumously) and was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor (1955).
Abram Fedorovich died on October 14, 1960, two weeks before his 80th birthday, and was buried on Literary Mostki. The name of the outstanding physicist is immortalized not only in his deeds and in the memory of grateful descendants, but also in the name of his favorite brainchild - FTI im. A. B. Ioffe, in front of the building of which there is a monument to its creator - “Papa Ioffe”.
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Ioffe Abram Fedorovich (born in 1880 - died in 1960) Soviet physicist, organizer of physical research in the USSR, teacher. Academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1916), RAS (1920), USSR Academy of Sciences (in 1942-1945 its vice-president), Honored Scientist of the RSFSR (1933), Hero of the Socialist
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Russian physicist Abram Ioffe left an unforgettable mark. During his life he wrote several books and a large encyclopedia published in 30 volumes. In addition, he opened a school from which great scientists graduated. Abram Fedorovich at one time became the "father of Soviet physics."
Brief biography of Abram Fedorovich Iofe
The famous scientist was born in 1880 on October 29 in the city of Romny, which was at that time in the Poltava province. His family was friendly and cheerful. When the boy was 9 years old, he entered a real school, which was located in Germany, where a significant role was assigned to mathematical subjects. It was here that the physicist received his secondary education and a certificate in 1897. Here he met his best friend Stepan Timoshenko.
After graduating from college in the same year, he entered the Technological St. Petersburg University.
He graduated from it in 1902 and immediately applied to a higher educational institution, which was located in Germany, in Munich. Here he began to work, his leader was the German physicist V.K. Roentgen. He taught his ward a lot, and thanks to him, the young scientist Abram Ioffe received the first degree of Doctor of Science.
In 1906, the guy got a job at the Polytechnic Institute, where 12 years later, that is, in 1918, he organized the first physical and mechanical faculty to graduate professional physicists.
Abram Ioffe determined the elementary electric charge back in 1911, but he did not use his own idea, but the American physicist Millikan. However, he published his work only in 1913, as he wanted to check some of the nuances. And so it happened that the American physicist was able to publish the result earlier, and that is why the name of Millikan is mentioned in the experiment, and not Ioffe.
Ioffe's first serious work was his master's thesis, which he defended in 1913. Two years later, in 1915, he wrote and defended his doctoral thesis.
In 1918, he worked as president at the Russian Scientific Center for Radiology and Surgical Technologies, and also headed the Physics and Technology Department at this university. Three years later (in 1921) he became the head of the Institute of Physics and Technology, which today is called A. F. Ioffe.
The physicist spent 6 years as chairman of the All-Russian Association of Physicists, starting in 1924. After that, he was the head of the Agrophysical University.
In 1934, Abram and other initiators created a creative club of scientific intelligentsia, and at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War he was appointed head of a meeting of a commission related to military equipment.
In 1942 he was the head of the military engineering commission at the Leningrad City Committee of the CPSU.
At the end of 1950, Abram Fedorovich was removed from the post of head, but at the beginning of 1952 he created a semiconductor laboratory on the basis of the Department of Physics of the Novosibirsk State University, and two years later (1954) organized a semiconductor institute, which turned out to be a profitable business.
Abram Iofe devoted almost 60 years to physics. During this time, a lot of literature has been written, an incredible amount of research has been carried out, and several departments and schools have been opened that are dedicated to the famous great scientist. A.F. Ioffe died at his workplace in his office on October 14, 1960. He did not quite live up to the round date - 80 years. He was buried in St. Petersburg at the site of the Volkovsky cemetery "Literary Mostki".
You see in the photo of Abram Ioffe, who earned the respect of the people thanks to his mind. After all, so many years have passed since the day of his death, and even today you can hear about him in many universities of the country.
Personal life
Abram Fedeorovich was married twice. For the first time he had a beloved woman in 1910 - this is Kravtsova Vera Andreevna. She was the first wife of a physicist. They almost immediately had a daughter, Valentina, who eventually followed in her father's footsteps and became a famous doctor of physical and mathematical sciences, headed a laboratory at a university of silicate chemistry. She married a people's artist, opera singer S. I. Migai.
Unfortunately, Abram did not stay married to Vera for a long time, and in 1928 he married a second time to Anna Vasilievna Echeistova. She was also a physicist and perfectly understood her husband, his work, attitude towards family and friends. That is why the couple lived a long, happy life.
Creative activity
Even in his youth, Ioffe identified for himself the main areas in science. This is the physics of the nucleus, polymers and semiconductors. His work became famous in a short time. Ioffe devoted them to the direction of semiconductors.
This area was excellently developed not only by the physicist himself, but also by his students. Much later, Ioffe created a school of physics, which became famous throughout the country.
Organizational activities
The name of the scientist is often found in foreign literature, where his achievements and the history of promotion are described. The books also talk about the organizational activities of the physicist, which was quite diverse and multifaceted. Therefore, it is difficult to fully characterize it from all sides.
Iofe participated in the collegium of the NTO VSNKh, was a member of the council of scientists, created the Agrophysical University, the Institute of Semiconductors, the University of Macromolecular Compounds. In addition, the organizational activity of the scientist was visible in the Academy of Sciences, the preparation of congresses and various conferences.
Awards, titles and awards
Physicist Ioffe Abram Fedorovich in 1933 received the honorary title - Honored Scientist of the RSFSR, and in 1955 on his birthday he was awarded the title - Hero of Socialist Labor. Received 3 orders of Lenin (in 1940, 1945, 1955).
Physics was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize in 1961. For outstanding achievements in the field of science, A. Ioffe received the Stalin Prize of the first degree in 1942.
In memory of A.F. Ioffe, a large impact crater in the southern hemisphere was given the name of a scientist. Also, one large research university in Russia was named after him back in 1960, a monument to the scientist was erected in the courtyard of the institute opposite the building, and a small bust was installed in the assembly hall of the same institution. Not far from the university, where the second building is, there is a memorial plaque, which indicates in what years the outstanding scientist worked here.
In memory of Ioff, a street in Berlin was named. Not far from the research university there is the famous Academician Ioffe Square. It is not difficult to guess in whose honor it is named.
In the city of Romny there is school number 2, which was once a real school. Now it is named after the great scientist.
In addition, not only in Russia, but also in the world, there are many pictorial, graphic and sculptural portraits of the physicist, which were depicted by artists at all times.
And until now, many citizens know about this man, who made physics much more interesting and brighter.
Bibliography
We reviewed the biography of Abram Ioffe briefly. At the same time, I would like to mention the literature that the scientist wrote. First of all, it is worth noting the great Soviet encyclopedia. It began to be issued in 1926. After the death of the physicist, it continued to be printed and the last volume was published in 1990.
Much later after the first volume, in 1957, the book "Physics of Semiconductors" appeared, which describes not only the theory, but also the introduction of semiconductors into the national economy.
In addition, Ioffe has a wonderful book "On Physics and Physicists", which describes all the scientific work of the scientist. Most of the book is designed for readers who are interested in the history of creation and research.
The book "Meeting with Physicists" tells how the scientist met with many Soviet and foreign physicists, they conducted research together, opened institutes and departments.
In addition, there are books that were dedicated to the great scientist Abram Fedorovich Ioffe. One of them is "Successes in the physical sciences." This book was dedicated to the day of the 80th anniversary. And in 1950 they released a collection, which was dedicated to the day of the 70th anniversary.
It is impossible to list all the literature, as it has accumulated too much. After all, the scientist worked on projects and science for about 60 years.
Conclusion
The biography of Abram Fedorovich Ioffe is amazing. After all, not every person will be able to work on science all his life, conduct some kind of research, open schools, educate people and come up with new physical methods. It was he who showed the people how to give themselves to work, their country and science.
Unfortunately, the scientist was never able to celebrate his eightieth birthday, but he managed to do a lot. And today students and their teachers use the methods of the famous physicist Abram Fedorovich Ioffe.
- Russian physicist who made many fundamental discoveries and conducted a huge amount of research, including in the field of electronics. He conducted research on the properties of semiconductor materials, discovered the rectifying property of the metal-dielectric transition, which was later explained using the tunnel effect theory, suggested the possibility of converting light into electric current.
Abram Fedorovich was born October 14, 1880 in the city of Romny, Poltava province (now Poltava region, Ukraine) in the family of a merchant. Since Abram's father was a fairly rich man, he did not stint on giving a good education to his son. In 1897 Ioffe receives a secondary education in a real school in his native city. In 1902 he graduated from the St. Petersburg Institute of Technology and entered the University of Munich in Germany. In Munich, he works under the direction of Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen himself. Wilhelm Conrad, seeing the diligence and not anyhow what talent of the student, is trying to persuade Abram to stay in Munich and continue his scientific work, but Ioffe turned out to be a patriot of his country. After graduation in 1906, having received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, he returns to Russia.
In Russia, Ioffe gets a job at the Polytechnic Institute. In 1911 he experimentally determines the value of the electron charge by the same method as Robert Milliken (metal particles were balanced in electric and gravitational fields). Due to the fact that Ioffe published his work only two years later, the glory of discovering the measurement of the electron charge went to the American physicist. In addition to determining the charge, Ioffe proved the reality of the existence of electrons independently of matter, investigated the magnetic effect of the electron flow, and proved the static nature of the emission of electrons during an external photoelectric effect.
In 1913 Abram Fedorovich defended his master's, and two years later his doctoral dissertation in physics, which was the study of the elastic and electrical properties of quartz. During the period from 1916 to 1923 he actively studies the mechanism of electrical conductivity of various crystals. In 1923 it was on the initiative of Ioffe that fundamental research and study of the properties of completely new materials at that time began - semiconductors. The first work in this area was carried out with the direct participation of a Russian physicist and concerned the analysis of electrical phenomena between a semiconductor and a metal. He discovered the rectifying property of the metal-semiconductor transition, which was substantiated only 40 years later using the theory of the tunnel effect.
Investigating the photoelectric effect in semiconductors, Ioffe expressed a rather bold idea at that time that it would be possible to convert light energy into electric current in a similar way. This became a prerequisite in the future to the creation of photoelectric generators, and in particular silicon converters, subsequently used as part of solar batteries. Together with his students, Abram Fedorovich creates a system for classifying semiconductors, as well as a method for determining their basic electrical and physical properties. In particular, the study of their thermoelectric properties subsequently became the basis for the creation of semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerators, widely used throughout the world in the fields of radio electronics, instrumentation and space biology.
Abram Fedorovich Ioffe made a huge contribution to the formation and development of physics and electronics. He was a member of many Academies of Sciences (Berlin and Goetingen, American, Italian), as well as an honorary member of many universities around the world. He has received numerous awards for his achievements and research. Died Abram Fedorovich October 14, 1960.
Russian and Soviet physicist. 1880–1960
Born in the city of Romny, Poltava province in 1880 in the family of a merchant of the second guild Faivish (Fedor Vasilievich) Ioffe and housewife Rashel Abramovna Weinstein.
He graduated from the Romensky real school in 1897 and entered the St. Petersburg Institute of Technology. Abram received a diploma in process engineering and decided to continue his studies. In 1902 he went to Munich to see Roentgen. The laboratory of the scientist amazed him. He stayed there until 1906. In 1905 he graduated from the University of Munich and received a Ph.D. He worked as an assistant at the Department of Physics, and therefore could stay there. He returned to his homeland in 1906 and became a senior laboratory assistant at the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute. He defended his master's and later his doctoral dissertation.
In 1911, he converted to Lutheranism in order to marry a non-Jewish woman.
In 1913–1915, he was elected a professor of physics, he worked at the Polytechnic Institute, and also lectured on thermodynamics at the Mining Institute, and on physics at the university at Lesgaft's courses. Ioffe liked teaching others as much as learning himself.
Professor since 1913. In 1915, Ioffe was awarded the degree of Doctor of Physics for his study of the elastic and electrical properties of quartz.
The biggest merit of A.F. Ioffe is the foundation of a unique physical school, which made it possible to bring Soviet physics to the world level. The first stage of this activity was the organization in 1916 of a seminar on physics. To participate in his seminar, Ioffe attracted young scientists from the Polytechnic Institute and St. Petersburg University, who soon became his closest associates in organizing the Physico-Technical Institute.
In 1918, Abram Fedorovich created the Physics and Technology Department of the X-ray Institute. The famous Physico-Technological Institute later grew out of it. On the initiative of Ioffe, starting from 1929, physical and technical institutes were created in large industrial cities: Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Sverdlovsk and Tomsk. Behind the eyes, both students and other colleagues called Abram Fedorovich “Papa Ioffe” with love and respect. Abram Fedorovich already then believed in the great future of physical science. He was convinced that the development of research requires a desire, young and talented scientists, and good laboratories.
All this time he was engaged in scientific work. He confirmed the atomic structure of the electric charge. Since 1918, a corresponding member, since 1920, a full member of the Academy of Sciences.
In 1919–1923 he was the chairman of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Petrograd Industry, in 1924–1930 he was the chairman of the All-Russian Association of Physicists, since 1932 he was the director of the Agrophysical Institute.
Ioffe, together with Kirpichova, first elucidated the mechanism of electrical conductivity of ionic crystals (1916–1923).
Together with Kirpicheva and Levitskaya in 1924, he obtained important results in the field of strength and plasticity of crystals. It has also been shown that the strength of solids increases hundreds of times when surface microscopic defects are eliminated; this led to the development of high strength materials (1942–1947). In Ioffe's research, an X-ray method for studying plastic deformation was developed.
In 1931, Ioffe first drew attention to the need to study semiconductors as new materials for electronics and undertook their comprehensive study. He (together with A.V. Ioffe) created a method for determining the basic quantities characterizing the properties of semiconductors.
In 1933 he received the title of Honored Scientist. In 1934, on the initiative of Ioffe and some other scientists, the House of Scientists was established in Leningrad.
The study by Ioffe and his school of the electrical properties of semiconductors in 1931-1940 led to the creation of their scientific classification. These works marked the beginning of the development of new areas of semiconductor technology: thermo- and photo-electric generators and thermoelectric refrigeration devices.
At the beginning of the Patriotic War, he was appointed chairman of the Commission on military equipment, in 1942 - chairman of the military and military engineering commission at the Leningrad City Party Committee. In 1942 he was awarded the State Prize for research in the field of semiconductors.
In December 1950, during the "fight against cosmopolitanism" campaign, Ioffe was removed from the post of director and removed from the Institute's Academic Council. In 1952 he headed the Laboratory of Semiconductors of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. In 1954, the Institute of Semiconductors of the USSR Academy of Sciences was organized on the basis of the laboratory.
Ioffe entered the history of science as an organizer of science, usually referred to as the "father of Soviet physics." It should be noted that most of the physicists from Russia of the 20th century who left their mark on science, indirectly or directly, are students of “Papa Ioffe” or students of his students. The most important merit of Ioffe is the creation of a school of physicists, from which many prominent Soviet scientists came out: A.P. Aleksandrov, L.A. Artsimovich, P.L. Kapitsa, I.K. Kikoin, I.V. Kurchatov, P.I. Lukirsky, N.N. Semyonov, Ya.I. Frenkel and others. Paying much attention to pedagogical issues, he organized a new type of physics department - the Faculty of Physics and Technology for the training of engineers-physicists. He was a teacher with a capital letter.
Ioffe was a very sociable and open man. He was on friendly terms with many scientists in Europe and the USA. He was a Hero of Socialist Labor, an honorary academician of the academies of sciences in many countries of the world.
A.F. Ioffe died in his office on October 14, 1960. He was buried at the Literary bridges of the Volkov cemetery.