Yakov Lvovich Alpert
Encyclopedia
Yakov Lvovich Alpert (March 1, 1911 – October 5, 2010) was a Soviet-born American physicist whose principal field of research was space plasma physics.
. In 1928 he obtained an excellent grade in the entrance examination for the Ukrainian Polytechnic Institute, but because his father, a commercial traveler, was considered not to be a worker, he was refused admission; instead, he took employment as a carpenter. In 1929 he left Zhitomir for Moscow
, where he worked first as a builder's labourer, then as a draughtsman for architectural exhibitions. He was able to get a job as a technician at the Radio Institute of the Ministry of Communications in 1931, and from that time he remained in his chosen field of physics.
During his scientific career in the USSR, Alpert worked from 1931 to 1934 at the Communications Radio Institute; then, from 1935 until 1951 at the Lebedev Physical Institute
(FIAN) of the Academy of Sciences; and finally at the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Propagation of Radio Waves, and Ionosphere (IZMIRAN
) of the Academy of Sciences, from 1952 until he left the USSR in 1987.
In 1973 he and his wife Svetlana Pivkova decided to emigrate. The first step was to obtain a letter from a relative in Israel, inviting them to settle there; at that time, even non-Jews leaving the Soviet Union could only go to Israel. He requested such a letter through Israel's Academy of Sciences, and in due course received one. Its arrival was noticed by the Soviet authorities, and as was then customary he was demoted at his place of work, in his case to a post of Senior Scientist with a reduced salary, while she was dismissed from her post (at a different Institute) and could not obtain one elsewhere. In 1975 they were finally permitted to apply for exit visas, but this application was refused, as were 26 other such applications they made during the next 12 years. During this period, he took an active part in a scientific seminar to maintain his skills and those of his fellow “refusenik
s”. It was organized by Victor Brailovsky
, and the other participants included Alexander Lerner
, Yuri Orlov, and Anatoly Sharansky; though not himself a candidate for emigration, Andrei Sakharov
often attended the seminar and supported the refuseniks until his exile to Gorky
in 1980. Following the arrest of Brailovsky in 1981, these seminars were often held at the Alperts' apartment.
In 1987, the Alperts received their visas and left for the USA, where they arrived in 1988 and settled near Boston. For the rest of his professional life he was a Senior Staff Scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
. He never retired formally, but his last publication under the auspices of the Center for Astrophysics was made in 2001.
Between 1936 and 2001, he had 8 books published in Russian and 11 in English (9 original monographs, 3 second editions), the last one being his autobiography . Also he published about 200 scientific papers in Russian or in English and a dozen popular scientific papers in Russian. Forty-three of them are listed in Web of Science
.
Biography
He was born at Ivnitsy, a village near Zhitomir, in the UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. In 1928 he obtained an excellent grade in the entrance examination for the Ukrainian Polytechnic Institute, but because his father, a commercial traveler, was considered not to be a worker, he was refused admission; instead, he took employment as a carpenter. In 1929 he left Zhitomir for 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...
, where he worked first as a builder's labourer, then as a draughtsman for architectural exhibitions. He was able to get a job as a technician at the Radio Institute of the Ministry of Communications in 1931, and from that time he remained in his chosen field of physics.
During his scientific career in the USSR, Alpert worked from 1931 to 1934 at the Communications Radio Institute; then, from 1935 until 1951 at the Lebedev Physical Institute
Lebedev Physical Institute
The Lebedev Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences , situated in Moscow, is one of the leading Russian research institutes specializing in physics. It is also one of the oldest research institutions in Russia: its history dates back to a collection of physics equipment established by...
(FIAN) of the Academy of Sciences; and finally at the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Propagation of Radio Waves, and Ionosphere (IZMIRAN
IZMIRAN
Institute of Earth magnetism, ionosphere and radiowaves propagation named after Nikolay Pushkov of the Russian Academy of Sciences or IZMIRAN for short - is a scientific institution of RAS founded in 1939 on the basis of the General Magnetic Survey Bureau and Pavlovskaya Magnetic Observatory of...
) of the Academy of Sciences, from 1952 until he left the USSR in 1987.
In 1973 he and his wife Svetlana Pivkova decided to emigrate. The first step was to obtain a letter from a relative in Israel, inviting them to settle there; at that time, even non-Jews leaving the Soviet Union could only go to Israel. He requested such a letter through Israel's Academy of Sciences, and in due course received one. Its arrival was noticed by the Soviet authorities, and as was then customary he was demoted at his place of work, in his case to a post of Senior Scientist with a reduced salary, while she was dismissed from her post (at a different Institute) and could not obtain one elsewhere. In 1975 they were finally permitted to apply for exit visas, but this application was refused, as were 26 other such applications they made during the next 12 years. During this period, he took an active part in a scientific seminar to maintain his skills and those of his fellow “refusenik
Refusenik
Refusenik originally referred to citizens of the former Soviet Union who were refused permission to emigrate.Refusenik or refusnik may also refer to:*An Israeli conscientious objector, see Refusal to serve in the Israeli military...
s”. It was organized by Victor Brailovsky
Victor Brailovsky
Dr Victor Brailovsky is a computer scientist, aliyah activist and a former Israeli politician. He served as Minister of Science and Technology for six days in 2004. In May 1986 Brailovsky was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the Open University in England.-Biography:Brailovsky was born in...
, and the other participants included Alexander Lerner
Alexander Lerner
Alexander Yakovlevich Lerner , scientist and Soviet refusenik.- Biography :...
, Yuri Orlov, and Anatoly Sharansky; though not himself a candidate for emigration, Andrei Sakharov
Andrei Sakharov
Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov was a Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident and human rights activist. He earned renown as the designer of the Soviet Union's Third Idea, a codename for Soviet development of thermonuclear weapons. Sakharov was an advocate of civil liberties and civil reforms in the...
often attended the seminar and supported the refuseniks until his exile to Gorky
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
in 1980. Following the arrest of Brailovsky in 1981, these seminars were often held at the Alperts' apartment.
In 1987, the Alperts received their visas and left for the USA, where they arrived in 1988 and settled near Boston. For the rest of his professional life he was a Senior Staff Scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
The Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is one of the largest and most diverse astrophysical institutions in the world, where scientists carry out a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, earth and space sciences, and science education...
. He never retired formally, but his last publication under the auspices of the Center for Astrophysics was made in 2001.
Scientific work
Alpert’s main scientific interests at the FIAN and the IZMIRAN were- Propagation of radio waves, particularly natural ones (i.e., "atmospherics") below and within the ionosphere.
- Physical structure of the ionosphere and the magnetosphere, and plasma wave processes in these regions.
- Interaction of moving bodies with a plasma.
Between 1936 and 2001, he had 8 books published in Russian and 11 in English (9 original monographs, 3 second editions), the last one being his autobiography . Also he published about 200 scientific papers in Russian or in English and a dozen popular scientific papers in Russian. Forty-three of them are listed in Web of Science
Web of Science
ISI Web of Knowledge is an academic citation indexing and search service, which is combined with web linking and provided by Thomson Reuters. Web of Knowledge coverage encompasses the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities. It provides bibliographic content and the tools to access, analyze,...
.
External links
- Y.L. Alpert, Tribute to the Scientific School of L.I. Mandelshtam.
- Y.L. Alpert, Curriculum Vitae (PDF file).
- [ftp://igpp.ucla.edu/scratch/aguspa/volume17_2010/vol17no077 Obituary] in American Geophysical Union, SPA Section Newsletter 17 (Issue 77), 2010.
- Obituary in Physics-Uspekhi 54 (Issue 5), 2011 (in Russian).