Labors and days: Academician Evgeny Velikhov passed away
Academician Evgeny Velikhov, Hero of Socialist Labor, long-time president of the National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", one of the world's leading experts in the field of plasma physics and controlled thermonuclear fusion, has died. He was a man of broad scientific interests, successfully engaged in many related areas of science and made a lot of efforts to ensure that scientific achievements moved mankind forward. Pages of the biography of a remarkable scientist recall "Izvestia".
The way to science
Evgeny Velikhov was born February 2, 1935 in Moscow. His father, Pavel Pavlovich Velikhov, was a civil engineer, and in his work, he and his family had to travel around the country. As the scientist told Izvestia in an interview, his father's work on the construction of the most advanced enterprises of those times greatly influenced his pursuit of science. "My father was a civil engineer, traveled around Siberia, the Urals, Ukraine, built a shipyard in Severodvinsk, where I got there for the first time at the age of three," - said Evgeny Pavlovich. Another turning point in his biography he called the popular science book "The Universe Around Us" by James Jeans, which he read in the sixth grade and which first made him seriously interested in physics.
Classes in the school physics club further strengthened the future scientist in his professional aspirations. After graduating from the capital's school No. 49, he immediately entered the physics department of Moscow State University - and since then he has never changed his professional vocation. He chose his future place of work while still a student: in 1956, Evgeny Velikhov got a pre-graduation internship at the Laboratory of Measuring Instruments of the USSR Academy of Sciences (LIPAN) - as the Kurchatov Institute was then called. At the end of the internship Velikhov wrote a scientific paper "Stability of fluid rotation in a magnetic field". It was published in 1959 and remained one of the most cited scientific papers for many years.
Yevgeny Velikhov at the Energy-2000 seminar of representatives of the USSR Academy of Sciences and OAPEC. 1984
Academician Andrei Zabrodsky, chief scientist at the A.F. Ioffe Institute of Physics and Technology and former director of the institute:
- Evgeny Pavlovich was a great organizer of science. He made a huge contribution to the development of thermonuclear research in the USSR, in Russia, and in the world. He was one of the initiators of the creation of the international thermonuclear reactor ITER (ITER), and Russia took a worthy place in this project. The second direction is the development of information technologies. It was required to manage complex complexes related to the production of thermonuclear energy. As a result, thanks to Evgeny Pavlovich, a new direction in the Academy of Sciences related to information technologies was created. He united all these areas of activity in the Kurchatov Institute when he headed it, and for quite a long time.
It is important to realize that thermonuclear energy is the stuffing of the most powerful hydrogen bombs, but, on the other hand, it is also the energy future of mankind. Back in 1956, Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov suggested declassifying thermonuclear research for peaceful applications. And Evgeny Pavlovich was successfully engaged in it.
And in 1961 Velikhov already became a full-time employee of the institute, where for more than six decades he rose from junior researcher to director, always proud of his place of work. "The Kurchatov Institute has always relied on the deep traditions of fundamental science, from which grew the most important, sometimes literally vital practical results - nuclear weapons, nuclear power, medicine, materials science, controlled thermonuclear fusion. In this direction, our country and the Kurchatov Institute were pioneers, which Kurchatov described in his famous report in Harwell, and it was a real scientific sensation at that time. In general, Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov, Kurchatovites from the very beginning of the atomic project gave impetus to the development of a huge number of new scientific areas, for which formed laboratories, institutes in Dubna, Sarov, Gatchina", - said later Evgeny Velikhov in an interview. And the scientist himself did a lot to ensure that both the Kurchatov Institute and domestic science remained leaders of the world scientific process.
Nuclear energy for the world
The first scientific topic at the Institute for the young scientist Evgeny Velikhov was work on plasma instability. The topic was complex, and today scientists know not everything about the peculiarities and regularities of the fourth state of matter. This work later became the source for the development of the most important scientific direction - plasma physics. And soon the work on the creation of tokamak started. In 1955, the first tokamak was created in the Kurchatov Institute, in 1968 it was possible to achieve a plasma temperature of 10 million degrees Celsius, and on February 3, 1976, our Tokamak-10 achieved the world's first thermonuclear fusion temperature. "T-10" was designed for 10 years of work, but the project was so successful that it has worked for almost forty. After our successes, tokamaks began their triumphal march around the world - they began to be built in the United States, Europe, and Japan, and international cooperation was actively developing. This is how the Fusion Research Council at the IAEA came into being," said Evgeny Velikhov proudly.
Soviet Tokamak-10 thermonuclear installation at the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy. I.V. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy. 1976
Andrey Rudskoy, Academician, Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Rector of SPbPU:
- Evgeny Pavlovich Velikhov, a scientist with a capital letter, has passed away. We have lost a genius, our contemporary, his name was a banner for every schoolchild, a scientist professor and even an academician - it is a great name of the world level. He was a world-class specialist in the field of plasma physics. He devoted his whole life to research on controlled thermonuclear fusion. His blue dream was to realize this project, and he was close to it. I think in the near future new generations of Kurchatov's citizens will realize this project.
Evgeny Pavlovich is a scientist-patriot, he participated in liquidation of consequences of the Chernobyl NPP accident.
We will miss this great personality, we were equal to him. For me he was an example of a brilliant scientist and the most devoted and talented servant of science since my school years. His name is a symbol of Russian science. The academic community expresses its condolences to the staff of the Kurchatov Institute and Evgeny Pavlovich's family. We will carry his name in our hearts with honor.
Since 1973, Evgeny Velikhov officially became the scientific director of controlled thermonuclear fusion research in the USSR. And very soon it was Velikhov who initiated the ITER nuclear energy development project. A true scientist who could see several steps ahead, Evgeny Velikhov understood well that the complex and costly work on the construction of a thermonuclear experimental reactor was necessary for mankind and would successfully pay off in the near future.
Opening of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) design center at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. Germany, April 23, 1988
"Asian countries are much more interested in the energy component of the project, as their energy consumption is growing at a tremendous rate, and their own resources are severely lacking. That is why China, South Korea, and India subsequently got involved in the ITER project. Just think about it: more than half of the world's population is involved in the project! Of course, Russia's role is very significant - we contribute 9% of the ITER construction cost in the form of high-tech unique equipment. About 30 Russian scientific and production organizations are involved in this, and the Kurchatov Institute coordinates our activities in this megaproject," Academician Velikhov told Izvestia.
For many decades, the scientist remained one of the managers and scientific leaders of the ITER project. From 1992 to 2001, he served as chairman of the Technical Design Council of the international thermonuclear experimental reactor ITER, in 2006 he became a member of the international ITER Council from Russia, and from 2010 to 2012 he was chairman of the ITER Council. "The ITER project is not just the creation of a new energy generation technology, it is actually a transition to new principles of energy mastery," the scientist proudly said.
Science for the future
During his scientific biography, Evgeny Velikhov wrote more than 100 books and articles. His record includes two State and one Lenin Prize, three Orders of Lenin, the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" of all four degrees, state awards of many countries. The list of his scientific regalia is no less impressive: honorary professor at several European universities, as well as several US universities, member of the European Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy of Engineering, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. However, numerous awards and titles did not make the scientist grow bronzed and rest on his laurels: for many years he not only engaged in science himself, but also supported his colleagues, promoted the professional development of young scientists, and did his best to put science at the service of society.
In 2011 Velikhov initiated the creation of the Russian Association for the Promotion of Science, becoming chairman of the presidium of the organization. In 1991, Evgeny Velikhov founded the public organization "Achievements of the Young" in Russia, and since 2003 he has been a member of its International Council. He also initiated the creation of the International Public Foundation "For the Survival and Development of Mankind" in 1987 and remained its president until 1994.
International Fund for the Survival and Development of Mankind. January 15, 1991
In 1986, Evgeny Velikhov took part in the liquidation of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident. However, this did not shake the scientist's confidence that nuclear energy is the future of mankind. "It is clear that there is no alternative to nuclear power in this century, without it we simply cannot overcome the energy crisis. Its huge advantages - the relative cheapness of obtaining energy, high concentration of production, and in operating mode NPP does not harm the environment," he told in an interview with Izvestia.
Evgeny Velikhov always remained at the forefront of science, paying attention to new directions of scientific development and unmistakably identifying the most pressing issues facing scientists, including his native Kurchatov Institute. Being a universal scientist, Velikhov approached the problem of scientific development of mankind from the broadest positions.
"You know, many physicists at a certain period of their lives come to philosophy. It is natural, because these two areas of cognition of the surrounding world came out of the same root. So the physical, nuclear Kurchatov Center is now at a new, somewhat philosophical stage of its scientific life, and it is connected with convergent NBICS-technologies - these are nano, bio, information, cognitive, and the socio-humanitarian block has recently joined them. We have been dealing with information technologies for a long time. Nanotechnologies also have a long history with us - we have created new materials based on them for reactors and actively used them in thermonuclear research. Nanotechnology has already significantly changed the technical base, the very principles of production, and scientific tools," he said, discussing the future of the Institute.
In his opinion, the development of new scientific directions, including in the field of energy, should become, among other things, a new stage for the development of mankind as a whole. "For this, however, humanity must rise to a new level of attitude to itself, to the world, the measure of responsibility to realize", - reasoned Evgeny Velikhov. Based on these not only scientific, but also philosophical assumptions, scientists not only move forward technical progress, but also bear the burden of responsibility for the future of mankind. And Evgeny Pavlovich Velikhov was one of those to whom this burden was well within his power.
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