Founder of the school of Physics of
MPEI Fabrikant Valentin Andreevich, 1907-1991
Outstanding scientist and teacher, one of the
trailblazers of Quantum Electronics, actual member of the Academy of
Educational Sciences of USSR, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, professor,
laureate of the National award.
Valentin Fabrikant was born on October 9, 1907
in Moscow, in the family of a prominent biological scientist. Valentin’s
scientific route started when he was a student of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics,
MSU. He impressed his friends and fellow students with his deep erudition in
all the domains of Physics. In 1930, having successfully graduated from the
university, he started to work at the National Electrotechnical Institute
(NEI), and soon headed a laboratory there. His first years there were dedicated
to different questions of Photometry and Applied Optics. After 1932, the
scientist’s attention focused on the questions of gas discharge optics. These
issues were of a special importance due to the huge interest that was paid to
the creation of gas discharge devices then. In 1938 he defended his doctorate,
where for the first time the conditions of optical media for the observation of
the induced emission were considered. Along with the scientific research under
control of Fabrikant, in NEI the intense work for creation of luminescent
sources of light were being conducted, taking the scientist’s time from 1938
until the start of the Second World War, and soon after its end. With the help
of his colleagues Valentin actively took part in the creation of the first
Soviet specialized plant of the daylight lamp production. In 1951 for the
development of luminescent lamps Valentin Fabrikant, Sergey Vavilov and their
colleagues were awarded the Stalin prize. In 1959 and consequently in 1964 the
scientist and his colleagues received the author notification and the diploma
for discovery with a formula: “A previously unknown phenomenon of the
amplification of electromagnetic waves when passing through a medium in which
the concentration of particles or their systems at the upper energy levels
corresponding to excited states is excessive in comparison with the
concentration in an equilibrium state has been established”.
Thus,
Valentin was the first to formulate the principle of amplification of
electromagnetic radiation when passing through media with inverse population.
This principle lies at the foundation of a very fruitful field of contemporary
Physics - Quantum Electronics that has broad application and is a very
important breakthrough of the XX century. After successfully creating the gas
lasers in 1960, Fabrikant started to develop new methods of gas and fluid flow
diagnostics through the use of laser emission. First, it is essential to point
out his scientific research on the method of laser diagnostics of flows based
on the Doppler effect. In 1968 his postgraduate Bronus Rinkevichus defended the
first Ph.D. thesis on laser Doppler anemometry. The list of Fabrikant’s
scientific articles counts about 250 titles, and the exact number is hard to
evaluate due to the various thematics of his scientific and educational
research that were published not only in academic revues. His pedagogical path
began in 1930 at MPEI (by the recommendation of Sergey Vavilov), where Valentin
headed the Department of Physics and special Department of Special Physics from
1944 until 1977. Under his leadership the department became a strong and
qualified unit. The results of the fruitful methodical and scientific work of
the department were vastly used by many universities and scientific research
institutes of the country. Valentin Fabrikant was actually the founder of the
physical school of MPEI that trained many specialists of the highest
qualification. The work of Valentin is an example of forceful and well-taken attitude to the
department, his responsibilities and people around him. In his last years the scientist continued
to work fruitfully at the Physics Department as a consulting professor.
Valentin gave strength and time to
work with the youth. The educational work he carried out with much delicacy and
skill awarded him the glory of a marvellous teacher and tutor. His educational
activity received praise from the government as well: in 1968 he was elected as
a real
member of the Educational Academy of USSR and contributed to it by reforming
the school education. Under his leadership the book of “Fundamentals of
teaching physics in high school”, where his didactic principles, published in
the 1978 article “Physical science and education” were declared. For long years
Fabrikant was being a member of Presidium of the National Society “Knowledge”,
member of the editorial boards of “Quantum” and “Physics at School”, as well as
“The encyclopedia of young physicist” that received the I grade diploma of the
“Knowledge” in 1986.
It is worth mentioning the broadness of his horizon: he published captivating
articles on Physics’ history, popular-science books, brilliant lectures and
reports. For his bright educational, scientific and social work, Valentin was
awarded two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, two Orders of the Sign of Honor,
a certificate of honor of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, a gold medal of the
Academy of Sciences of the USSR of Sergey Vavilov and many other prizes.
The
contemporaries recall his amazing high human qualities. He was tactful and
gentle with students and teachers. He never spoke to anyone, not only rudely,
but simply in a raised voice. Also, he was always willing to help and ready to
meet the interests. At his kind initiative a number of Ph.D. and Dr.Sc. theses
were defended, at and out of MPEI.
Valentin
loved classical music and poetry. He had an outstanding broad horizon: he
published several articles about the history and philosophy of Physics -
"Isaac Newton, Johann Bernoulli and the law of conservation of
momentum", "Albert Einstein and the doctrine of light",
"Planck's constant and the "thick "atom". The physicist was
very demanding of himself, being at the same time a wonderful teacher. For years
he was the Head of the Department of Physics, MPEI, the one that is named after
him, as ever, realizing his highest scientific potential and maintaining saint
honesty in himself and his students. Proceeding from his sense of duty without
being entitled to co-authorship, he could offer a student the idea of an
experiment or an article. Due to all this, he was extremely popular among
students and other teachers. Students had a song: For France, Fabri’s a shining
light, and Germany is proud of Kant, and our dear MPEI is proud of Valya
Fabrikant.
At the
Academy of Sciences of USSR he was called “the beauty of the Academy” behind
his back. For many years he was the Head of the Commission on Physics at the
Ministry of Enlightenment of USSR and the member of Presidium of the
Science-Methodical Council on Physics at the Ministry of Higher Education of
USSR. The sessions of these committees were interesting and fruitful with the
participation of Fabrikant. He deeply analyzed problems of school and
university education in Physics and managed to stand his ground delicately but
principally. In particular, he was concerned about the quality of books of
Physics at higher school. As for the teacher's talent of Valentin, it is
necessary to mention his natural gift in lecturing, showing broad erudition and
deep education. He used the quotes of writers, philosophists, scientists, that
were seemingly far from the topic of a lecture, but were giving ease and
important insight into physical questions. Valentin did it masterfully and in
“homeopathic doses”, as he said, but always with good precision, he was very
accurate with the well-used method of analogues. He managed to do it due to his
knowledge of French and German, drawing from European culture that gave him
deep cognition abilities. One of his mottos was the Einstein’s “Never say
never”.
Valentin
Fabrikant developed a new scientific direction in quantum electronics called "Laser
diagnostics of liquid and gas flows" and founded the scientific school at
MPEI on laser diagnostics of liquid, gas and plasma flows, which continues to
work successfully to this day. He formulated the principle of amplification of
electromagnetic radiation by passing through media with an inverse population,
which is the basis of quantum electronics, and was an outstanding specialist in
physical optics, gas discharge physics and quantum electronics. His work is
well known both in Russia and abroad.
Valentin
Fabrikant passed away on the 3rd of March, 1991, at the age of 84, being a man
of highest culture, personally charming, with a positive and sincere-hearted
attitude towards people. He was gifted with a good sense of humour, simpleness
and modesty. The personality traits of Valentin Fabrikant inspire respect and
love of all people who knew him.
Quoted
from “MPEI: history, people, years” book complied by T.E. Semenova