Lev Vasilievich Shubnikov „1901–1937…: on the Centennial of His Birth ͓DOI: 10.1063/1.1414585͔
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LOW TEMPERATURE PHYSICS VOLUME 27, NUMBER 9–10 SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2001 Lev Vasilievich Shubnikov „1901–1937…: On the centennial of his birth ͓DOI: 10.1063/1.1414585͔ A number of brilliant studies were done at this cryogen- ics laboratory, among them: — direct experimental proof ͑and independent of the Meissner and Ochsenfeld results͒ of the ideal diamagnetism of pure superconductors ͑Yu. N. Rjabinin and L. W. Schub- nikow, Nature 134, 286 ͑1934͒͒; — observation of an antiferromagnetic phase transition ͑jump of specific heat͒ in layered transition-metal chlorides ͑O. N. Trapeznikowa and L. W. Schubnikow, Nature 134, 378 ͑1934͒͒; — studies of the phase diagrams and viscosity of liquid mixtures of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon monoxide, methane, argon, and ethylene ͑jointly with O. N. Trapeznikova and N. S. Rudenko͒; — the experimental discovery of type-II superconduct- ors ͑Yu. N. Rjabinin and L. W. Schubnikow, Nature 135, 581 ͑1935͒; L. W. Schubnikow, W. I. Chotkewitsch, G. D. September 29, 2001 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lev Vasilievich Shubnikov, one of the most out- standing experimental physicists of the twentieth century. Shubnikov was the founder and director of the first cryogen- ics laboratory in the USSR, and his pioneering work laid the foundation for many extremely important fields in modern condensed-matter physics. In terms of the quantity and the level of the results obtained in various fields of physics, he can be placed in the same rank of such giants of experimen- tal physics as Faraday, Kelvin, and Kamerlingh Onnes. Shubnikov’s scientific career is linked to three cities: Petrograd ͑1923–1926͒ — the creation of a new method of growing single crys- tals ͑the Obreimov–Shubnikov method, Z. Phys. 25,31 ͑1924͒͒; — the creation of an optical method of studying plastic deformations in crystals ͑I. W. Obreimow and L. W. Schub- nikow, Z. Phys. 41, 907 ͑1927͒͒, Leiden ͑1926–1930͒ — discovery of magnetoresistance oscillations at low temperatures ͑the Shubnikov–de Haas effect, Leiden Com- mun. 207 a–d; 210 a,b; Nature 126, 500 ͑1930͒͒, and Kharkov ͑1930–1937͒. Here, at the Ukrainian Physicotechnical Institute, Shub- nikov organized the first cryogenics laboratory in the Soviet ͑ ͒ Union and the fourth in the world , which he directed until FIG. 1. Cover of the Leiden laboratory journal containing the first publica- 1937. tion of the Shubnikov–de Haas effect. 1063-777X/2001/27(9–10)/2/$20.00689 © 2001 American Institute of Physics 690 Low Temp. Phys. 27 (99–10), September–October 2001 — experimental observation of an intermediate state of superconductors in magnetic field ͑L. W. Schubnikow and I. Nakhutin, Nature 139, 589 ͑1937͒͒; — identification of the magnetic character of a phase transition ͑the kink in the temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility in transition-metal chlorides͒͑L. W. Schubnikow and S. S. Schalyt, Phys. Z. Sowjetunion 11, 566 ͑1937͒͒; — a study of the thermal conductivity of solid helium ͑jointly with K. A. Kikoin ͑1936–1937͒͒; — a study of a phase transition in solid methane under pressure ͑jointly with O. N. Trapeznikov and G. A. Milyutin, FIG. 2. Handwritten notes of L. V. Shubnikov in his laboratory journal on Nature 144, 632 ͑1939͒͒. ͑ obtaining the first batch of liquid hydrogen from the archive of B. G. In 1937 L. V. Shubnikov became a victim of Stalinist Lazarev͒. 12/XI 31. First test of large liquid hydrogen machine . terror. 14/XI 31. Obtained hydrogen in the amount of ca. 3 liters . In terms of the number of brilliant scientific results and extremely fruitful new directions of research begun and fos- tered in its six years of existence, Shubnikov’s laboratory is apparently without equal in the world. The creative explosion that marked the period 1934– 1937 attested to Shubnikov’s creative energy and scientific potential of the highest sort, which had only begun to be Schepelew, and Yu. N. Rjabinin, Phys. Z. Sowjetunion 10, realized in the lifetime of this outstanding physicist of the ͑ ͒͒ 165 1936 ; twentieth century. — measurement of the magnetic moment of the proton Yu. A. Fre man ͑B. G. Lasarew and L. W. Schubnikow, Phys. Z. Sowjetunion 10,117͑1936͒; ibid. 11, 445 ͑1937͒͒; — optical studies of liquid helium II ͑A. K. Kikoin and This anniversary issue of the journal Low Temperature L. W. Schubnikow, Nature 138, 641 ͑1936͒͒; Physics is devoted to the memory of Lev Vasilievich Shub- — a study of neutron absorption at low temperatures in nikov. It includes articles on the physics of quantum mag- hydrogen, boron, silver, and cadmium ͑jointly with V. Fo- netic oscillation phenomena, superconductivity, magnetism, min, F. Houtermans, I. V. Kurchatov, A. I. Lepunski,L.B. and cryocrystals — fields of study whose creation owes Rusinov, and G. Ya. Shchepkin, Nature 138, 326 ͑1936͒; much to the contributions made by Shubnikov. The Editorial ibid. 138, 505 ͑1936͒͒; Board of this journal extends its profound gratitude to all of — a study of the destruction of superconductivity by the authors who contributed to this issue. electric current and magnetic field ͑L. W. Schubnikow and Editorial Board N. E. Alexeyevskii, Nature 138, 545 ͑1936͒; ibid. 138, 804 ͑1937͒͒; Translated by Steve Torstveit LOW TEMPERATURE PHYSICS VOLUME 27, NUMBER 9–10 SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2001 The Shubnikov–de Haas effect and high pressure E. S. Itskevich* L. F. Vereshchagin Institute of High Pressure Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142190 Troitsk, Moscow District, Russia ͑Submitted March 14, 2001͒ Fiz. Nizk. Temp. 27, 941–944 ͑September–October 2001͒ ͓DOI: 10.1063/1.1401175͔ Dedicated to the memory of L. V. Shubnikov and O. N. Trapeznikova Lev Vasilievich Shubnikov, who was born 100 years ago noted that the theory of quantum oscillation effects was cre- at the dawn of the twentieth century ͑September 29, 1901͒, ated in the 1960s by I. M. Lifshits and A. M. Kosevich. would play a leading role in the development of quantum My acquaintance with the life and undertakings of L. V. physics of the solid state. A century has also passed since the Shubnikov grew out of a rather close acquaintance with O. birth of his wife and co-worker, Olga Nikolaevna Trapezni- N. Trapeznikova. It began in the 1960s during joint research kova, who was an active participant in much of Shubnikov’s on the specific heat of highly anisotropic solids and contin- work. The field of solid-state physics, which arose at the end ued for many years. Shubnikov and Trapeznikova’s son, of the first quarter century, underlies all of the achievements Misha Shubnikov, who is also a physicist, worked for many of electronics, the principal technological base of the infor- years in Shalyt’s laboratory at the Leningrad Physicotechni- mation revolution of the twentieth century. cal Institute and did research on the properties of semicon- Quantum oscillations of the electrical resistance in metal ductors under hydrostatic pressure, continuing the research single crystals in a magnetic field — the so-called on semiconductors under pressure which was begun there in Shubnikov–de Haas ͑SdH͒ effect — were discovered by 1965. The first paper was on a study of the influence of Shubnikov jointly with Prof. de Haas, his scientific supervi- pressure on the magneto-phonon oscillations in n-InSb ͑S. S. sor at Leiden, Holland ͑1930͒. Perfect single crystals of bis- Shalyt, E. S. Itskevich, and co-workers͒. muth, which made it possible to observe the SdH effect, were My acquaintance with Olga Trapeznikova was a multi- grown by Shubnikov as the first task assigned by de Haas to faceted one. Her long life ͑she died in 1997͒ was filled with the young scientist who had come to him for practical train- tragic circumstances. After the arrest and execution of her ing. Later these same crystals were used by de Haas and van husband Shubnikov in 1937 and her trials during the Second Alphen in their discovery of analogous oscillations of the World War, Trapeznikova found the strength to continue her magnetic susceptibility ͑the de Haas–van Alphen ͑dHvA͒ ef- scientific work at St. Petersburg University and to raise her fect͒. Both types of oscillations can be used to obtain experi- son. She was the perfect example of the St. Petersburg intel- mental information about the energy spectrum of the charge ligentsia, incorporating all the intellectual values of the early carriers in metals and semiconductors. twentieth century. Not only was she widely educated, she Before turning to the topic stated in the title of this ar- had a love of people and displayed a sympathy that was rare ticle, I would like to give some information about Shubnikov in those times. himself. He founded the first cryogenics laboratory in the It was also my good fortune to be associated ͑including Soviet Union, at the Kharkov Physicotechnical Institute in scientific collaboration͒ with other students of Shubnikov’s 1931. He did his practical training in Leiden ͑1926–1930͒ in who would gain lasting recognition in science: N. E. Alek- the laboratory of Kamerlingh Onnes, who, as you know, was seevski, B. G. Lazarev, and Yu. N. Ryabinin, in addition to the first to obtain liquid helium. Shubnikov mastered the art Trapeznikova and Shalyt. These were very productive and of experimentation with liquid helium and therefore was able pleasant associations. The most important contact was with in a comparatively short time to set up facilities at Kharkov the founder and director of the Institute of High Pressure for obtaining ‘‘all’’ the liquid gases — nitrogen, hydrogen, Physics of the Academy of Sciences, Leonid Fedorovich and helium, making it possible to do research on a broad Vereshchagin, whose scientific career in physics also started spectrum of low-temperature problems. In particular, signifi- at Shubnikov’s laboratory ͑1934–1939͒ with research on the cant work was done on superconductivity.