Mark Azbel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mark Azbel
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| Марк Яковлевич Азбель | |
Mark Azbel at Tel Aviv University in 2003. Photo by Roman Mints.
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| Born |
Mark Yakovlevich Azbel
12 May 1932 |
| Died | 31 March 2020 (aged 87) |
| Alma mater | National University of Kharkiv |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Solid-state physics |
| Institutions | Tel Aviv University National University of Kharkiv |
| Doctoral advisor | Lev Landau and Pyotr Kapitsa |
| Influenced | Douglas Hofstadter |
Mark Yakovlevich Azbel (Russian: Марк Яковлевич Азбель) was a smart physicist from the Soviet Union and later Israel. He was born on May 12, 1932, and passed away on March 31, 2020. He was also a member of the American Physical Society, a group for physicists.
Between 1956 and 1958, he showed how something called cyclotron resonance works in metals. This is a special way electrons move in a magnetic field. He also explained the science behind it.
In 1964, Azbel studied how electrons behave in a magnetic field. His ideas were very advanced. They helped lead to the discovery of a cool pattern called the Hofstadter's butterfly. This pattern is a type of fractal, which means it shows similar shapes at different sizes. Another scientist, Douglas Hofstadter, later found this pattern.
Contents
About Mark Azbel's Life
Early Life and Education
Mark Azbel was born in 1932 in a city called Kharkiv. At that time, Kharkiv was part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. His parents were both doctors.
When he was 9 years old, in 1941, World War II started. Mark and his family had to move to Siberia for safety. They lived there for three years until 1944.
In 1944, his family moved back to Kharkiv. Mark finished high school in 1948. That same year, he started studying at the National University of Kharkiv. After he graduated, he taught math at an evening school.
Becoming a Doctor of Physics
In 1958, Mark Azbel earned his doctorate degree. This is a very high academic degree in science. His supervisors were two very famous physicists, Lev Landau and Pyotr Kapitsa.
In 1964, he started working at Moscow State University. At the same time, he also led a section at the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics. This institute is a famous place for studying advanced physics.
Moving to Israel
In 1972, Azbel wanted to leave the Soviet Union and move to Israel. This was a difficult process back then. In 1973, even before he could leave, he was offered a job at Tel Aviv University in Israel. He started giving his lectures by telephone from the Soviet Union!
The Soviet Union did not let him leave for a long time. He joined a group of people called "refuseniks." These were people who were refused permission to leave the country. Finally, in 1977, Mark Azbel was allowed to leave the Soviet Union. He then became a full professor at Tel Aviv University. He lived mostly in Israel until he passed away in 2020.
Mark Azbel's Science Work
Studying Electrons in Metals
Mark Azbel was a theoretical physicist. This means he used math and ideas to understand how the world works, rather than doing experiments in a lab. He studied the tiny particles called electrons inside metals.
He was the first to predict something called cyclotron resonance in metals. This discovery is now often called the Azbel-Kaner resonance. It helps us understand how electrons move in metals when there's a magnetic field.
The Hofstadter Butterfly
In 1964, Azbel wrote an important scientific paper. In this paper, he shared some ideas about a complex pattern called the Harper spectrum. His ideas were very important and helped other scientists.
Ten years later, in 1974, his work helped lead to the discovery of the Hofstadter's butterfly. This is a beautiful and complex pattern that shows up in physics. It's a great example of how one scientist's ideas can help others make new discoveries.
Awards and Prizes
Mark Azbel received several important awards for his scientific work:
- Lomonosov Prize, 1966
- Lomonosov Prize, 1968
- Landau Prize, Israel, 1989
- Humboldt Prize, Germany, 2001
