Alexei Abrikosov was a preeminent theoretical physicist whose work fundamentally shaped our understanding of condensed matter systems. Born in Moscow on June 25, 1928, he graduated from Moscow State University in 1948 and subsequently joined the Institute for Physical Problems of the USSR Academy of Sciences where he earned his PhD in 1951. He spent nearly two decades at this institution, establishing himself as a leading figure in theoretical physics before moving to the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics. In 1991, he relocated to the United States to join Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, where he continued his groundbreaking research until his retirement, becoming an Argonne Distinguished Scientist in the Materials Science Division.
Abrikosov's most celebrated contribution was his theoretical explanation of type II superconductivity, published in 1957, which described how magnetic fields can penetrate certain superconducting materials through quantized vortices while maintaining superconducting properties. This seminal work introduced the concept of the Abrikosov vortex lattice, a fundamental principle that underpins modern superconductivity applications in high magnetic fields. He also made significant contributions to the understanding of the Kondo effect, identifying the Abrikosov-Suhl resonance phenomenon in the 1960s, and developed the theory of gapless semiconductors where he demonstrated nontrivial power law dependencies in substances like HgTe. For his pioneering work on superconductivity, Abrikosov shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics with Vitaly Ginzburg and Anthony Leggett.
Abrikosov's theoretical framework for type II superconductors enabled the development of practical superconducting materials used in MRI machines, particle accelerators, and other technologies requiring high magnetic fields. His influential textbook Introduction to the Theory of Normal Metals published in 1971 educated generations of condensed matter physicists, while his collaborative work with Gor'kov and Dzyaloshinskii produced an iconic theoretical solid-state physics text that became standard reading for researchers worldwide. Throughout his career, Abrikosov received numerous honors including the International Fritz London Award in 1972 and the USSR State Prize in 1982. His death on March 29, 2017 marked the passing of one of the most influential theoretical physicists of the twentieth century, whose conceptual breakthroughs continue to shape both fundamental research and technological applications in superconductivity.
