Lev Landau was a world-renowned theoretical physicist born in Baku, Azerbaijan, on January 22, 1908, who became one of the most influential scientific minds of the twentieth century. He graduated from Leningrad University at the remarkable age of 19 and earned his doctorate at 21, establishing himself as a prodigious talent in theoretical physics. Landau conducted significant research at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology from 1932 to 1938, where he developed foundational theories that would later transform multiple fields of physics. Following his work in Kharkiv, he moved to Moscow in 1937 to become Head of the Theory Division at the Physical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, a position from which he would exert profound influence on Soviet physics. His career was nearly cut short during Stalin's Great Purge when he was arrested in 1938, but he was released after one year due to the intervention of physicist Pyotr Kapitsa.
Landau's groundbreaking contributions encompass virtually every major area of theoretical physics, including the independent co-discovery of the density matrix method in quantum mechanics, the quantum theory of diamagnetism, and the explanation of Landau damping in plasma physics. His most celebrated achievement was the development of a comprehensive mathematical theory of superfluidity in 1941, which explained the mysterious behavior of liquid helium at temperatures below 2.17 K, predicting phenomena such as "second sound" that were later experimentally confirmed. Landau pioneered the theory of second-order phase transitions and developed the order parameter technique, which became fundamental to understanding symmetry breaking in physical systems. Together with Vitaly Ginzburg, he formulated the Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductivity in 1950, providing the macroscopic equations that describe superconducting phenomena. For his transformative work on superfluidity, Landau was awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physics, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest theoretical physicists of all time.
Landau is widely regarded as one of the last scientists who achieved universal mastery across all branches of theoretical physics, making seminal contributions that continue to shape modern physics. He founded the Landau school of theoretical physics, which trained generations of Soviet physicists and established rigorous standards for theoretical education that remain influential worldwide. His collective work with his students and collaborators formed the foundation of twentieth century condensed matter physics, with his Fermi liquid theory providing the framework for understanding electrons in metals and the theory of superfluidity in He-3. Despite suffering a severe car accident in 1962 that limited his later research, Landau's intellectual legacy endured through his famous Course of Theoretical Physics and his profound influence on the entire field. Lev Landau passed away on April 1, 1968, leaving behind a body of work that remains essential to physicists and continues to inspire new discoveries across multiple disciplines of modern physics.
