Dmitry Vasil'evich Shirkov (russian: Дми́трий Васи́льевич Ширко́в; 3 March 1928 – 23 January 2016) was a Russian
theoretical physicist
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...
, known for his contribution to
quantum field theory
In theoretical physics, quantum field theory (QFT) is a theoretical framework that combines classical field theory, special relativity, and quantum mechanics. QFT is used in particle physics to construct physical models of subatomic particles a ...
and to the development of the
renormalization group
In theoretical physics, the term renormalization group (RG) refers to a formal apparatus that allows systematic investigation of the changes of a physical system as viewed at different scales. In particle physics, it reflects the changes in the ...
method.
Biography
Dmitry Shirkov graduated from the
Faculty of Physics at
Moscow State University
M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...
(MSU) in 1949. In 1954 he obtained PhD degree (''
Candidate of Sciences
Candidate of Sciences (russian: кандидат наук, translit=kandidat nauk) is the first of two doctoral level scientific degrees in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It is formally classified as UNESCO's ISCED level 8, " ...
'') in the area of theory of neutron diffusion. In 1958 he defended his doctoral dissertation "Renormalization group method in quantum field theory" and obtained the
Doktor nauk
Doctor of Sciences ( rus, доктор наук, p=ˈdoktər nɐˈuk, abbreviated д-р наук or д. н.; uk, доктор наук; bg, доктор на науките; be, доктар навук) is a higher doctoral degree in the Russi ...
(''Doctor of Sciences'') degree.
In 1972—1992 he was appointed as professor at the Department of Quantum Statistics and Field Theory at the MSU Faculty of Physics. Since 1992 he is a professor at the Department of High Energy Physics.
He worked in the
Steklov Mathematical Institute in the period 1952—1958 and in the Mathematical Institute of the Siberian Division of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the period 1960—1969. Since 1969 he works at the
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR, russian: Объединённый институт ядерных исследований, ОИЯИ), in Dubna, Moscow Oblast (110 km north of Moscow), Russia, is an international research cen ...
(JINR), and since 1971 also at Moscow State University. He was the head of the Theoretical Physics Laboratory at the JINR (1993—1997), where currently he is the Honorary Director.
Dmitry Shirkov was an Invited Nobel Professor at
Lund University
, motto = Ad utrumque
, mottoeng = Prepared for both
, established =
, type = Public research university
, budget = SEK 9 billion [USSR Academy of Sciences
The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991, uniting the country's leading scientists, subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (until 1946 ...]
in 1960 and an academician of the
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...
in 1994.
Dmitry Shirkov was the initiator and the editor for a series of monographs «Books in Theoretical Physics» by Nauka (''Science'') Publishing Company (1978—1990). He is a jury president for the
Bogoliubov Prize for young scientists. He died on 23 January 2016, aged 87.
[The Directorate of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research deeply regrets to announce]
/ref>
Research
Shirkov's main works were devoted to quantum field theory
In theoretical physics, quantum field theory (QFT) is a theoretical framework that combines classical field theory, special relativity, and quantum mechanics. QFT is used in particle physics to construct physical models of subatomic particles a ...
, the theory of superconductivity
Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in certain materials where electrical resistance vanishes and magnetic flux fields are expelled from the material. Any material exhibiting these properties is a superconductor. Unlik ...
, approximate methods in the theory of slow neutrons, the dynamics of strongly interacting particles at low energies, among many others. He constructed, jointly with Nikolay Bogoliubov
Nikolay Nikolayevich Bogolyubov (russian: Никола́й Никола́евич Боголю́бов; 21 August 1909 – 13 February 1992), also transliterated as Bogoliubov and Bogolubov, was a Soviet and Russian mathematician and theoret ...
, an axiomatic perturbation method for quantum field theory (1954—1958) and developed renormalization group
In theoretical physics, the term renormalization group (RG) refers to a formal apparatus that allows systematic investigation of the changes of a physical system as viewed at different scales. In particle physics, it reflects the changes in the ...
method (1955—1956). He invented and developed the method of quantitative description of elastic
Elastic is a word often used to describe or identify certain types of elastomer, elastic used in garments or stretchable fabrics.
Elastic may also refer to:
Alternative name
* Rubber band, ring-shaped band of rubber used to hold objects togethe ...
and quasi-elastic hadron
In particle physics, a hadron (; grc, ἁδρός, hadrós; "stout, thick") is a composite subatomic particle made of two or more quarks held together by the strong interaction. They are analogous to molecules that are held together by the ele ...
collisions at low energies (1959—1970).
Publications
Books
*N. N. Bogoliubov, V. V. Tolmachev, D. V. Shirkov (1958): A New Method in the Theory of Superconductivity. Moscow: Academy of Sciences Press. .
:— Kessinger Publishing, 2007. , . .
*N. N. Bogoliubov, D. V. Shirkov (1959): Introduction to the Theory of Quantized Fields. New York, Interscience. The first text-book on the renormalization group
In theoretical physics, the term renormalization group (RG) refers to a formal apparatus that allows systematic investigation of the changes of a physical system as viewed at different scales. In particle physics, it reflects the changes in the ...
theory.
*D. V. Shirkov, V. V. Serebryakov, V. A. Mescheryakov (1969): Dispersion Theories of Strong Interactions at Low Energy. North-Holland. , .
*N. N. Bogoliubov, D. V. Shirkov (1980): Introduction to the Theory of Quantized Fields. John Wiley & Sons Inc; 3rd edition. . .
*N. N. Bogoliubov, D. V. Shirkov (1982): Quantum Fields. Benjamin-Cummings Pub. Co., .
*V. V. Belokurov, D. V. Shirkov (1991): The Theory of Particle Interactions. American Institute of Physics. .
Selected papers
# V. F. Kovalev and D. V. Shirkov
The Bogoliubov renormalization group and solution symmetry in mathematical physics.
''Phys. Rep.'', 2001, v. 352, pp. 219–249.
See also
*Landau pole
In physics, the Landau pole (or the Moscow zero, or the Landau ghost) is the momentum (or energy) scale at which the coupling constant (interaction strength) of a quantum field theory becomes infinite. Such a possibility was pointed out by the phy ...
References
External links
Biography at the department of Quantum Theory and High Energy Physics at MSU
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shirkov, Dmitry
1928 births
Quantum physicists
Soviet physicists
20th-century Russian physicists
Soviet inventors
Moscow State University alumni
Moscow State University faculty
Corresponding Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences
Full Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Theoretical physicists
2016 deaths