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Kirill Ivanovich Shchelkin (; born Kirakos Hovhanesi Metaksian; – 8 November 1968) was a Soviet
physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
of Armenian origin in the former Soviet program of nuclear weapons who made theoretical and experimental contribution in
combustion Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combustion ...
and
gas dynamics Compressible flow (or gas dynamics) is the branch of fluid mechanics that deals with flows having significant changes in fluid density. While all flows are compressible, flows are usually treated as being incompressible when the Mach number (the ...
. He was notable for his work on the detonation process of the first Soviet nuclear weapon, the
RDS-1 The RDS-1 (), also known as Izdeliye 501 (device 501) and First Lightning (), was the nuclear bomb used in the Soviet Union's first nuclear weapon test. The United States assigned it the code-name Joe-1, in reference to Joseph Stalin. It was de ...
, and the first
thermonuclear Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei combine to form a larger nuclei, nuclei/neutron by-products. The difference in mass between the reactants and products is manifested as either the release or absorption of ener ...
device, and for his role as the first scientific director of the Soviet nuclear weapons development center in the
Urals The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.
at Chelyabinsk-70.


Life and career

He was born in
Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...
,
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
, and baptised at home by an
Armenian Orthodox The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic Church, belongs to the Arme ...
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
.
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
by nationality. He lived in the
Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...
as a young child. When he was aged seven, his family moved to Krasny, where his father – a land
surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the ...
and his mother, a teacher, both of ethnic Russian extraction – came from. In 1924, his family moved to
Karasubazar Bilohirsk (until 1944 – Karasubazar, ; , ) is a city and the administrative centre of Bilohirsk Raion, one of the raions (districts) of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which is recognised by a majority of countries as part of Ukraine, but i ...
(now Belogorsk) in the
Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
because his father was suffering from
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. When his father succumbed to the disease in 1926, the 15-year-old pupil Shchelkin also had to work to support his family. In 1928, he enrolled at the Crimean Pedagogical Institute in the faculty of Physics and Technology, graduating in 1932. After graduation, he was invited to join the
Institute of Chemical Physics The Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics (IPCP)See the web sitInstitute of Problems of Chemical Physics RAS () of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) consists of 10 scientific departments and about 100 laboratories each one held by an inde ...
of the
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
Academy of Sciences in
Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
as a laboratory assistant. Here he first met
Igor Kurchatov Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov (; 12 January 1903 – 7 February 1960), was a Soviet physicist who played a central role in organizing and directing the former Soviet program of nuclear weapons, and has been referred to as "father of the Russian ...
, who was to become an important supporter. He researched combustion processes, specifically the suppression of methane explosions in coal mines and suppressing the detonation of fuel-air mixtures in the cylinders of
internal combustion An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal comb ...
engines. In May 1934,
scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...
published an article in the
Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics The ''Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics'' (''JETP'') [ (''ЖЭТФ''), or ''Zhurnal Éksperimental'noĭ i Teoreticheskoĭ Fiziki'' (''ZhÉTF'')] is a peer-reviewed Russian bilingual scientific journal covering all areas of experim ...
in which he described calculating the frequency of rotation in the newly studied phenomenon known as spin detonation, where the flame front in combustible gaseous mixtures advances (for example) in a spiral manner along a cylinder, which drew the attention of combustion specialists. He also wrote about experiments concerning the effect of irregularities in the walls of mine workings which caused turbulence that could accelerate flame propagation should combustion occur if the chambers were filled with combustible gases. He gained his Ph.D. in December 1938 with a thesis presented to the academy: “On the theory of the onset of detonation in gas mixtures”.
Yakov Zel'dovich Yakov Borisovich Zeldovich (, ; 8 March 1914 – 2 December 1987), also known as YaB, was a leading Soviet physicist of Belarusian origin, who is known for his prolific contributions in physical cosmology, physics of thermonuclear reactions ...
, an expert in the field, was one of a number of scientists who argued with Shchelkin from the point of view of
chemical kinetics Chemical kinetics, also known as reaction kinetics, is the branch of physical chemistry that is concerned with understanding the rates of chemical reactions. It is different from chemical thermodynamics, which deals with the direction in which a ...
made more complex by thermal effects – as opposed to Shchelkin's gas dynamics – but he conceded that Shchelkin's bravery produced exceptional experimental results... Shchelkin's plans for further research and a further dissertation were interrupted by the Nazi's attack on the Soviet Union. He volunteered and was in the platoon of artillery intelligence of the 64th rifles division, engaged in the fighting to protect Moscow. In 1942, he was ordered to return to the Institute of Chemical Physics (which was evacuated to
Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...
) by the Deputy People's Commissar for Defense, Yevgeny Schadenko. He was engaged in research into combustion in
jet engine A jet engine is a type of reaction engine, discharging a fast-moving jet (fluid), jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition may include Rocket engine, rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and ...
s. In 1943, the Institute returned to Moscow, and the following year he was appointed head of the laboratory. In 1946, he wrote a final thesis, "Fast burning and spin detonation" (also published as a monograph in 1949). He was invited to be deputy director of the Institute for Physical Problems at the academy, but he turned down the offer to continue scientific research. Shortly after this, however, he was part of a special committee which discussed the formation of a second nuclear weapons research centre, which became known as
Laboratory B Laboratory B ( Russian: ), also known as Object B () or Object 2011 during its period of operation, was a former Soviet nuclear research site constructed in 1946 by in Chelyabinsk Oblast in Russia. Operated under the 9th Chief Directorate of the ...
, on a peninsula of Lake Sungul', where he worked as part of
KB-11 The All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF; ) is a research institute based in Sarov (formerly Arzamas-16), Russia and established in 1947. During the Soviet era, it was known as KB-11 and All-Soviet (All-Union) ...
(a secret nuclear weapons development facility based in Sarov, now the
All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics The All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF; ) is a research institute based in Sarov (formerly Arzamas-16), Russia and established in 1947. During the Soviet era, it was known as KB-11 and All-Soviet (All-Union) ...
), and where German scientific knowledge was exploited as part of the "
Russian Alsos The Soviet Alsos or Russian Alsos is the western codename for an operation that took place during 19451946 in Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia, in order to exploit German atomic related facilities, intellectual materials, material resource ...
". In 1949, at the test-site in
Semipalatinsk Semey (; , formerly known as Semipalatinsk ( ) until 2007 and as Alash-Qala ( ) from 1917 to 1920, is a city in eastern Kazakhstan, in the Kazakh part of Siberia. When Abai Region was created in 2022, Semey became its administrative centre. I ...
,
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
, Shchelkin supervised the placement of the first Soviet nuclear device on the tower, put the detonating cap on the sphere of plutonium himself (and supervised the later ones). For this success, he received the
Hero of Socialist Labour The Hero of Socialist Labour () was an Title of honor, honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It represented the highest degree of distinction in the USSR and was awarded for exceptional achievem ...
award; several others followed in ensuing years, including for work on the first Soviet thermonuclear weapon. Remaining on good terms with
Igor Kurchatov Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov (; 12 January 1903 – 7 February 1960), was a Soviet physicist who played a central role in organizing and directing the former Soviet program of nuclear weapons, and has been referred to as "father of the Russian ...
, Shchelkin's knowledge, experience, managerial and business sense led to his recommendation as the first scientific director and chief designer of the new "second installation" for development of nuclear weapons at NII-1011 (also becoming known as Chelyabinsk-70 (now the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute for Technical Physics (VNIITF)), where research and development began in 1955. He was also overall scientific director
Yulii Khariton Yulii Borisovich Khariton (; 27 February 1904 – 18 December 1996) was a Russian people, Russian physicist who was a leading scientist in the former Soviet atomic bomb project, Soviet program of nuclear weapons. Since the initiation of the So ...
's deputy. He was sometimes openly critical of directives, which upset first secretary
Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...
, and he had a disputes with Efim Slavsky, the minister in charge of
Ministry of Medium Machine Building The Ministry of Medium Machine-Building (, also known as Sredmash) was a government ministry of the Soviet Union which supervised the Soviet nuclear industry, including production of nuclear warheads. History The ministry was established on the ...
which oversaw the nuclear programme. He received the
Lenin Prize The Lenin Prize (, ) was one of the most prestigious awards of the Soviet Union for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was originally created on June 23, 1925, and awarded until 1934. During ...
with his fellow researchers in 1958 after developing a new charge at NII-1011. The first weaponised Soviet nuclear charges were developed there shortly afterwards. Shchelkin continued to travel between Moscow, KB-11 and the laboratories in the
Urals The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.
, planning expansions to or closures of sites as necessary and recruiting new staff, but he retired from his directorship in 1960 because of increasing ill health – he had suffered frequent heart attacks in 1959. He continued to publish in scientific journals, was active in popularising Science, and wrote books such as ''The Physics of the Microworld'' and ''Gas Dynamics of Combustion'', both published in 1965. He died on 8 November 1968 in Moscow, and was buried in
Novodevichy cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery () is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. History The cemetery was designed by Ivan Mashkov and inaugurated ...
.


Awards and legacy

* 1949, 1951, 1953: 3 times
Hero of Socialist Labour The Hero of Socialist Labour () was an Title of honor, honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It represented the highest degree of distinction in the USSR and was awarded for exceptional achievem ...
. * 1949, 1951, 1953: 3 times Stalin Prize. * 1953:
Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...
. * 1953: Corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. * 1958:
Lenin Prize The Lenin Prize (, ) was one of the most prestigious awards of the Soviet Union for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was originally created on June 23, 1925, and awarded until 1934. During ...
. The city of Shchelkino in the
Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
, constructed in 1978 for workers of the nuclear power station, was named in his honour. In
Snezhinsk Snezhinsk ( rus, Сне́жинск, p=ˈsnʲeʐɨnsk) is a closed town in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. Population: History The settlement began in 1955 as Residential settlement number 2, a name which it had until 1957 when it received town ...
, an avenue is named after him and located there are two commemorative plaques. A monument to him was opened in Snezhinksk in May 2011; the same year, a Russian postage stamp (illustrated above) of 2011 bore his portrait. The rotating flame front in cylinders of detonating gas is known as the Shchelkin spiral and research continues into its usage in propulsion.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shchelkin, Kirill Ivanovich 1911 births 1968 deaths Corresponding Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Scientists from Tbilisi Soviet physicists Armenian nuclear physicists Armenian inventors Soviet inventors Soviet Armenians Armenian physicists Armenian scientists Recipients of the Stalin Prize Theoretical physicists Experimental physicists Nuclear weapons program of the Soviet Union people