“A little did not live up to the Nobel Prize” – Newspaper Kommersant No. 195 (7396) of 10/20/2022
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One of the most famous Russian scientists, a specialist in elementary particle physics and cosmology, Valery Anatolyevich Rubakov, has died at the age of 67. He gained worldwide fame at the age of 26 when he discovered the effect of proton decay under the influence of a magnetic monopole. Colleagues write that Valery Rubakov “changed modern scientific ideas about the origin of the Universe.” And they emphasize that he combined scientific activities with social activities – “always stood on the side of the forces of good, was uncompromising towards the forces of evil.”
“I received an email that Valery Rubakov died tonight. He was in Sarov, lectured there. He became ill, they took him to Nizhny and didn’t take him,” Boris Stern, a leading researcher at the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, wrote on social networks on Wednesday. “I’m in shock and so far I can’t write something coherent.”
Valery Rubakov was born in Moscow in 1955. He graduated from the Faculty of Physics of Moscow State University. M. V. Lomonosov and postgraduate studies at the Institute for Nuclear Research of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Mr. Rubakov made his first scientific discovery at the age of 26. “All people and substances are made up of neutrons, protons and electrons that live long enough, almost forever. Under normal conditions, protons do not decay. But his theory was that if protons are placed in special conditions – magnetic monopoles, then they will quickly decay, – explains Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Irina Arefyeva. – This special field does not exist in our vicinity, but from the point of view of the Universe it is very important question. It turns out that under other conditions, the particles that we are made of do not live so long. This effect opens up new possibilities for understanding the evolution of the Universe, where such extreme conditions can, in principle, take place.” The effect associated with the monopole catalysis of proton decay was named after Rubakov. “And this work thundered all over the world, although he was not even a candidate of science then,” recalls the physicist, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Sadovsky. obtained many important results not only in particle physics, but also in the cosmology of the early universe.”
So, Valery Rubakov was the author of the idea of “world on a brane” – the theory that the world can have not three spatial dimensions, but more, and these dimensions can manifest themselves at high energies.
“These works looked to the future. So far, these are theoretical predictions, but maybe in the future they will be observed when the experimental possibilities are expanded,” says Irina Arefyeva. “Valery Anatolyevich created the strongest scientific school of theoretical physics, recognized in the world, his work has greatly influenced our ideas about the Universe— wrote President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Gennady Krasnikov. “It is largely thanks to him that theoretical science has been preserved in our country.”
Boris Stern, in an interview with Kommersant, confirmed that in Russian physics Valery Rubakov was responsible for the “intensive production of young theorists.” “What I have been afraid of for the past few years has happened,” Mr. Stern said. “There are people who hold up a fair amount of the bright side of life. And they themselves do not hold on very tightly in this life: some because of age, some because of health. Valery has been ill with leukemia in recent years – now this is far from a death sentence, but a kind of sword of Damocles. A few years ago, he barely got out, having been ill with severe pneumonia. He continued to work intensively, travel on business trips, make presentations at conferences, teach, and deliver popular public lectures. There are many of them on the net, he is a favorite of the general public for his depth and clarity, for his style and charisma.
Mr. Stern especially noted the “civil position” of his colleague. “He was our soul mate. The signature of such a person under a letter or his appearance at the procession is worth a thousand others. And even though neither letters nor processions now achieve their direct goal, they help to survive the dark time, ”said the scientist.
All scientists interviewed by Kommersant emphasize that Valery Rubakov was “one of the main pillars of the nonconformist part of the Russian Academy of Sciences.” He participated in the creation of an informal association of academicians “Club 1 July”. “In 2013, the government proposed dissolving the Russian Academy of Sciences and creating a new organization so that former academicians would apply to join there,” recalls Mikhail Sadovsky. “Then Valery and several other people wrote a letter stating that they refused to do so. It was signed by the leading members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and as a result, the government abandoned the idea of dispersing the academy. One of the main points of the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences was broken precisely by this letter. “Then the academy was pressed down, but not crushed,” agrees Boris Stern.
According to Mr. Sadovsky, Valery Rubakov remained the unofficial leader of the 1st of July Club and “could direct the discussion in the right direction” in order to reconcile people of different views: “His ability to find the right wording and come to a compromise always surprised me.”
“The most significant scientist of the beginning XXI century. The most honest of the great scientists of our time, always on the side of good, says in the obituary “The 1st of July Club” – A little did not live up to the Nobel Prize for the Rubakov effect, one of the most beautiful in modern theoretical physics. I did not see the revival of domestic science and the restoration of the Russian Academy of Sciences. But no one has done more for this than him. We don’t know what we can do without him.”
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