Lev Andreyevich Artsimovich died in Moscow on March 1 of a heart attack at the age of 65. Director of the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, member of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences and Academician-Secretary of its Division of General Physics and Astronomy, President of the National Committee of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, delegate on the Council of the European Physical Society, President of the National Committee of Soviet Physicists, member of the Commission on disarmament problems of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and member of the International Continuing Committee of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs - Artsimovich had for more than a decade played a pivotal role in the internal development of Soviet science and its growing international involvement.
Born in Moscow, educated in Minsk, a professor at Leningrad University before the war, war-time and postwar collaborator of Igor Kurchatov (godfather of the Russian atomic energy program), professor at Moscow University since 1953, Artsimovich's interests spanned many branches of physics including x-rays, slow neutron physics, interactions of fast electrons, positron annihilation, magnetic bremsstrahlung, ion and electron optics, electromagnetic isotope separation and gas discharges. For the last 20 years, his main scientific interest was in the physics of high temperature plasmas. He invented the Tokamak, the device that has come closest to demonstrating the feasibility of controlled thermonuclear (fusion) energy production. Nevertheless, although he often told me that he was certain that the conditions for controlled thermonuclear reactions could be attained in the laboratory, he was equally certain that this would not happen in his lifetime - that it was still 10 to 20 years away - because the solution of a problem of such great technological difficulty could not be achieved without a better understanding of the basic physics of the processes involved.
But his interests in science far transcended the field of plasma physics. He was a major driving force in the Soviet Academy in support of research in high energy nuclear and particle physics and in various branches of modern astronomy and astro-physics, believing that only through deep and effective involvement in these frontier fields would Soviet science be able to achieve a position in the forefront of modern world science. He was a conscientious and devoted teacher, as proud of the popularity of his courses in plasma physics and ion optics as of his scientific achievements. As a science administrator, he fought a vigorous and continuing battle to break down the traditional system of control over science by the authoritarian "herr professor," insisting on mandatory early retirement of laboratory heads and the establishment of direct mechanisms for bringing young scientists into positions of authority as early as possible. Although still at the peak of his intellectual powers, he was preparing to step down next year from the dictatorship of his Institute. Lev was scrupulous in practicing what he preached.
Lev Artsimovich was a kind and gentle man, but with a sharp, acerbic wit that could not tolerate fools, let alone knaves. He believed in the future, despite a short-range pessimism that was easily mistaken for cynicism on first encounter. He distrusted most politicians but believed that, in the long run, men of intelligence and good will everywhere will converge to bring sanity into the affairs of states. He was a loyal citizen of his country, but believed that it could learn a great deal from observing the rest of the world. He believed in open international contacts of all kinds as a basic good, not only because they tend to make the world a safer place, but also because he could not conceive that others would not enjoy travel and variety as much as he did.
Artsimovich was a true member of the Russian intelligentsia. He knew them all, from the currently popular ballerina to the unexhibited avant-garde abstract painter of religious themes, and he enjoyed surrounding himself with the most varied and interesting of its members. Through him, on a number of occasions - most recently at the beginning of this year - I was privileged to observe how rich, varied and unexpectedly uninhibited the intellectual life of Moscow can be, despite vexing and inexcusable (and, unfortunately, growing) pressures from a rigid, sometimes stupid bureaucracy and traditionally heavy-handed police. Lev accepted his role in the system. He was proud of his contributions to the development of Russian science, but he never stopped working for its evolution in the direction of greater humanity and more freedom. He was no Don Quixote, but neither did he shy away from the battle. With an eye always to a brighter tomorrow, Lev Artsimovich made his peace with the present. But in doing so, he managed to leave a positive and lasting imprint on his country's and world's future.
Bernard T. Feld
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