Stephen Hoking confessed once that before his having met
Yakov Borisovich
he believed Zeldovich to be "a collective author" like Burbaki. Actually,
one might hardly find another scientist with such a large scope of
interests among the 20th century physicists. His interests involved
problems connected with chemical burning, nuclear physics and atomic
applications, explosive hydrodynamics, mathematical physics, as well as
the theory of black holes, neutron stars, and the hypothesis concerning
the origin of the Universe.
It seems to me that if he had lived a bit longer, he would certainly have
received a Nobel Prize. He used to be a man with a great wit and
intelligence. Being pragmatically minded, he managed to step over a lot of
rigid scientific viewpoints at the end of his life. I can't help
remembering the two things: how difficult it was to follow him running up
the scales of his house and how complicated it was to follow his
sparkling ideas at the lectures. The both were difficult but very
interesting.
Those who would like to get acquainted with Zeldovich's scientific
contributions, works, and rewards may do this hereafter. I shall mention
only a number of his bright discoveries:
-the first chain nuclear reaction calculations (together with
Fliorov);
-the theory of "Katiusha" rocket fuel burning (the world's first
monograph on the theory of burning);
-the discovery of the lepton charge conservation laws;
-the discovery of the energy source of black holes (accretion);
-certain ideas which later, as a matter of fact, let Stephen
Hoking discover quantum evaporation from black holes;
-the "pan-cake" theory;
-The hypothesis dealing with quantum birth of the Universe from
vacuum, etc.
The list may be complemented with such outcomes as many
"effects" forecasted and proved afterwards; his work as a lecturer (which
he himself considered as being his hobby); the manuals on mathematical
physics; his scientific guidance (he created a number of scientific
schools, from chemical physics to relativistic astrophysics; his
leadership in the theoretical aspects of the atomic project; the three
stars of Hero of Socialist Labour.
The drawing by the summary author.
Vladimir Lipunov
