Landau, Lev Davidovich
Landau, Lev Davidovich (1908-1968), a Soviet physicist. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in physics for his work with condensed matter, especially liquid helium. He developed mathematical models that use quantum theory to explain the seemingly paradoxical properties of liquid helium at temperatures near absolute zero. Landau conducted research in fluid mechanics, superconductivity, and many other areas of physics, and also contributed to the Soviet nuclear weapons and space exploration programs.
Landau was born in Baku and entered Baku University at the age of 14. He transferred to the physics department of Leningrad University in 1924, and later studied at the Leningrad Institute of Physics and Technology. He taught at the Kharkov Institute of Mechanical Engineering, 1932-37, and then worked at the Academy of Sciences in Moscow.