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Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz (1915 - 1985) - Biography - MacTutor History of Mathematics

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He was a highly educated man who had a reputation throughout the Soviet Union as an outstanding doctor. We have information about Mikhail Ilyich, and also about Evgenii Mikhailovich's childhood, from a letter written by Evgenii Mikhailovich's cousins to his wife after he died <span class="non-italic">(</span>see <span><span class="non-italic">[</span><a class="reference" data-popup="&lt;span class=&quot;markup&quot;&gt;Ya B Zel'dovich and M I Kaganov, Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz, &lt;em&gt;Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society of London&lt;/em&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;36&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;(1990)&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;337&lt;/span&gt;-&lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;357&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;" href="#reference-24"><span class="non-italic">24</span></a><span class="non-italic">]</span></span><span class="non-italic">)</span>. Mikhail Ilyich's abilities as a doctor led to him treating important people, for example he cured Vsevolod Apollonovich Balitski <span class="non-italic">(1892</span>-<span class="non-italic">1937)</span>, the Ukraine commissar for internal affairs, and Feliks Edmundovich Dzerzhinskii <span class="non-italic">(1877</span>-<span class="non-italic">1926)</span>, a party leader and prominent member the revolutionary movement. He was also called to advise Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze <span class="non-italic">(1885</span>-<span class="non-italic">1925)</span> and other members of the Ukraine government. Evgenii Mikhailovich had a younger brother Ilya Mikhailovich Lifshitz <span class="non-italic">(1917</span>-<span class="non-italic">1982)</span> who also became a famous physicist <span><span class="non-italic">[</span><a class="reference" data-popup="&lt;span class=&quot;markup&quot;&gt;Ya B Zel'dovich and M I Kaganov, Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz, &lt;em&gt;Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society of London&lt;/em&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;36&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;(1990)&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;337&lt;/span&gt;-&lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;357&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;" href="#reference-24"><span class="non-italic">24</span></a><span class="non-italic">]</span></span>:- <blockquote>The brothers were different kinds of person, but had the greatest affection and regard for each other. Each knew the other's strengths and weaknesses, admiring the former and excusing the latter.</blockquote> Evgenii Mikhailovich was educated at home only spending only two years, the sixth and the seventh, in the secondary school in Kharkov. He learnt English and German as foreign languages, but next to Russian he preferred to speak English. He claimed that the German teaching had been relatively poor. As well as enjoying mathematics and science, he also enjoyed music, poetry, literature and history, keeping up these interests throughout his life. We quote from the letter from his cousins given in <span><span class="non-italic">[</span><a class="reference" data-popup="&lt;span class=&quot;markup&quot;&gt;Ya B Zel'dovich and M I Kaganov, Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz, &lt;em&gt;Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society of London&lt;/em&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;36&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;(1990)&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;337&lt;/span&gt;-&lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;357&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;" href="#reference-24"><span class="non-italic">24</span></a><span class="non-italic">]</span></span>. Lifshitz's father:- <blockquote>... often went on missions abroad, taking the family with him. He knew English extremely well. In the family, conversation with the children was in English, and they acquired a good knowledge of it. They had an excellent English teacher, Gordon, from their childhood until <span class="non-italic">1937</span>. He was an 茅migr茅 from Britain. The family also had an excellent music teacher, Alisa Nikolaevna Goldenger, who educated their musical taste and gave them <span class="non-italic">[</span>Evgenii Mikhailovich and his brother Ilya Mikhailovich<span class="non-italic">]</span> a love of music, for which they had more than ordinary talent. <span class="non-italic">[</span>The brothers<span class="non-italic">]</span> even wrote music and thought of becoming musicians. But they were simply talented boys who easily found their way to and appreciated anything they became aware of.</blockquote> We learn more about the young boy Evgenii Mikhailovich from this letter <span><span class="non-italic">[</span><a class="reference" data-popup="&lt;span class=&quot;markup&quot;&gt;Ya B Zel'dovich and M I Kaganov, Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz, &lt;em&gt;Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society of London&lt;/em&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;36&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;(1990)&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;337&lt;/span&gt;-&lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;357&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;" href="#reference-24"><span class="non-italic">24</span></a><span class="non-italic">]</span></span>:- <blockquote><span class="non-italic">[</span>Evgenii<span class="non-italic">]</span> as a child was somewhat unsociable, wrapped up in himself, but lively and responsive to his friends, either children or, later, adults. He showed them from childhood that he was the person of principle he afterwards remained. He defended his view always to the end, was restrained, but often peremptory, in his judgements. <span class="non-italic">[</span>He<span class="non-italic">]</span> did not eat much and was a thin boy. As the elder brother, he was the more independent. The two of them had a good collection of books. They played table tennis on the big table in the dining room ...</blockquote> The boys also loved to play charades and played other games such as bowling, croquet and table top games that their father had bought when on his trips abroad. They would go on holiday as a large extended family with the uncles, aunts etc being with them and making up a group of between <span class="non-italic">20</span> and <span class="non-italic">25</span> people. Evgenii Mikhailovich completed his secondary school studies in <span class="non-italic">1929</span> when he was only fourteen years old. He then studied for two years at the chemical college before beginning his university studies in <span class="non-italic">1931</span> in the physics and mechanics faculty of Kharkov Mechanics and Machine Building Institute. He graduated in <span class="non-italic">1933</span>, having completed the examinations and had a diploma thesis accepted. In <span class="non-italic">1933</span> he began working as a graduate student at the Ukrainian Physicotechnical Institute having been accepted as one of <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Lev Landau</a>'s first Ph.D. students. He explains in <span><span class="non-italic">[</span><a class="reference" data-popup='&lt;span class="markup"&gt;E M Lifshitz, Lev Davidovich Landau &lt;span class="non-italic"&gt;(1908&lt;/span&gt;-&lt;span class="non-italic"&gt;1968)&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Soviet Physics Uspekhi &lt;/em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="non-italic"&gt;12&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span class="non-italic"&gt;(1)&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span class="non-italic"&gt;(1969)&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span class="non-italic"&gt;135&lt;/span&gt;-&lt;span class="non-italic"&gt;145&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;' href="#reference-17"><span class="non-italic">17</span></a><span class="non-italic">]</span></span> what he had to do to pass <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a>'s "theoretical minimum":- <blockquote>... the first test which <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a> gave to any one who desired to become one of his students was a quiz in mathematics in its "practical" calculational aspects. The requirements were: ability to evaluate any indefinite integral <span class="non-italic">(</span>in terms of elementary functions<span class="non-italic">)</span> and to solve any ordinary differential equation of the standard type, knowledge of vector analysis and tensor algebra as well as of principles of the theory of functions of complex variable <span class="non-italic">(</span>theory of residues, <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Laplace/popup/" href="../Laplace/">Laplace</a> method<span class="non-italic">)</span>. The successful applicant could then pass on to the study of the seven successive sections of the programme for the "theoretical minimum," which includes basic knowledge of all the domains of theoretical physics, and subsequently take an appropriate examination.</blockquote> He completed the course and took the Ph.D. examination in <span class="non-italic">1934</span>. In the same year his father Mikhail Ilyich died and, also his first paper <em>On the production of electrons and positrons by a collision of two particles</em>, written jointly with <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a>, appeared in print. Let us note at this point that Evgenii Mikhailovich's mother, Berta Evzorovna, outlived her husband by <span class="non-italic">42</span> years, living until <span class="non-italic">1976</span>. After the award of his Ph.D., Lifshitz worked at the Institute until <span class="non-italic">1938</span> as a senior research scientist. In <span class="non-italic">1935</span> two further joint papers with <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a> were published, one being a continuation of their first paper while the second, <em>On the theory of the dispersion of magnetic permeability in ferromagnetic bodies</em>, is considered the most significant of his joint research papers with <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a>. The paper <span><span class="non-italic">[</span><a class="reference" data-popup="&lt;span class=&quot;markup&quot;&gt;Ya B Zel'dovich and M I Kaganov, Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz, &lt;em&gt;Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society of London&lt;/em&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;36&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;(1990)&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;337&lt;/span&gt;-&lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;357&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;" href="#reference-24"><span class="non-italic">24</span></a><span class="non-italic">]</span></span>:- <blockquote>... contains the so-called <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a>-Lifshitz equivalent of motion for the magnetisation in ferromagnets. This paper also discusses the domain structure of ferromagnets and the problem of ferromagnetic resonance.</blockquote> In <span class="non-italic">1935</span> he began work on his joint project with <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a>, the ten volume <em>Course of Theoretical Physics</em>. The first part of the book is based on lecture notes. Lifshitz continued to work on the book after <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a>'s death and it was not completed until <span class="non-italic">1979</span>. The work includes many of the results of <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a> and Lifshitz's research over many years including the results of many jointly written research papers. <br/> <br/> See extracts from the Prefaces to Landau and Lifshitz: <em>Course of Theoretical Physics</em> at <a aria-label='&lt;span class="markup"&gt;Landau and Lifshitz: Course of Theoretical Physics: Prefaces&lt;/span&gt;' class="elink" href="../../Extras/Prefaces_Landau_Lifshitz/" target="_blank">THIS LINK</a> <br/> <br/> See extracts from Reviews of Landau and Lifshitz: <em>Course of Theoretical Physics</em> at <a aria-label='&lt;span class="markup"&gt;Landau and Lifshitz: Course of Theoretical Physics: reviews&lt;/span&gt;' class="elink" href="../../Extras/Reviews_Landau_Lifshitz/" target="_blank">THIS LINK</a> <br/> <br/> Reading the descriptions of Lifshitz, both as a person and as a scientist, that have been written since his death one is struck with the large variation in them. It becomes clear that, common with many families, there was stresses and strains both in Lifshitz's family and in <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a>'s family which has played a large role in colouring the views that have been expressed in the articles. Several things, however, are very clear. Lifshitz and <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a> were close friends, <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a> was the brilliant researcher while Lifshitz was the outstanding expositor. Their talents complemented each others extremely well and they made a remarkable team. However, their work was badly disrupted in the late <span class="non-italic">1930</span>s by the extremely difficult situation that arose because of Joseph Stalin's 'Great Purge'. Beginning in <span class="non-italic">1935</span>, Stalin began a systematic elimination of his opponents in the 'Great Purge'. Soon it was leading members of his party, of the military, and important people from all walks of life who were being sent to prison, penal camps or work camps. Soon <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a> was under investigation by the KGB who had received information from informers that he was making anti-government statements. Lifshitz was in Moscow in early <span class="non-italic">1938</span>, teaching from February of that year at the All-Union Leather Institute. On <span class="non-italic">28</span> April <span class="non-italic">1938</span>, <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a> was arrested and taken to Lubyanka prison. Lifshitz decided that the safest thing for him to do was to keep out of sight in case he attracted the same attention from the KGB. He remained in Moscow until May, then went with his wife to the Crimea where he lived for three months, during which time he was in continual fear that he would be visited by the KGB. In September <span class="non-italic">1938</span> he returned to Kharkov where he taught at the Chemical Technology Institute until June <span class="non-italic">1939</span>. <br/> <br/> In <span class="non-italic">1939</span> Lifshitz's thesis for the DSc examination of Leningrad State University was accepted. From September <span class="non-italic">1939</span> he worked entirely at the Academy of Sciences Institute of Physical Problems in Moscow. In fact it was Peter Kapitsa, the director of the Institute of Physical Problems, who invited Lifshitz to Moscow and arranged for him to share with <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a> a <span class="non-italic">5</span>-room apartment on two floors. <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a> lived on the upper floor where there were three rooms, and Lifshitz and his wife, Elena Konstantinovna Berezovskaya, lived on the lower floor. It had been largely due to Kapitsa that <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a> had been released from prison for Kapitsa had written several letters to leading government members arguing forcibly for his release. Lifshitz deeply admired Kapitsa's courage in sending these letters and he treasured copies of the letters which he kept throughout his life. We could note here a comment on Lifshitz's political views. He never liked the Communist way and this meant that his views were very different from those of <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a> who strongly believed in the Communist principles. After <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a>'s arrest and year in prison, although he continued to believe in Communist principles he became strongly opposed to Stalin's leadership and this meant that from that time on <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a> and Lifshitz had more sympathy with each others political views. However, the two friends still loved to argue about many topics, but most of all about the <em>Course of Theoretical Physics</em>. <blockquote>In the afternoon, Evgenii Lifshitz would drop by <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a>'s place, and from behind the study's closed doors one could hear their loud arguments. After a couple of hours Lifshitz would leave, agitated and red-faced.</blockquote> On <span class="non-italic">7</span> January <span class="non-italic">1962</span>, <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a> was involved in a car accident on the road from Moscow to Dubna. Although he lived for six years after this accident, he was never able to return to scientific work. Lifshitz had to take charge of the production of the final volumes of the <em>Course of Theoretical Physics</em> and also take charge of the new editions of the earlier books which were produced regularly. For example, in April <span class="non-italic">1966</span> when he wrote the Preface to the second edition of <em>Statistical Physics</em>, Lifshitz wrote:- <blockquote>To my profound regret, <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">L D Landau</a>, my teacher and friend, has been prevented by injuries received in a road accident from personally contributing to the preparation of this new edition.</blockquote> Some reviewers claim that volumes written after <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a>'s death do not quite come up to the standard of the earlier ones. For example <span><span class="non-italic">[</span><a class="reference" data-popup='&lt;span class="markup"&gt;R Jackiw, Review: Course of Theoretical Physics, Vol &lt;span class="non-italic"&gt;4&lt;/span&gt; Relativistic Quantum Theory, by Evgenii Lifshitz, Lev Pitaevskii and Vladimir Berestetskii, &lt;em&gt;American Scientist&lt;/em&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="non-italic"&gt;65&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span class="non-italic"&gt;(3)&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span class="non-italic"&gt;(&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span class="non-italic"&gt;1977)&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span class="non-italic"&gt;358&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;' href="#reference-11"><span class="non-italic">11</span></a><span class="non-italic">]</span></span>:- <blockquote>This volume was written after <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a>'s death and unfortunately does not share with its predecessors these unique qualities. Not that there is anything wrong with the presentation - conventional topics of quantum field theory are adequately treated - but there is no personal imprint on the material.</blockquote> However, others believe that the exceptionally high standard of the texts written with <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a> are maintained in the later volumes where Lifshitz was the main author. After <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Landau</a>'s death, the further volumes that were written were jointly authored with Lifshitz choosing his co-authors with great care. The authors of <span><span class="non-italic">[</span><a class="reference" data-popup="&lt;span class=&quot;markup&quot;&gt;Ya B Zel'dovich and M I Kaganov, Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz, &lt;em&gt;Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society of London&lt;/em&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;36&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;(1990)&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;337&lt;/span&gt;-&lt;span class=&quot;non-italic&quot;&gt;357&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;" href="#reference-24"><span class="non-italic">24</span></a><span class="non-italic">]</span></span> describe his behaviour when he was working in the Institute in Moscow:- <blockquote>If you went into the Institute courtyard on almost any day you would come across Evgenii Mikhailovich. Not in an overcoat, whatever the season, though in winter with a beret and with a scarf around his neck, he would be walking with rapid steps from one building to another, but never, one felt, just because he was a bustler; he was genuinely incapable of wasting time. Knowing his vast work on the 'Course' in its many languages <span class="non-italic">(</span>for he made changes and corrections in every new version<span class="non-italic">)</span>, the time spent on writing further volumes, the demandingness and thoroughness with which the 'Course of Theoretical Physics' was conducted, we all understood that he had no time to waste. This did not mean that, when he crossed the courtyard, he failed to notice people, or avoided meeting them and conversing. far from it; often one could see a group of two or three in conversation and could join in. ... However, when the topic was exhausted, when the matter was settled, or when it became clear that nothing more could be added, the conversation ended, and Evgenii Mikhailovich continued at his rapid pace, until the next person crossed his path.</blockquote> For around thirty years he was been the deputy chief editor of <em>Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics</em>. The chief editor was Kapitza but it was Lifshitz who was in complete charge of the day-to-day running of the <em>Journal</em>. He would choose referees for the papers submitted to the journal and correspond with the authors with a precision and exactness that characterised all of his work. <br/> <br/> In <span class="non-italic">1966</span> Lifshitz was elected a corresponding member of the <a class="aclink" href="../../Societies/Russian/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">USSR Academy of Sciences</a> being elected a full member in <span class="non-italic">1979</span>. In <span class="non-italic">1954</span> he was awarded a State Prize, and in <span class="non-italic">1962</span> the Lenin Prize jointly with <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Lev Landau</a> for their <em>Course of Theoretical Physics</em>. The <a class="aclink" href="../../Societies/Russian/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">USSR Academy of Sciences</a> awarded him the M V Lomonosov Prize in <span class="non-italic">1958</span> for his theory of molecular interaction forces between condensed bodies, and the <a class="mlink" data-popup="../Landau_Lev/popup/" href="../Landau_Lev/">Lev Landau</a> Prize in <span class="non-italic">1974</span>. This <span class="non-italic">1974</span> prize was awarded jointly to Lifshitz, V A Belinskii and I M Khalatnikov for their work on the singularities of cosmological solutions of the gravitational equations which was presented in sixteen papers between <span class="non-italic">1961</span> and <span class="non-italic">1985</span>. In <span class="non-italic">1983</span> he was elected a fellow of the <a class="aclink" href="../../Societies/RS/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Royal Society of London</a> and, two years later, he received an honorary doctorate from Budapest University. <br/> <br/> Although Lifshitz was married to Elena Konstantinovna, he became friendly with Zinaida Ivanovna Gorobetc as early as <span class="non-italic">1948</span> and his relationship with her was quite open. He married Zinaida in <span class="non-italic">1978</span>. He had a son Mikhail who was born in <span class="non-italic">1946</span> and became graduated from the Institute of Medicine. In <span class="non-italic">1982</span> Lifshitz's brother Ilya Mikhailovich died. This hit Lifshitz very hard and from this time on his health began to deteriorate. For most of his life Lifshitz had enjoyed excellent health. His final illness was a heart problem which rapidly became worse. However, Lifshitz was always one to work extremely hard and so he battled to continue to keep up the same high work rate despite his illness. Despite his health problem, he continued to travel to many countries where he lectured at leading institutions. For example, he lectured at Cambridge University in England in <span class="non-italic">1985</span>. However, he took very badly with the illness, particularly when taken to hospital in Moscow, and continued to the end to arrange for his work on the <em>Course</em> to continue. After his death he was buried in Kuntsevo Cemetery in Moscow.</span> </div> </div> <hr /> <div class="row mt-2"> <div class="col-md-12"> <a href="../../Countries/Ukraine/" >Other Mathematicians born in Ukraine</a > <br /> <a href="poster/lived/" >A Poster of Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz</a > </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12"> <h3>References <span class="nonoscript">(<a href="#" id="references-toggle">show</a>)</span></h3> </div> </div> <div class="row" id="references-list"> <div class="col-md-12"> <ol name="references"> <li id="reference-1"><span class="markup">L P Pitaevskii <span class="non-italic">(</span>ed.<span class="non-italic">)</span>, <em>Perspectives in theoretical physics. The collected papers of E M Lifshitz </em><span class="non-italic">(</span>Pergamon Press, Oxford, <span class="non-italic">1992)</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-2"><span class="markup">A F Andreev, A S Borovik-Romanov, V L Ginzburg, L P Gor'kov, I E Dzyaloshinskii, Ya B Zel'dovich, M I Kaganov, L P Pitaevskii, E L Feinberg and I M Khalatnikov, Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz <span class="non-italic">(</span>Obituary<span class="non-italic">)</span> <span class="non-italic">(</span>Russian<span class="non-italic">)</span>, <em>Usp. Fiz. Nauk</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">148</span> </strong><span class="non-italic">(1986)</span>, <span class="non-italic">549</span>-<span class="non-italic">550</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-3"><span class="markup">A F Andreev, A S Borovik-Romanov, V L Ginzburg, L P Gor'kov, I E Dzyaloshinskii, Ya B Zel'dovich, M I Kaganov, L P Pitaevskii, E L Feinberg and I M Khalatnikov, Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz <span class="non-italic">(</span>Obituary<span class="non-italic">)</span>, <em>Soviet Physics Uspekhi </em> <strong><span class="non-italic">29</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(3)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1986)</span>, <span class="non-italic">294</span>-<span class="non-italic">295</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-4"><span class="markup">I B Bernstein, Review: Course of Theoretical Physics, Vol <span class="non-italic">10</span> Physical Kinetics, by Evgenii Lifshitz and Lev Pitaevskii, <em>American Scientist</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">71</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(2)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1983)</span>, <span class="non-italic">191</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-5"><span class="markup">H Chang, Review: Course of Theoretical Physics, Vol <span class="non-italic">8</span> Electrodynamics of Continuous Media, by Lev Landau and Evgenii Lifshitz, <em>American Scientist</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">49</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(4)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1961)</span>, <span class="non-italic">408</span>A; <span class="non-italic">410</span>A.</span></li> <li id="reference-6"><span class="markup">I E Dzyaloshinskii and L P Pitaevskii, Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz <span class="non-italic">(</span>on his sixtieth birthday<span class="non-italic">)</span> <span class="non-italic">(</span>Russian<span class="non-italic">)</span>, <em>Uspehi Fiz. Nauk</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">115</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(1975)</span>, <span class="non-italic">333</span>-<span class="non-italic">334</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-7"><span class="markup">I E Dzyaloshinskii and L P Pitaevskii, Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz <span class="non-italic">(</span>on his sixtieth birthday<span class="non-italic">)</span>, <em>Soviet Physics Uspekhi </em><strong><span class="non-italic">18</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(2)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1975)</span>, <span class="non-italic">167</span>-<span class="non-italic">168</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-8"><span class="markup">A L Fetter, Review: Course of Theoretical Physics, Vol <span class="non-italic">5</span> Statistical Physics, by Lev Landau and Evgenii Lifshitz, <em>American Scientist</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">69</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(1)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1981)</span>, <span class="non-italic">88</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-9"><span class="markup">V L Ginzburg, P E Rubinin, Z I Gorobets-Lifshitz, Ya B Zeldovich and M I Kaganov, Reminiscences on E M Lifshitz <span class="non-italic">(</span>Russian<span class="non-italic">)</span>, <em>Priroda</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">1995</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(11)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1995)</span>, <span class="non-italic">86</span>-<span class="non-italic">115</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-10"><span class="markup">G E Gorelik, How the 'Course of theoretical physics' was created <span class="non-italic">(</span>Russian<span class="non-italic">)</span>, <em>Priroda</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">2005</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(8)</span> <span class="non-italic">(2005)</span>, <span class="non-italic">67</span>-<span class="non-italic">75</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-11"><span class="markup">R Jackiw, Review: Course of Theoretical Physics, Vol <span class="non-italic">4</span> Relativistic Quantum Theory, by Evgenii Lifshitz, Lev Pitaevskii and Vladimir Berestetskii, <em>American Scientist</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">65</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(3)</span> <span class="non-italic">(</span> <span class="non-italic">1977)</span>, <span class="non-italic">358</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-12"><span class="markup">M I I Kaganov, Mikhailovich Lifshitz, <em>J. Statist. Phys.</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">38</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(1985)</span>, <span class="non-italic">3</span>-<span class="non-italic">9</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-13"><span class="markup">A G Kulikovskii, Some comments on the book 'Hydrodynamics' by L D Landau and E M Lifshitz <span class="non-italic">(</span>Russian<span class="non-italic">)</span>, <em>Prikl. Mat. Mekh.</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">50</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(6)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1986)</span>, <span class="non-italic">1041</span>-<span class="non-italic">1042</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-14"><span class="markup">A G Kulikovskii, Some comments on the book 'Hydrodynamics' by L D Landau and E M Lifshitz, <em>J. Appl. Math. Mech. </em><strong><span class="non-italic">50</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(6)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1986)</span>, <span class="non-italic">806</span>-<span class="non-italic">807</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-15"><span class="markup">E M Lifshitz, Beginnings of the physics of quantum fluids <span class="non-italic">(</span>Bulgarian<span class="non-italic">)</span>,<em> Fiz.-Mat. Spis. Blgar. Akad. Nauk.</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">27</span></strong><span class="non-italic">(60)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1985)</span>, <span class="non-italic">82</span>-<span class="non-italic">84</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-16"><span class="markup">E M Lifshitz, Lev Davidovich Landau <span class="non-italic">(1908</span>-<span class="non-italic">1968)</span> <span class="non-italic">(</span>Russian<span class="non-italic">)</span>,<em> Usp. Fiz. Nauk</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">97</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(1969)</span>, <span class="non-italic">169</span>-<span class="non-italic">186</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-17"><span class="markup">E M Lifshitz, Lev Davidovich Landau <span class="non-italic">(1908</span>-<span class="non-italic">1968)</span>, <em>Soviet Physics Uspekhi </em><strong><span class="non-italic">12</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(1)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1969)</span>, <span class="non-italic">135</span>-<span class="non-italic">145</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-18"><span class="markup">W S McAfee, Review: Course of Theoretical Physics, Vol <span class="non-italic">1</span> Mechanics, by Lev Landau and Evgenii Lifshitz,<em> American Scientist</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">50</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(1)</span> Frontiers of Zealous Research <span class="non-italic">(</span>March <span class="non-italic">1962)</span>, <span class="non-italic">109</span>A-<span class="non-italic">110</span>A.</span></li> <li id="reference-19"><span class="markup">M Rothman, Review: General Physics. Mechanics and Molecular Physics, by L D Landau, A I Akhiezer, and E M Lifshitz, <em>Science, New Series</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">160</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(3828)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1968)</span>, <span class="non-italic">667</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-20"><span class="markup">J Sapristein, Review: Course of Theoretical Physics, Vol <span class="non-italic">4</span> Relativistic Quantum Theory, by Lev Landau and Evgenii Lifshitz,<em> American Scientist</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">71</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(3)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1983)</span>, <span class="non-italic">305</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-21"><span class="markup">W R Schowalter, Review: Course of Theoretical Physics, Vol <span class="non-italic">6</span> Fluid Mechanics, by Lev Landau and Evgenii Lifshitz, <em>American Scientist</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">49</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(1)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1961)</span>, <span class="non-italic">66</span>A; <span class="non-italic">68</span>A.</span></li> <li id="reference-22"><span class="markup">A Weinmann, Review: Course of Theoretical Physics, Vol <span class="non-italic">3</span> Quantum Mechanics: Non-Relativistic Theory, by Lev Landau and Evgenii Lifshitz, <em>The Mathematical Gazette</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">43</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(346)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1959)</span>, <span class="non-italic">305</span>-<span class="non-italic">306</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-23"><span class="markup">G H Weiss, Review: Course of Theoretical Physics, Vol <span class="non-italic">3</span> Quantum Mechanics: Non-Relativistic Theory, by Lev Landau and Evgenii Lifshitz, <em>Science, New Series</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">128</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(3327)</span> <span class="non-italic">(1958)</span>, <span class="non-italic">767</span>-<span class="non-italic">768</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-24"><span class="markup">Ya B Zel'dovich and M I Kaganov, Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz, <em>Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society of London</em> <strong><span class="non-italic">36</span></strong> <span class="non-italic">(1990)</span>, <span class="non-italic">337</span>-<span class="non-italic">357</span>.</span></li> <li id="reference-25"><span class="markup">Ya B Zel'dovich and M I Kaganov, Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz, in <em>L P Pitaevskii <span class="non-italic">(</span>ed.<span class="non-italic">)</span>, The collected papers of E M Lifshitz</em> <span class="non-italic">(</span>Pergamon Press, Oxford, <span class="non-italic">1992)</span>.</span></li> </ol> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12"> <h3>Additional Resources <span class="nonoscript">(<a href="#" id="additional-toggle">show</a>)</span></h3> </div> </div> <div class="row" id="additional-list"> <div class="col-md-6"> <p>Other pages about Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz:</p> <ol name="additional"> <li><a href="../../Extras/Prefaces_Landau_Lifshitz/"><span class="markup">Landau and Lifshitz: Course of Theoretical Physics: Prefaces</span></a></li> <li><a href="../../Extras/Reviews_Landau_Lifshitz/"><span class="markup">Landau and Lifshitz: Course of Theoretical Physics: reviews</span></a></li> </ol> </div> <div class="col-md-6"> <p>Other websites about Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz:</p> <ol name="otherweb"> <li><a href="http://www.genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu/id.php?id=189262" target="_blank"><span class="markup">Mathematical Genealogy Project</span></a></li> <li><a href="http://www.ams.org/mathscinet/MRAuthorID/213833" target="_blank"><span class="markup">MathSciNet Author profile</span></a></li> <li><a href="https://zbmath.org/authors/?s=0&amp;q=Lifshitz%2C+Evgenii" target="_blank"><span class="markup">zbMATH entry</span></a></li> </ol> </div> </div> <hr /> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12"> <h3> Honours <span class="nonoscript">(<a href="#" id="honours-toggle">show</a>)</span> </h3> </div> </div> <div class="row" id="honours-list"> <div class="col-md-12"> <p>Honours awarded to Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz</p> <ol name="honours"> <li><a href="../../Honours/FRS/"><span class="markup">Fellow of the Royal Society <span class="non-italic">1982</span></span></a></li> </ol> </div> </div> <hr /> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12"> Written by <span class="markup">J J O'Connor and E F Robertson</span> <br /> Last Update January 2014 </div> </div> <!-- END MAIN BODY --> </main> <!--noindex--> <footer class="site-footer mt-3 pb-3 pt-3 pt-md-0"> <div class="row"> <div class="cr-footer col-md-4"> DJF/JOC/EFR<br /> <a href="../../Miscellaneous/copyright/" >Copyright information</a ><br /> <a href="../../Miscellaneous/accessibility/" >Accessibility statement</a > </div> <div class="links-footer col-md-6"> <a href="https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/mathematics-statistics/" target="_blank" >School of Mathematics and Statistics</a > <br /> <a href="http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/" target="_blank" >University of St Andrews, Scotland</a > </div> <div class="col-md-2"> <img src="../../static/img/st-andrews-logo.png?h=e46f195e" alt="University of St. Andrews logo" /> </div> </div> <hr /> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12"> If you have comments, or spot errors, we are always pleased to <a href="../../Miscellaneous/contact_us/">hear from you</a>. </div> </div> </footer> <!--endnoindex--> </div> <script src="../../static/js/popper.min.js?h=313789ca"></script> <script src="../../static/js/tippy-bundle.iife.min.js?h=99c14441"></script> <script src="../../static/js/site-popups.js?h=7ad47578"></script> <script src="../../static/js/foldup.js?h=0b5aeaab"></script> <script src="../../static/js/extras-popup.js?h=d0cee101"></script> <script src="../../static/js/imageMapResizer.min.js?h=319b7d80"></script> <script> imageMapResize(); 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