Matvei Petrovich Bronstein

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Matvei Petrovich Bronstein
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Matvei Petrovich Bronstein
Born(1906-11-29)29 November 1906
Vinnytsia, Russian Empire
(today Vinnytsia, Ukraine)
Died18 February 1938(1938-02-18) (aged 31)
Leningrad, Soviet Union
NationalitySoviet
Known forQuantum gravity
cGh physics
Spouse(s)Lydia Chukovskaya
Scientific career
FieldsPhysics

Matvei Petrovich Bronstein (Russian: Матве́й Петро́вич Бронште́йн, December 2 [O.S. November 19] 1906, Vinnytsia – February 18, 1938) was a Soviet theoretical physicist, a pioneer of quantum gravity,[1] author of works in astrophysics, semiconductors, quantum electrodynamics and cosmology, as well as of a number of books in popular science for children.

He introduced the cGh scheme for classifying physical theories. "After the relativistic quantum theory is created, the task will be to develop the next part of our scheme, that is to unify quantum theory (with its constant h), special relativity (with constant c), and the theory of gravitation (with its G) into a single theory."[2]

He was married to Lydia Chukovskaya, a writer, prominent human rights activist, and a friend of Andrei Sakharov.

During the Great Purge, in August 1937 Bronstein was arrested. He was convicted by a list trial (Russian: "по списку") in February 1938 and executed the same day in a Leningrad prison. His wife was told that he was sentenced to 10 years of labor camps without the right of correspondence.

Bronstein's books for children "Solar Matter" (Солнечное вещество), "X Rays" (Лучи X), "Inventors of Radio" (Изобретатели радио) were republished after his reputation had been rehabilitated in 1957.

The "Bronstein Prize in Loop Quantum Gravity" is offered to post-doctoral scholars in the field,[3] the inaugural winner of which was Eugenio Bianchi in 2013.

Solar Matter[]

Samuil Marshak, a renowned children’s writer and outstanding editor, scouted Bronstein to write a popular science book for teens. Bronstein chose to describe spectral analysis, but it took many attempts as well as Marshak's advice to determine that the best plot for the story should be a history of helium.

Solar Matter was first published in book form in April 1936, whereupon Bronstein made an inscription on a copy to L. Chukovskaya, his copy editor, “To my dear Lida, without whom I would have never been able to write this book.” Later, Chukovskaya wrote that the history of helium had become intertwined in her and Bronstein’s life, “The work on the book brought us closer. In fact, the book got us married."

References[]

  1. ^ Bronstein, Matvei (2011). "Republication of: Quantum theory of weak gravitational fields". General Relativity and Gravitation. 44: 267–283. Bibcode:2012GReGr..44..267B. doi:10.1007/s10714-011-1285-4. S2CID 122107821.
  2. ^ Bronstein, M. P. "K voprosu o vozmozhnoy teorii mira kak tselogo" ("On the Question of a Possible Theory of the World as a Whole"), in Uspekhiastronomitcheskihnauk. Sbornik, No. 3 (Moscow: ONTI, 1933) p. 3–30, as quoted and translated in Gorelik (2005) loc. cit.
  3. ^ "Bronstein Prize". bronsteinprize.org. Retrieved 2017-05-06.
  • Gorelik Gennady, Frenkel, Victor, 'Матвей Петрович Бронштейн, Moscow, Nauka, 1990
  • Gorelik Gennady, Frenkel, Victor, Matvei Petrovich Bronstein and Soviet Theoretical Physics in the Thirties, Birkhäuser Verlag, 1994
  • Gorelik Gennady, 'Meine antisowjetische Taetigkeit...' Russische Physiker unter Stalin. Vieweg, 1995
  • Gorelik Gennady, Матвей Бронштейн и квантовая гравитация. К 70-летию нерешенной проблемы // Успехи физических наук 2005, No.10 [1]; Matvei Bronstein and quantum gravity: 70th anniversary of the unsolved problem // Physics-Uspekhi 2005, no 10 [2]
  • “Solar Matter” (Solnechnoye veshestvo) chapter in the book “прочерк" (procherk), by Lidya Chukovskaya published in 2013 by “Время” (Vremya), books.vremya.ru

External links[]

  • English translation of Solar Matter [3]


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