Lev Landau was a Soviet physicist who made some of the most significant discoveries in physics during the 20th century.
Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, on this day in 1908, Landau was a child prodigy brilliant at math and science, but struggled in relating to his classmates. He completed his studies by the age of 13 and was ready to start college much before his classmates who described Landau as a "quiet, shy boy" in school. His father was an engineer with an oil firm and his mother a doctor.
Later, he joined the Physics Department of Leningrad University, in 1924, where his first paper, On the Theory of the Spectra of Diatomic Molecules, was already in print when he was just 18-years-old. Having completed his Ph.D. at the age of 21, Landau earned a Rockefeller fellowship and a Soviet stipend which allowed him to visit research facilities in Zurich, Cambridge, and Copenhagen, where he had the opportunity to study with Nobel Laureate Niels Bohr. Renowned for his work in quantum theory, Bohr had a profound impact on his mind.
Lev Landau co-discovered the density matrix method in quantum mechanics, theory of second-order phase transitions, theory of Fermi liquid, the Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductivity among others.
"His (Landau's) wide-ranging research has linked his name to many concepts that he was first to describe including: Landau Levels, which are the focus of today's Doodle, Landau diamagnetism, Landau damping, and the Landau energy spectrum", says Google in a post explaining the doodle.
Lev Landau was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research into liquid helium's behavior at extremely low temperatures in 1962.
Google Celebrates 2024 Indian Premier League Final With A Vibrant Doodle "Amazon Of Aligarh": Google Doodle Celebrates Hamida Banu, India's First Woman Wrestler Pic: Google's Special Doodle As India Votes In Second Phase Of Lok Sabha Election World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Relationship Timeline Of Hardik Pandya, Wife Who "Parted Ways": 5 Facts Why BJP Lost Lok Sabha Polls In Uttar Pradesh - 6 Reasons In Party Report Trump-Style Ear Bandages New Trend At Republican National Convention Delhi University Inviting Applications For Course In Pali/Tibetan Hegemonistic Ambitions: Tibet PM-In-Exile On China Renaming Places In India Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.