THE FOREFRONT
OF PHYSICS
OF PHYSICS
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The Forefront of Physics is a new international science education project where from Skoltech and Ogoniok Magazine where world-famous Russian physicists talk about cutting-edge research in physics that may completely change our world in the very near future.
Is it possible to manage the trajectory along which a hurricane moves or the delivery of medications inside the human body to specific organs and tissues; could we build a space elevator or come up with a sonic laser; would it be possible to extract information from a black hole or see another galaxy through a wormhole? Or could we perhaps figure out where new ideas come from and explain to people how it happens?
Let's discover the forefront of physics and beyond together!
Is it possible to manage the trajectory along which a hurricane moves or the delivery of medications inside the human body to specific organs and tissues; could we build a space elevator or come up with a sonic laser; would it be possible to extract information from a black hole or see another galaxy through a wormhole? Or could we perhaps figure out where new ideas come from and explain to people how it happens?
Let's discover the forefront of physics and beyond together!
Partners and contrubutors
Oleg Astafiev
What are superconducting qubits? What are their advantages? Can the volume of information exceed the number of atoms in the universe? What are artificial atoms used for? How to create an "on-demand" photon source and a sound laser? How can an intellectual discussion lead to the creation of a work of art? Can we recognize the real world behind the equations of quantum mechanics? We discussed these issues with Oleg Astafiev, professor of Skoltech and the lab director at Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT). For about twenty years, he worked in Japan and the UK, but finally decided to return to Russia. The main reasons are talented students and lively scientific discussion.
Fazoil Ataullakhanov
Why does the novel coronavirus cause clotting? How can biophysics help fight the pandemic? How can you measure the force of a single molecule and create living matter from non-living matter? Fazoil Ataullakhanov, professor at Moscow State University, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and the University of Pennsylvania told us about an advanced and very unusual branch of physics.
Alexander Belavin
What is matter made of? Is there a chance of proving string theory? Can we build a quark superbomb? An interview with one of the leading theoretical physicists, principal researcher of the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, Alexander Belavin.
Gennadiy Borisov
A two-tailed comet—the brightest to be seen in the last 25 years—has made its closest pass of Earth. Legendary amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov on what the comet is bringing on its tails, a new nebula that appeared in the sky, and space junk that is falling on our heads. Gennadiy Borisov leads a department at the Astronomy Research Center. The astronomer has discovered nine new comets, including the first and only interstellar one.
Vladimir Drachev
To get inside the human body to seek and neutralize diseases from the inside, scientists needed a new science at the intersection of nanophysics and biology. This has given us biosensors that promise, first, to change the field of medicine in the near future, then, go on to transform the human body, and, eventually, allow robots to feel. Skoltech professor and associate professor at the University of North Texas Vladimir Drachev told us about the prospects of biophysics and the wonders it can already achieve today.
Mikhail Feigelman
The number of scientists in the world is growing by about 20 percent every five years. Their number of published works is growing too, but many of them bring us nothing new. Do we need so many of them? Do higher education institutions keep pace with modern physics? Can theoretical physics and astrophysics actually be commercialized? Why it is only the U.S. and China who are competing in the development of a quantum computer? Principal researcher at the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Skoltech, Mikhail Feigelman, tells us why society can no longer keep pace with science, and how fashion adversely affects the latest in science.
Ildar Gabitov
The photonic computer, Wi-Fi from a lamp, invisible materials, combat lasers and supersensitive sensors… all these are products of one and the same science, photonics. Skoltech's professor Ildar Gabitov tells us why it is light that is the subject of research now by almost half of the world's physicists.
Lev Ioffe
Even the pandemic did not stop the next stage of the quantum race; on the contrary, today scientists are thinking about how a quantum computer can help overcome the coronavirus. How will our lives change in the quantum era? What prevents the dawn of a new era? Which professionals are in demand in this super-promising field of knowledge? Professor Lev Ioffe, a leading scientist in the field of quantum technology and a research fellow at Google shared his views with us.
Vladimir Kekelidze
The new NICA collider (Nuclotron-Based Ion Collider Facility) in Dubna will soon begin to simulate the first moments of our universe. Vladimir Kekelidze, director of the Veksler and Baldin laboratory of High Energy Physics at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, told us about Russia's chances to win the global collider race, whether physicists will get to the point of trading in antimatter, and how freedom of scientists and freedom of quarks are linked.
Alexei Kitaev
Is it possible to move through time by means of black holes? How do you learn to manage quantum chaos and build a bridge between parallel universes? These surreal questions are already being asked by theoretical physicists. We talked with Alexei Kitaev, professor of California Institute of Technology about the black holes which are again a focus of interest for scientists from different fields of science.
Yuri Kovalev
The possibility of life on Venus, the first photo of a shadow of a black hole, and a mysterious cloud that veils the center of the galaxy from our eyes—all these prominent space discoveries were made by radio astronomers. And that is just the beginning. Their next plan is to try to peek into wormholes to see the far side of the universe. We spoke about this with Yuri Kovalev, corresponding fellow of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who is the RadioAstron project scientist and a laboratory head at Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
Andrey Medvedev
We are seeing how the Sun is becoming one of the key objects of study for science on Earth. For the first time, probes have passed so close that they could photograph its corona; mathematicians are modeling processes that take place inside our star, while Russia — despite the sanctions and a pandemic — is building one of the world's largest heliogeophysical complexes. So, what do we know about the Sun today? Do we know enough to understand what danger we may face when the sun reaches its maximum? How much do solar flares cost our economy? And finally, why are scientists boiling the sky above us with superpowerful antennas? We spoke about this with Andrey Medvedev, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and director of the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Albert Nasibulin
Physicists working with substances at the nanolevel have no doubt that their discoveries will change our world beyond recognition in twenty years. Molecular electronics and super-efficient batteries will be in everyday use, a space elevator cable will be built, not to mention clothes with nano-particles which don't need to be washed for months... Professor of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology and Aalto University (Finland), Albert Nasibulin speaks about the most applied discipline of modern science.
Yuri Oganesyan
Why do we need new elements, which are largely unknown to anybody but nuclear physicists, writing them into the Mendeleev's periodic table? Academician Yuri Oganesyan, who spends his life hunting for new elements, tells the story.
Valery Rubakov
Science has approached its boundaries, and scientists don't know what's beyond. At least, in elementary particle physics. Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Valery Rubakov tells us about dark energy, endless space, and the effect of political sanctions on the scientific community
Valery Ryazanov
Last week, national science quietly celebrated a great event — the launch of Russia's first prototype quantum computer. The project manager, Valery Ryazanov, explains how atoms can be trapped for quantum computing, tells us why society has changed its attitude to science, predicts the end of electronics as we know it, and promises silent airplanes and levitating trains.
Alexei Starobinsky
Why is there so much order in the universe, and so little order on Earth? What is the source of dark energy? What do we have in common to discuss with visitors from other worlds? These are the topics we discussed with the world's leading cosmologist, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Alexei Starobinsky.
Rashid Sunyaev
Russian scientists have created the most detailed map of the universe. What does our galaxy look like from within? Is it easy to get lost in the stars and what exactly can we make out through gravitational lenses? Those are some of the topics world-class astrophysicist Rashid Sunyaev talked to us about.
Robert Suris
On taking Landau's theoretical minimum exams, several scientific revolutions that happened in front of our eyes, and conducting physics seminars, we talked to Robert Suris, theoretical physicist, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, distinguished member of staff of the Ioffe Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Vladimir Zakharov
Why have we still not learned to forecast the weather, and why is there still no society capable of evenly distributing resources? From the standpoint of science, these questions are of a similar nature. How can physics help us in our perennial battle with chaos? We discussed this with one of the most frequently cited Russian scientists and the world's leading expert in the theory of nonlinear waves, Vladimir Zakharov.
Alexander Zamolodchikov
Winner of ten of the most prestigious awards Alexander Zamolodchikov explained to us the causes of the global crisis in science, why physicists have begun studying human consciousness, and why Elon Musk will never become the Nikola Tesla of our time.
Lev Zelenyi
Is there any chance for Russia to win the Moon race when it's competing with four nations? What kind of life could be hidden by the dense clouds covering Venus? Is there a chance of protecting ourselves from the hard cosmic radiation? How to hide from a coronal mass ejection, and how does it threaten us? President of Space Research
Lev Zelenyi
Is there any chance for Russia to win the Moon race when it's competing with four nations? What kind of life could be hidden by the dense clouds covering Venus? Is there a chance of protecting ourselves from the hard cosmic radiation? How to hide from a coronal mass ejection, and how does it threaten us? President of Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, academician Lev Zelenyi speaks about the prospects of Russia and humanity in space.
Tatiana Podladchikova
Tatiana Podladchikova, assistant professor at the Skoltech Space Center, International Alexander Chizhevsky medal for space weather and space climate awardee, on why space weather forecasting has become a separate field of science and what questions the Sun poses to scientists in the 21st century.