Vladimir E. Fortov#

Obituary, Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE)
Obituary, Universität Rostock (in German)
Obituary, The European High Pressure Research Group (EHPRG)
Obituary, National Academy of Sciences

Curriculum Vitae#

Professor Vladimir E. Fortov is a well-known scientist in the field of plasma and Space physics, extremely high pressures and temperatures, physics and chemistry of strong shock and detonation waves, pulsed energetics. He is academician of Russian Academy of Sciences, head of the Division of Energetics, Machinery, Mechanics and Control Systems of RAS and director of Joint Institute for High Temperature of RAS.

Vladimir E. Fortov was born in Moscow, Russia on 23 January 1946. In 1962 he entered Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology – the prestigious Russian Education Center in Physics. Following his graduation in 1968 he accepted a post-graduate position in the same Institute. After completing his PhD in Strongly Coupled Plasma Physics in 1971, he was invited by Nobel Laureate acad. N.Semenov to the Institute of Chemical Physics of Russian Academy of Sciences to join prof. Lev Altshuler and acad. Yakov Zeldovich’s teams working in the field of intense shock and detonation waves, high dynamic pressure and high energy density physics. He took his Doctor degree “Physics of Strongly Coupled Plasma Generated by Intense Shock Waves” by Russian Academy of Sciences in 1976. In 1978 he received professor’s degree in Physics and Chemistry. Since 1976 he headed High Dynamic Pressure and Detonation lab and then division in the Institute of Chemical Physics of RAS; 1992- Institute for High Energy Density of RAS; 2007- Joint Institute for High Temperature of RAS.

As a Chairman of Russian Foundation (1993-1997) for Basic Researches prof.V.Fortov initiated and organized a long-term collaboration between RFBR and the National Center of Scientific Researches (CNRS), in the field of basic researches. This agreement presently grew into wide-sized science-technology collaboration.

Vladimir E. Fortov with his French colleagues proposed and realized large-scale French-Russian Space experiment onboard the International Space Station. This dusty plasma Space experiments were carried out with collaboration with GREMI Scientific Center. In 2001 on Russian Space Station (MKR) it was successfully realized the Russian-French experiment “Andromede-I”.

Vladimir E. Fortov and his Institute participated in the International Russian, French, German, Hungarian Space project VEGA – investigation of Halley comet. He was responsible for dust protection system Spaceprobes “Vega I, II” and for scientific devices, based on hypervelocity impact phenomena. He participated as a leader of a Russian team in the International project Plasma and shock waves phenomena generated by hypervelocity impacts of Shoemaker-Levy 9 Comet against Jupiter and Deep Impact Space Mission.

Under the direction of Vladimir E.Fortov the theoretical and experimental studies of strongly coupled “dusty plasma” were carried out over a wide range of plasma parameters and experimental devices: under conditions of thermal plasma and glow discharges and under conditions of plasma induced by UV and nuclear radiation. The dust ordered structures (“plasma crystal”) were found for the first time in the DC glow discharge, in inductive RF discharge and nuclear induced plasma, in the thermal plasma at atmospheric pressure. Investigations of dusty plasma induced by solar radiation and dust structures in DC glow discharge were firstly carried out on the “Mir” space station and now are successfully continuing at the International Space Station under microgravity conditions.

Vladimir E. Fortov performed experimental investigations on physical properties of hot dense matter at megabar pressure range. He is one of the firsts who applied the intense shock and detonation waves for investigations of physical properties of plasmas under extreme pressure and temperature.

On the base of experimental results obtained in his laboratory and the other data Vladimir E. Fortov developed a general method of constructing the wide-range semi-empirical equations of state (EOS) of materials in a broad range of pressure and temperature. He has suggested theoretical models of thermodynamical, transport and optical properties of the hot dense matter. On the basis of these models 2D and 3D computer codes were developed for computer simulations of the processes in advanced energetics, nuclear, aviation and space systems based on the high energy density matter.

Vladimir Fortov was awarded with many Russian prizes and medals. Order of Red Banner, 1986; USSR State Award, 1988, in Physics and Mathematics; USSR Government Award, 1990; Order “For Merits for Fatherland” 4th degree, 1996; State Award of Russian Federation, 1997; Award of the Government of Russian Federation, 1997, in Physics; Award of the Government of Russian Federation, 1999; Order “For Merits for Fatherland” of 3rd degree, 1999, Patent of Nobility of the Government of Russian Federation, 2002, Gold Honorary Plaque “Public Recognition”, 2005, Order of Honour of Russian Federation, 2007, Acad. N.N.Semenov Gold Medal of Russia Academy of Engineering Sciences, 2008.

Along with the Russian prizes and medals Vladimir E. Fortov was awarded L.P. Karpinsky International Prize in Physics and Chemistry, 1997; International P. Bridgeman Prize for Achievements in High Pressure Physics and Technology; 1999, International Max-Plank Award for Physics, 2002; International Alfven Prize of European Physical Society in Plasma Science; 2003; Americal Physical Society Prize in Shock Compression Science for Pioneering Research in High Energy Density Physics, 2005; A.Einstein Gold Medal of UNESCO for Achievements in Science and International Collaboration, 2005; Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz) for Achievements in Science and Collaboration with German Researchers, 2006; Honoured Legion Order, France, 2006; International Glass Memory Award for Achievements in Shock Wave Science, 2009.

Vladimir E. Fortov is a Member of Russian Academy of Sciences (1991-), Member of European Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, Paris (1998-), Academia Europaea, London, International Academy of Astronautics (2000-), Max Plank Society (2000-), Fellow of American Physical Society (2001-), Foreign Member of the National Academy of Engineering, USA (2002-), Foreign Fellow of the Royal Engineering Academy, England (2003-), and of the Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences, Sweden (2004-), Honorary Doctor of Rostock University, Germany – 2006, Honorary Professor of Ben-Gurion University, Faculty of Engineering Science - 2009, Member of the Norwegian Scientific Academy for Polar Research – 2009, Visiting Professor of Dept of Physics of Imperial College, London – 2009-2013, Dr. Phil. Nat. Honoris Causa of Frankfurt University – 2010.