PHYSICISTS from Belarus

Top 5

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Belarusian Physicists of all time. This list of famous Belarusian Physicists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Zhores Alferov (1930 - 2019)

With an HPI of 65.67, Zhores Alferov is the most famous Belarusian Physicist.  His biography has been translated into 78 different languages on wikipedia.

Zhores Ivanovich Alferov (Russian: Жоре́с Ива́нович Алфёров, IPA: [ʐɐˈrɛs ɨˈvanəvʲɪtɕ ɐlˈfʲɵrəf]; Belarusian: Жарэс Іва́навіч Алфёраў; 15 March 1930 – 1 March 2019) was a Soviet and Russian physicist and academic who contributed significantly to the creation of modern heterostructure physics and electronics. He shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics for the development of the semiconductor heterojunction for optoelectronics. He also became a politician in his later life, serving in the lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, as a member of the Communist Party from 1995.

2. Otto Schmidt (1891 - 1956)

With an HPI of 58.76, Otto Schmidt is the 2nd most famous Belarusian Physicist.  His biography has been translated into 40 different languages.

Otto Yulyevich Shmidt (born Otto Friedrich Julius Schmidt; 30 September [O.S. 18 September] 1891 – 7 September 1956), better known as Otto Schmidt, was a Soviet scientist, mathematician, astronomer, geophysicist, statesman, and academician.

3. Yakov Zeldovich (1914 - 1987)

With an HPI of 57.99, Yakov Zeldovich is the 3rd most famous Belarusian Physicist.  His biography has been translated into 44 different languages.

Yakov Borisovich Zeldovich (Russian: Я́ков Бори́сович Зельдо́вич, Belarusian: Я́каў Бары́савіч Зяльдо́віч; 8 March 1914 – 2 December 1987), also known as YaB, D.S. was a leading Soviet physicist of Belarusian origin, who is known for his prolific contributions in physical cosmology, physics of thermonuclear reactions, combustion, and hydrodynamical phenomena. From 1943, Zeldovich, a self-taught physicist, started his career by playing a crucial role in the development of the former Soviet program of nuclear weapons. In 1963, he returned to academia to embark on pioneering contributions on the fundamental understanding of the thermodynamics of black holes and expanding the scope of physical cosmology.

4. Leonid Mandelstam (1879 - 1944)

With an HPI of 51.48, Leonid Mandelstam is the 4th most famous Belarusian Physicist.  His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Leonid Isaakovich Mandelstam or Mandelshtam (Russian: Леонид Исаакович Мандельштам, IPA: [lʲɪɐˈnʲit ɨsɐˈakəvʲɪtɕ mənʲdʲɪlʲˈʂtam] ; 4 May 1879 – 27 November 1944) was a Soviet and Russian physicist.

5. Zygmunt Florenty Wróblewski (1845 - 1888)

With an HPI of 51.41, Zygmunt Florenty Wróblewski is the 5th most famous Belarusian Physicist.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Zygmunt Florenty Wróblewski (Polish pronunciation: [zɨɡˈmunt vrubˈlɛfskʲi]; 28 October 1845 – 16 April 1888) was a Polish physicist and chemist. Together with Karol Olszewski, he was the first scientist in the world to liquify nitrogen in 1883.