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PROF. G. ASKAR'YAN DIED Professor Askar'yan was an outstanding physicist who made important contributions to many branches of physics. His University mates remember that in late 40es, being a student, he proposed a new way of detecting fast charged particles by use of the overheated liquid. His proposal did not meet any approval at that time, but later the same idea was realized independently by Glaser and is widely known now as a bubble chamber. His subsequent works turned out to be more lucky and brought him a recognition which he fully deserved. He published about 230 scientific papers which cover almost all realms of contemporary physics. Among his most impressive achievements is so called "self-focusing" of strong wave beams predicted in 1962 and constituting now a basic effect of nonlinear optics, nonlinear acoustics and, more general, of nonlinear science. His investigation of electromagnetic and acoustic effects accompanying intense cosmic showers led to global system of detecting cosmic rays and neutrinos. Professor Askar'yan is one of the world most known physicist engaged in the field of interaction of laser radiation with a matter. His results provide us with the understanding of wide variety of complicated phenomena related to this problem. Professor G.Askar'yan investigated also the biological effects of laser radiation on human tissues, the ecological effects related to strong electromagnetic radiation. His recent investigations determine the direction of further research for many years. With this short and incomplete list of Askar'yan's achievements we only try to show how much he created and how important is what he created. Gurgen Askar'yan had sharp mind and sharp tongue. Therefore some people loved him and some not. Nevertheless his death turned out to be a terrible loss for all who knew him. |