Collected Papers of P.L. Kapitza

Book excerpt: Collected Papers of P. L. Kapitza, Volume I compiles the scientific papers written between 1916 and 1934 by Piotr Leonidovich Kapitza, a leading Soviet physicist and Nobel laureate. This book begins by introducing the life and career of P. L. Kapitza, which includes his studies and investigations of nuclear physics, strong magnetic fields, liquefaction, liquid helium, and high-power electronics. Other topics discussed include electron inertia in molecular ampere currents; Koch recording microphotometer; metallic conductivity and its change in a magnetic field; and methods of experimenting in strong magnetic fields. The liquefaction of helium by an adiabatic method; Zeeman and Paschen-Back effects in strong magnetic fields; and theoretical and empirical expressions for the heat transfer are also emphasized in this text. This compilation is a good reference for students and researchers conducting work on the biography and scientific contributions of P. L. Kapitza.