Keldysh, Leonid (rus. Келдыш, Леонид Вениаминович) — a Russian physicist, RAS academician and presidium advisor, chairman of the National Committee of Russian Physicists. Author of several works that predicted the prospects of superlattices (periodic solid structures) in electronics and formed the basis for the creation of nanoscale semiconductor heterostructures.

Description

Leonid Keldysh was born in 1931. In 1957-1958 Keldysh constructed a systematic theory of tunnelling phenomena in semiconductors. In 1957 he was the first to correctly calculate the probability of tunnel transition, taking into account the band structure of the materials. The same year, he predicted the indirect (i.e. involving phonons) tunnelling effect, and in 1958 predicted the shift of absorption bands in semiconductor crystals when an electric field is applied (Franz-Keldysh effect). In 1964 Keldysh constructed a general theory of multiquantum and high frequency tunnel effects.

In 1962, Keldysh proposed to use the space-periodic field (superlattices) to control the electronic spectrum and electronic properties of crystals. In 1964 he developed a theoretical apparatus to describe the highly non-equilibrium states of quantum statistical systems, and in 1968 he predicted the condensation of excitons with formation of electron-hole drops. These works laid the theoretical foundation for the creation of nanoscale semiconductor heterostructures with preset electronic properties.

Laureate of numerous Russian and international prizes, including RUSNANOPRIZE (2009).

Author

  • Mikhail E. Popov