ABSTRACT
Yakov Borisovich’s indefatigable scientific activity and staggering versatility and intuition were always striking. He began working early, and continued to the last day of his life, having accomplished an incredible amount in a whole series of very different fields of physics. In the November issue of Uspekhi Fizicheskikh Nauk, which appeared after his death, we saw an article that made a bridge back to the beginning of his scientific work-chemical physics, surface phenomena, combustion and detonation, chemical and nuclear chain reactions. Then came jet propulsion technology, and the years of participation in the development of Soviet atomic and thermonuclear weapons. His role in this last area was exceptional, and can now be spoken of freely. He is the author of several eminent works on elementary particle physics, including the beginnings of ‘current algebra,’ the prediction of the existence of the Z0 boson and some of its properties, and a formulation of the problem of the cosmological constant. His last 25 years were devoted primarily to astrophysics and cosmology. He was always at the leading edge, and always surrounded by people. Everyone who had contact with him learned lasting invaluable lessons, both in connection with specific scientific questions and in terms of examples of how to work in science and modern technology.
