Abrikosov, Alexei Alexeevich (1928– )

Russian-born US theoretical physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2003 for his contributions to the development of the theory of superconductivity. He shared the award with British-born US physicist Anthony J Leggett and Russian physicist Vitalii L Ginzburg.

At temperatures approaching absolute zero certain materials, known as superconductors, allow electric currents to flow without resistance. These materials also have the ability to partly or completely displace magnetic flows. Materials that allow both superconductivity and magnetism to occur at the same time are called type II superconductors. In the 1950s, Abrikosov developed a theory to explain the behaviour of these materials. His theories have allowed the development of advanced superconductors which retain their properties under increasing higher magnetic fields. Medical examinations using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one important application of type II superconductors.

Abrikosov was born in Moscow, Russia, and gained his doctorate in physics from the Institute for Physical Problems in Moscow in 1951. He became Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences at the same institute in 1955. In 1991 Abrikosov joined the Materials Science Division at the Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Illinois. He was elected a member of the US National Academy of Sciences in 2000 and became a foreign member of the Royal Society in London, England, in 2001.