Alexei Abrikosov

Much of the technology we take for granted today, from mobile phone reception to MRI scanning, would be unthinkable without discoveries made by Alexei Abrikosov in Russia half a century ago. In the early 1950s, Abrikosov was one of only a handful of scientists around the world studying the phenomenon of superconductivity, the ability of electricity to pass through certain materials without resistance, usually at incredibly low temperatures. His discoveries took many years to gain widespread acceptance, but today his theory of the magnetic properties of Type II Superconductors, known as the "Abrikosov vortex lattice," is universally accepted. In the Soviet Union, Dr. Abrikosov was honored with the Lenin Prize, Russia's most important scientific honor. In 1991, he moved to the United States to join the Argonne National Laboratory; he became a U.S. citizen in 1999. In 2003, Dr. Abrikosov was awarded the Nobel Prize, along with two colleagues, "for pioneering work on the theory of superconductivity and superfluidity." His recent research has focused on magneto resistance, the variable resistance to electrical flow in some materials under the influence of a magnetic field. In the future, researchers hope to harness superconductivity for such uses as power lines that can conduct current without waste resistance, and high-speed trains that float above the tracks. Dr. Abrikosov addressed the Academy of Achievement at its 2004 Summit in Chicago, Illinois. In this podcast, recorded on that occasion, he tells the Academy student delegates the story of his life in Russia, and discusses the qualities he believes make a good scientist, including patience, open-mindedness and critical thinking.