physics

Vladimir Braginsky

Vladimir Braginsky is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Vladimir Braginsky rather than just read about it. In short: Vladimir Borisovich Braginsky (3 August 1931 – 29 March 2016) was a Russian experimental and theoretical physicist and a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), and foreign member of the US National Academy of Sciences. He worked in the areas of precision and quantum measurements, the detection of gravitational waves, systems with low dissipation, and fundamental thermodynamic fluctuations.

Key takeaways

Vladimir Braginsky belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Vladimir Braginsky to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Vladimir Braginsky from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Vladimir Borisovich Braginsky (3 August 1931 – 29 March 2016) was a Russian experimental and theoretical physicist and a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), and foreign member of the US National Academy of Sciences. He worked in the areas of precision and quantum measurements, the detection of gravitational waves, systems with low dissipation, and fundamental thermodynamic fluctuations.

Biography Braginsky was born in Moscow and graduated from the Physics Department of Moscow State University in 1954, where he had been working since 1955. In 1959, he defended his thesis, and in 1967 his doctoral thesis. In 1969, he was appointed a professor.

Scientific career In the 1970s, Braginsky headed the Physics Department of Moscow State University. In the 1987 to 2001 period, he headed the department of "Molecular Physics and Physical Measurements". From 2001 to 2002, he was the head of the department of "Physics of oscillations." Braginsky is the author of over 240 articles and 4 monographs. He predicted and experimentally demonstrated ponderomotive effects of friction and stiffness in the electromagnetic field of the resonator (1967). These effects underlie many modern developments in macroscopic quantum mechanics, in particular, optical and micro cooling nanooscillators to the zero state. It proves that units of the electron charge and the proton at 10−21 (1970) and demonstrated the validity of the equivalence principle at the level of 10−12 (1971). They predicted the existence of the limits of the sensitivity of the coordinate measurements of quantum origin, now called the standard quantum limit (1967), proposed and justified principles for a new class of measurement, allowing to overcome these limitations (quantum non-demolition measurements, 1977). Beginning in 1974, together with colleagues in the department, he discovered the existence of a fundamental loss mechanism for electromagnetic waves in perfect crystals, dielectrics, thereby creating dielectric microwave resonators in sapphire with Q > 109. In 1989, he suggested high-Q optical microcavities with whispering gallery modes. Together with colleagues, he developed a number of key elements for the detectors of gravitational waves (both the bars and the laser interferometers), in particular the suspension of the proof mass with a relaxation time greater than 5 years. Braginsky and colleagues also predicted the existence of several new physical effects: the spin-quadrupole gravitational effect (1980), the friction generated by zero-point fluctuations of the vacuum (1991), and fundamental thermoelastic and thermorefractive fluctuations (1999, 2000), and parametric instabilities in high-Q opto-mechanical resonators (2001). Since 1993, the research group of Braginsky has been working within the international research project called LIGO. Braginsky has also produced a large cadre of students: of the 34 PhD candidates prepared, 12 have achieved the Doctor of Science degree, including six professors working in various departments of the Faculty of Physics at Moscow State University. Some of his other former students successfully work in institutes of the RAS and abroad.

Bibliography Google Scholar page for 'VB Braginsky'

References

External links Interview with Vladimir Braginsky (Caltech Oral Histories), 1997. U.S. National Academy of Science member page

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Vladimir Braginsky

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Vladimir Braginsky claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Vladimir Braginsky before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Vladimir Braginsky ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Vladimir Braginsky

In research: Vladimir Braginsky appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Vladimir Braginsky in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Vladimir Braginsky is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1931 births, 2016 deaths, Academic staff of Moscow State University, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Vladimir Braginsky outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Vladimir Braginsky in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Vladimir Braginsky means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Vladimir Braginsky in simple terms?

Why does Vladimir Braginsky matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Vladimir Braginsky?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Vladimir Braginsky.