Nobel Prizes in the “light” of Vavilov–Cherenkov radiation. To the 125th anniversary of the birth of S.I. Vavilov

Abstract

The objective of this paper is not a detailed review or an analysis of the studies in the field of high-energy physics initiated by the discovery of Vavilov–Cherenkov radiation, occurred more than 80 years ago at the Lebedev Physical Institute, and awarded Nobel Prizes. The paper is written to emphasize the historical significance of the discovery of the effect and its key role in further studies in high-energy physics, commended by the high award of the Nobel committee. In 1958, 24 years after the first publication about the new phenomenon, i.e., emission of electrons moving in matter with the superlight speed, discovered by P.A. Cherenkov under the supervision by S.I. Vavilov, the Nobel Prize was awarded to a group of scientists of the Lebedev Physical Institute, P.A. Cherenkov, I.M. Frank, and I.E. Tamm “for the discovery and explanation of the Cherenkov effect”. Since then, practical application of Vavilov–Cherenkov radiation is widely spread.