About my academic Savior

7

О моем научном спасителе

 

My private memories of a talented Professor LETI. Lev Danilov.

One of the four academic councils of the country on the profile of my thesis was, fortunately, in Leningrad. And once again I was lucky that it consisted of several bright minds, and he was the bearer unusual for shestidesyatyh years of a liberal spirit: even seemingly impressed for the time extremely daring – denim it with a degree of youth. The Council was, it seems, only one woman, but that she was its Chairman and, of course, honored leader. A sort of older, iron, self-confident, impenetrable lady, during a conversation skillfully playing her false teeth…

 

The highlight of the thesis, in my opinion, was the material of Chapter 1.1.

 

In this Chapter I have introduced a number of concepts and definitions, which was further formulated as I thought, the new situation – the theorem about existence of a certain region of the non-linear electric circuits, which satisfied the principle of superposition in the time interval with switching valves type diodes and thyristors. On the basis of this statement in subsequent sections analysed number of devices with energy recovery, particularly powerful pulsed current generators of ejection of electrons for medical betatron.

 

The Chapter was not great engineering importance, but in the thesis was seen as heretical his attempt on the inviolability of the established theoretical foundations of electrical engineering. So kindly referred to me, a hard worker and an experienced schemer dissertation Affairs, Secretary of the Academic Council, on which I was going to defend himself, strongly recommended me to avoid a variety of problems and heart attack not to tease geese and throw to hell, not just this Chapter 1.1, but, if possible, do not include a theorem even in the app. Moreover, for protection, and so the material was more than enough.

 

But I was young, and aesthetic values, mixed with ambition, does not allow us to give up – to throw the Head, since he saw that such an exemption would violate the harmony of material, and will reduce the accuracy of the analysis. I was very young it seemed to agree – will cease to respect themselves.

 

The dissertation is ready, but due to the presence of the head of 1.1 me for several months not put in place to protect: the Council shall only knowingly communicating work. I – in any! Finally after much bickering, the Secretary out of pity for me put an ultimatum: the thesis is accepted for the protection of the Chapter only under the condition that I would find a reputable opponent, which will give for the theorem is of course a positive review.

 

Prior to this, the material of the thesis have been tested only at the level of the description of several dozen inventions, as well as a number of magazine articles and a few speeches at conferences, especially, I remember, dedicated to reason radio Day.

 

I spoke at the sections booming electropneumatically technology. In connection with the invention of high-power semiconductor keys of this direction there are countless numbers of transient young flexible branches. Change the order of current, voltage, duty cycle or frequency of their appearance completely changed the structure of the Converter units and, accordingly, the nature of the technical problems.

 

Often at a conference were not specialists who could competently comment on the performance of colleagues. He shrugged his shoulders. Believe in the word. My performances are usually preceded passage of the presenter, like: “…and here’s another on at least some kind of direction … tell us young one…”. I was glad, if you started a discussion, but more often only heard formal comments from colleagues…

 

The Council gave me a list of the nomenclature of scientific authority, which was the point to show the material. For this I printed out the manuscript in five copies, and then it imposed a few months of not less than twenty persons from the list of items for possible review on the theorem.

 

And then I knew for me an unknown side of okolonauchnyh: these, mostly elderly people, of course, were specialists in their field, zaderganie intellectuals with smart tired eyes good old dog and, of course, differed sharply from the mass spawn by the time the offended God muchmoreporn artistbuy chiefs. His views of these intellectuals demonstrated a willingness to normalized quantum of self-sacrifice unknown to the young specialist. But apparently, their life has cancer. They are all as one, looked longingly at brought me the material, and, unbelievably for me, they are not interested in its essence, and briskly inquired only one from whom I, frankly hinting about his desire to continue to fuck from this DOE – dividends. When they realized that I was not even from anyone but just himself wrote a dissertation “in the process of planned work in state-owned enterprises” although they are formally supervisors they became very sick, but obviously out of fear to harm my item image, took the material to view. Generalized statistical distribution summary of specialists in the material of the Chapter are summarized in the table:

 

 

Not competent in these matters

25%

Won’t your business to interfere

25%

The situation is true and widely known

25%

The situation is not true; bullshit

25%

 

None of them really did not understand the essence of the proposal, made no competent observations and, moreover, did not give the desired conclusion that the Position fairly and has novelty.

 

These sad results, but still not fully broken I crawled to the Secretary. Muttered something to the effect that he had not seen trenchant me of the blockheads, he gave me an ultimatum last chance: at the Department of Theoretical fundamentals of electrical engineering “LETI” from a long trip back to the young Professor Lev Danilov. He is a specialist in non-linear circuits, and its conclusion will put an end to my stubbornness.

 

Then I realized that this is the Daniel that I once worked in VNIIM and even, maybe we worked there once at the same time. Even found a photo 13×18, where we were almost the same age, on Saturday, in the same shoes drag two loaded with ground litter. In fact, I know him not been and may never even talked to, but heard about it the following legend.

 

Once in the lab, where he worked came to the higher UPS. Everyone sat in desks and began vigorously to demonstrate diligence. And Danilov as I went, and continued thoughtfully walking between the tables. The authorities expressed their displeasure, saying that all the work, and here You stroll! He replied that he thinks. Then the Boss he said that if instead of working he will think he will just be fired. It is interesting to note that in those days he developed a new kind of mathematics, the application of which has greatly expanded scientists ‘ ideas about a number of theoretical laws of electrical engineering. But Our it still somehow did not get it, and he “selfish reasons” he moved in LETI, where very quickly consistently defended PhD and then doctoral dissertation and became the youngest doctor of Sciences…

 

And here I am at the Department of Theoretical fundamentals of electrical engineering at LETI. I was surprised that Danilov has prescribed the date with an accuracy of one minute, and not the other – plus or minus half a day. But I was secured, as usual, an hour early. Noticed that the mail boxes written at the Department half-empty, and only one crowded and piled on top of Professor Daniel. Almost all that could be distinguished in English. Employees proudly explained that it is in order: Danilov – world-class expert. It shocked me: getting even a single letter from abroad was a disaster, fraught with suspension Clearance. Moreover, the position of Professor in this Institute was considered to require a report on each contact with the West. I still do not understand how he, technically, could master such a mass of justificatory papers. ..

 

But then came Professor Danilov. Surprisingly polite and soft. Feeling the weakness I stammered, begged to take a Head on view. But, to my horror, it is quite decisively rejected it, although he agreed in my presence to review the material. I was convinced of the sad outcome: sitting near as clever Masha, and watch. For ten years, as I have not seen him, he has matured. The wise man’s eyes, and in the process of reading his face I couldn’t spot any hint of emotion – zero lability. He read for about ten minutes. Then two or three minutes thought and then blurted out me a summary of what they say is all true, for him, this approach is new and even interesting. I could not believe my ears and couldn’t hold back the tears, though still doubted whether he got it. But in a subsequent interview immediately convinced – even as truncating at 100%, in confirmation of which he gave me a few valuable recommendations on material flow and terminology. And here I am, covered in snot, drunk from happiness, just to add insult to injury, asked him, first of all- do not tell it in the form of a deductive justification of the Theorem and, second (to pardon, so pardon!) – do not agree to be the official opponent for the thesis defence. Then he slightly thinking, took a piece of paper (which I still kept as a Holy relic) and then sketched the shape of the correct approach in the conventional categories. God, how I regretted then that is not taken with a handheld tape recorder not to miss any stroke of his judgments. Shocked quite extraordinary power of thought, conciseness and accuracy of statement, and with very good adaptation to my terminology. And the possibility of opposing it resulted in two factors. What? – I was eager to me. I agree!

 

And then he answered the king’s extravagance: first, the examined material must be present in the dissertation and, second, its results should be almost used it in the analysis of the circuit design. Oh My God!!! After all, this is completely consistent with my ideefixe, diametrically contrary to the pragmatism of the native common sense…

 

All of our conversation took probably half an hour, and that half-hour was probably the happiest and most meaningful in my life…

 

And now, completely agreeing with the other recommendations of the Council, I forcefully corrected and stung thesis normalized to a hundred and fifty pages, printed it and passed a bunch of ill-fated bureaucratic thorns clearance.

 

As preparation for the protection of well-wishers warned me about the threat, an unusually harsh style of opposition Daniel: even in the optimistic case, first he brutally wallowing in the mud, but then he himself washed, ripped old clothes, wore a new and finally took on a new broad, but only he led the way, blessing her further adventures. The intellectuals of the crowd went to his interlocutor doctoral theses as an exquisite theatrical performance.

 

And here, I brought an already-completed thesis for review to Danilov – now my first official opponent. Unlike the others, he again took the material with him, and immediately in front of me in the next hour I flipped through and immediately wrote a review. The volume was relatively small, but as it turned out, it contained of importance more important than others, of twenty, official reviews. To my surprise, the review was written extremely vividly, somewhat playfully and contained very insightful comments, and also the sections that have nothing to do with the Theorem. Boggles – how did he manage to notice a number of rough edges in the output koinuma, in my opinion, absolutely unreadable analytical expressions. All observations were made in extremely gentle, benevolent form. Again, I was struck by his unique talent and tact, by no means commensurate with the surrounding sovkovye generosity and nobility.

 

The third time I saw Danilova had on defense. After my main presentation, the Chairman is a woman with a polite smile Chinese dimensionless corrected me: in my report, perhaps You misspoke, because in Your case quasilinearity is performed only in the intervals between switching of valves. With their backs against the wall, I was looking for the most polite answer, but nothing came up except the rude daring:

 

-There is trivial. It is just about the intervals that contain these shifts.

 

How?.. Do You know that does not happen?

 

In some parametric circuits – happen! And this is proved in Chapter 1.1.

 

-No, not there!..

 

After such a meaningless squabble evil “happens – does not happen”, which, as it seemed to me, lasted at least a minute, there came a painful silence: the lady like pulled ashore by a fisherman off spinners pike, frantically grabbed the air mouth and bulging bloodshot eyes searched her substitute Secretary, and I’m praying for that not to faint, – Danilov.

 

In that moment, when I saw him in his usual impenetrable Buddhist self-absorption, the Secretary suddenly appeared and rather loudly muttered, “What happens, happens!”. – “Who is the first opponent?!! Evil growled she … Ah, Daniel!..” Abruptly relenting: “okay, Then carry on!” I pulled myself together and answered a number of is clearly not bloodthirsty ordinary questions. And now give the floor to the first opponent. Danilov, contrary to its traditions, at the beginning began to escalate: his ego was already satisfied, on the contrary, immediately began to dig, but her performance built, as always, with brilliant refinement. Its meaning is that supposedly the author of his youth and inexperience can’t explain to my colleague Professor a few simple things from which it is clear that he is in his thesis just proposed… and again a bunch of shiny sharp passages, which allowed everyone to more or less understand the essence and to save face in this seemingly stalemate situation…

 

Then I liked everything: the audience was extremely much sincere interest in the most different, primarily in engineering, aspects. I was in shock and got away from the protection of long-awaited satisfaction. Defended without the black balls, personally, was not familiar with any of the members of the Council…

 

My gratitude Danilov took indifferently. From the Banquet refused. I wanted to share a few new ideas and at least a little to talk, but was clearly not interested in him. Now I know he was then all-consuming hobby is solving problems of fundamental mathematics in the field of Queen of the Sciences – the theory of numbers. It saves time…

 

………………………………………………………………………..

 

Daniel died prematurely, tragically, and say, not without burns from Our; his family believe that “the range break his spine”. At all times, Brilliant people rarely give long to live… Sad!..

 

 

www.proza.ru/2010/01/09/225

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