George Gamow

In physics, many notable names have helped shape theories and question discoveries, all in the quest to understand the world and the universe better. One man that deserves attention is Russian cosmologist and theoretical physicist George Gamow.

George Gamow worked on radioactive decay affecting the nucleus of atoms, stellar nucleosynthesis, and star formation. He discovered a theoretical explanation concerning alpha decay by way of quantum tunneling and was one of the earliest advocates of the Big Bang Theory, which he revised and extended. He was also known for his work on molecular biology.

He devoted most of his time to scientific research in his early years. Still, during the middle and latter parts of his career, he spent more time teaching and authoring several popular science books, starting with “Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland” in 1939. Some of his books are still in print today, more than 50 years after they were first published – a testament to how relevant his books are in presenting the fundamental principles of science and mathematics.

It was In Odesa, Russian Empire (now Ukraine), where George Gamow was born on 4 March 1904. His parents were ethnic Russians. His mother worked as a teacher and taught history and geography at an all-girls school in Odessa. She died when George was nine years old. 

His father taught literature and the Russian language in a local high school. Naturally, young George spoke Russian and also learned French and German. Gamow did not learn English until he was in college, becoming a fluent speaker. As a child, George loved astronomy and was given a telescope for his thirteenth birthday.

George attended Novorossiya University in Odessa from 1922-1923, moving to the University of Leningrad in 1923, where his studies included optics and cosmology. In Leningrad, he was initially mentored by cosmologist Alexander Friedman, who proposed that the universe was expanding. 

Gamow made friends with other theoretical physics students: Dmitri Ivanenko, Lev Landau, and Matvey Bronshtein (Matvey was a victim of the Soviet regime; he was arrested in 1937 and, a year later, was executed). The three students became close and formed a group called “The Three Musketeers.” The group met to analyze and talk about important discoveries in quantum mechanics.

Obtaining his degree in 1926, Gamow studied at Göttingen University in Germany, where he researched quantum theory. He obtained his doctorate through his work with the atomic nucleus in 1929.