Awarded the Global Energy Prize for fundamental research into the physics of high-power pulse-energy engineering, and the development of pulsed power in electron accelerator applications.
RAS Academician, Member of the Board of RAS Physical Sciences Division (Moscow), Scientific Consultant, Head of Laboratory of Physical Electronics, Institute of Electrophysics of the Ural Division of the RAS.
Gennady Mesyats was born on February 28, 1936 in Kemerovo. In 1958 he graduated from Tomsk Polytechnic Institute and defended a thesis.
In 1966 Gennady Mesyats discovered the explosive emission of electrons enabling it to obtain super-strong currents out of metals.
In 1967 he created the first high-current electron accelerators. From 1977 to 1986 he headed Tomsk Institute of High Current Electronics (IHCE), Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences.
In 1984 he became the Academician of RAS. In 1986 he ran the Ural Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. At the same time he established the Institute of Electrophysics at the USSR Academy of Sciences.
From 1998 to 2005 he was the Chairman of the State Commission for Academic Degrees and Titles of the Russian Federation.
Since 1987 Gennady Mesyats became the Vice-President of RAS.
In 1990 Mesyats was the winner of Walter Dine International Prize and a year later he was granted Ervin Marx International Prize.
In 2003 Gennady Mesyats was awarded with the Global Energy Prize for fundamental research and development in the field of powerful pulse energy.
Bibliography
- Autoemission and Explosive Processes in Gas Discharge, 1982;
- Pulse Electric Discharge in Vacuum, 1984;
- Methods of Increasing and Transformation of Pulses in High-Current Electronic Engineering, 1987;
- Pulse Gas Lasers, 1991;
- Physics of Pulsed Gas Breakdown, 1991;
- Ectons, 1993;
- On Our science: Dream and Reality, 1995.
Scientific activities
- Discovered a phenomenon of electron explosive emission.
- Created the first high-current electron pulsed accelerator.
- Established Institute of Electrophysics of the USSR Academy of Science.
- Specialist in the field of high-power pulsed power engineering, high-voltage engineering, phenomena in ionized gases, processes on electrodes, high-current commutation.
- Designed high-power commutators of megavoltage range on the basis of gas discharge.
- Designed a number of high-power current interrupters.