Shcherbakov Alexander Grigoryevich General data:
01.01.1941 - 05.07.1998
Place of birth: Melitopol city, Melitopol district, Zaporizhia region, Ukrainian SSR
Studied in: Simferopol Construction Technical School (since 2017 Crimean Multidisciplinary College) (1959); A. A. Zhdanov Leningrad Order of Lenin State University (since 1991 St. Petersburg State University) (1967);
Key interests: astrophysics, solar physics, stellar photospheres, informatic technologies, instruments and devices, variable stars, AGNs, magnetic fields of the Sun and stars, stellar evolution, non-stationary stars, stellar systems. PhD Thesis: Near-infrared spectroscopy of non-stationary stars (1979 A. A. Zhdanov Leningrad Order of Lenin and Order of the Labor Red Banner State University);
Biography:
He was born on January 1, 1941 in Melitopol city of Melitopol district of Zaporizhia region of the Ukrainian SSR.
In 1959 he graduated from the Simferopol Construction College and worked for three years in the construction trust in Simferopol. Then he entered the A. A. Zhdanov Leningrad Order of Lenin State University, majoring in "astronomy" and in 1967 graduated with honors. He began his scientific career the same year at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory. For several years he worked in the laboratory of solar physics, and then moved to the laboratory of physics of stars and galaxies. Observed on the Zeiss-50 Telescope.
In 1973 he began to engage in infrared spectroscopy of nonstationary stars, and in 1979 at the A. A. Zhdanov Leningrad Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor State University, he defended his dissertation "Near Infrared Spectroscopy of Nonstationary Stars."
In 1975, together with P. P. Popov, he proposed a model of the magnetic activity of T-Taurus-type stars.
Since 1984 he worked as a senior researcher, and since 1991 worked as a leading researcher at the Crimean Observatory. He actively participated in the creation of new spectral tools in the creation and modernization of the Observatory's computer fleet, in the introduction of electronic communications and performed the work of a network administrator.
Having begun to deal with the problems of solar activity, he returned to this topic a few years later, but on a different level, exploring the Sun as a star.
At the beginning of his scientific career, the scientist also became interested in the study of spiral galaxies. Photoelectric observations of Lacertida 3C371, the spiral galaxy NGC 4303, were performed on the original two-channel photometer with annular diaphragms created by him, and the variability of condensations in the emission from the nucleus of the galaxy M87 was studied from photographic images.
With his direct participation and, subsequently, under his leadership, a number of devices for observations in the infrared region of the spectrum were created using first electron-optical transducers and then CCD arrays. With the help of these devices they made a large number of observations of nonstationary stars of different types of variability: solar type, T Taurus, erupting stars, new, Cepheid, magnetic stars, spectral: - double, Be-stars, cold giants and others.
The astronomer was one of the first to point out the important role of the magnetic field in the evolution of T-type stars.
Observations of flashing stars in the infrared region of the spectrum were the first to detect calcium triplet absorption lines. The study of the behavior of calcium triplet lines and helium lines in the infrared region of the spectrum allowed in some cases to refine the model of temperature inhomogeneities of the surface of stars. With the participation of the scientist, the variability of emission in the Hα line in several young stars was studied.
According to the observations of the helium line 10830 Å, the chromospheric activity of cold giants was studied.
The infrared spectra of the symbiotic new PU Vul, obtained by him during his many years of patrolling this star in the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, provided very important information about its evolution.
One of the important results of the scientist's work with M. M. Katsova was the discovery of the period of axial rotation and cycle on the active component of the binary system a Aur (Capella) according to 15-year observations of He I 10830 Å, conducted by them at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory.
The scientist's contribution to the creation and implementation of observations of new technology is significant. With his participation, several devices were developed to automate the process of observations and spectrogram processing: scanning spectrometer based on dissector with EOP, microphotometer intensities based on computer Iskra-1256, photometer with annular diaphragms, devices for expanding spectra during observations and others.
A serious illness deprived him of the opportunity to conduct active scientific work. But even in difficult conditions, almost paralyzed, he continued to do scientific work until the last day and communicate with colleagues using a computer.
He died on July 5, 1998.
His main research interests lay in the study of the activity and magnetism of the Sun and cold stars, the chromospheres of active binary stars and cold giants. He has published: more than 60 articles in domestic and foreign scientific journals. Scientist worked in close collaboration with scientists from different countries, for examle, Russia, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, France, Spain, Holland, Finland. The astronomer's scientific work has been presented at international conferences, symposia and schools of astrophysics in European countries.
His range of interests was extremely wide: from astrophysics to painting and theater.
The scientist painted the first painting in 1971. In total, he is the author of more than 100 paintings and a member of the club of independent artists.
Main publications:
1. Изучение пашеновских линий водорода и инфракрасного триплета Ca II в спектре магнитной звезды β Cr B. I./Полосухина Н. С., Щербаков А. Г., Маланушенко, В. П.//Астрофизика, 1979, Т. 15, в. 1.- С. 85-96.
2. Изучение пашеновских линий водорода и инфракрасного триплета Ca II в спектре магнитной звезды βCrB. II. О вариации физических условий в атмосфере звезды./Полосухина Н. С., Щербаков А. Г., Маланушенко В. П.//Астрофизика, 1980, Т. 16, в. 3. -С. 483-490
3. Тарасов А.Е., Щербаков А.Г. О периодичности быстрых изменений профиля На в спектре Be звезды 59 Лебедя. Письма А.Ж., 9, 673-677, 1983
4. Harmanec P., Olah K., Bozic H., Hadrava P., Horn J., Koubsky P., Kriz S., Minikulov N.H., Muminovic M., Percy J.R..,. Shcherbacov A.G., Stupar M., Tarasov A.E. о And. Photometry, polarimetry and a tentative model of the'light variability. In "Physics of Be stars", TAU Coll. N92, ed.A.Slettebak, P.Snow, Cambridge Univer!Press, N.Y., 456-459, 1987.
Sources:
1 КАЦОВА Мария Михайловна//Астрономы России 1917-2017/ науч. ред. А.М.Черепащук, Казань, Казан. фед. ун-т, 2017.- 568с- C.211
2 Известия Крымской астрофизической обсерватории.- том 95, 1999.-C. 204-206
3 Телескоп Zeiss-50 в Крыму. II/Т.М. Рачковская//Изв. Крымской Астрофиз. Обс. 109,No 2, С. 118(2013)
4 ПЕТРОВ Петр Петрович//Астрономы России 1917-2017/ науч. ред. А.М.Черепащук, Казань, Казан. фед. ун-т, 2017.- 568с- C.364
