Journal of Physical Studies 22(4), Article 4003 [31 pages] (2018)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30970/jps.22.4003

PHYSICS AND PHYSICISTS IN THE SHEVCHENKO SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY IN LVIV

Yurij Holovatch{1,2,3}, Yulian Honchar4, Marjana Krasnytska{1,2}

1Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, National Acad. Sci. of Ukraine, Lviv, UA--79011, Ukraine
2 {\mathbb L}^4 Collaboration \& Doctoral College for the Statistical Physics of Complex Systems,
Leipzig--Lorraine--Lviv--Coventry, Europe
3Coventry University, Coventry, CV1 5FB, United Kingdom
4National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kyiv, UA--04655, Ukraine

This paper presents a short review of the activities of physicists -- the full members of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Lviv (abbreviated as NTSh -- from its name in Ukrainian: {\em Naukove tovarystvo imeni Shevchenka}). The society was founded in Lviv in 1873 and named after famous Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political figure Taras Shevchenko. After reorganization in 1892, the society came to resemble a typical scientific association, and it was in fact the first Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences. Structurally, in consisted of three sections, one of them was devoted to mathematics, natural sciences and medicine. NTSh was dissolved by the Soviet authorities in 1940; in 1947 it resumed its activities in Western Europe and in the USA; in 1989 it was reactivated in Ukraine. In this paper, we analyze the activities of the physicists that received the title of NTSh full members (academicians) by 1940. Different fields of physics were represented in the society during this period, and among the full members of the NTSh 21 scientists were engaged in physics. Publications in the field of physics appeared regularly in the {\em Collection of the mathematical-natural sciences-medical section of NTSh} -- a total of 74 articles were published on physical subjects, including 3 terminological and 10 bibliographic ones. The physicists took an active part in the organization and activities of the clandestine Ukrainian university in Lviv (1919-1925). Papers of NTSh full members appeared in leading European physical journals. Internships in leading European centres of physical thought were widely practiced. At the beginning of 1920s, physicists from other countries were elected as NTSh full members. Among them were Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Stepan Timoshenko, Mykola Krylov, Dmytro Rozhansky, Abram Ioffe.

Supplementary illustrative material for this paper is available at https://doi.org/10.30970/jps.22.4003sm

PACS number(s): 01.30.Tt, 01.60.+q

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