Professor K.S. Stelle

Professor of Physics

February 26, 2013

 

 

 In Memory of Aleksander Alekseevich Kapustnikov, on the 10th anniversary of his passing

February 26, 2013

It was with great sadness that I heard of the passing of my friend and colleague Sasha
Kapustnikov now ten years ago in April 2003. Sasha and I got to know each other through our
renowned colleague Victor Issakovich Ogievetsky, in whose research group at JINR Dubna much
of the foundation of supersymmetric field theories was established. The careers of both Sasha and
me were intertwined with the work of the Dubna group, and it was through these connections that I
was invited to conferences in Alushta in 1996, Dubna in 1999, Kharkov in 2000 and other meetings
at which Sasha and I met and could enjoy many agreeable discussions on physics and life in
general. I remember in particular Sasha's great sense of humour, as well as the depth of his
understanding in physics and the precision of his thought.
Those were also days of great camaraderie, in which the political divisions of the world were
completely swept away by the warmth of the reception given me by my Ukrainian and Russian
colleagues. A humorous example of this was the greeting Victor Ogievetsky gave me upon arriving
in Alushta in 1996: "Kelly, privet! We hope you will have a great time here. You have a nice room in
the guesthouse. In fact, one of your colleagues was in that special room until just this morning,
when we learned that you were coming. So he was moved to another room that is a bit less special
than yours. Actually, it looks exactly like your room. So, when we want to discuss, let's go for walks
along the beach!" And so, there were lots of long walks along the Black Sea shore and enjoyable
discussions with Sasha, Victor, and other members of the Dubna, Dniepropetrovsk and Kharkov
theoretical physics groups.
Dniepropetrovsk, or Yekaterinoslav, was the home town of both Sasha and Victor, and it was
through this connection that I came to visit this city and came to know and enjoy it. It is very fitting
that both of these two important scientists be remembered in connection with their home city.
Dniepropetrovsk University can be justly proud of the contributions to the advance of fundamental
physics of its native sons.
It is with a great sense of appreciation that I remember Sasha Kapustnikov, and also regret that his
untimely passing deprived Ukraine and the world of the further contributions of an important
scientist.

Kellogg S. Stelle