On the centenary of the Nobel Prize: Russian laureates in physics

The history and development of the branches of physics which profited significantly from the work of Russian Nobel laureates (P A Cherenkov, I E Tamm, I M Frank, L D Landau, N G Basov, A M Prokhorov, P L Kapitza, and Zh I Alferov) are reviewed in popular form to mark the recent Nobel Foundation centenary. Apart from the Russian prize winners' achievements, the major contributions of their colleagues — Russian and foreign, predecessors and successors — are briefly discussed. The current state of the branches of physics advanced with the participation of Russian laureates is reviewed, and the practical implications of their work for science, technology, and everyday life are discussed.