Alexander SMIRNITSKIY 1951-2006
It is with great sadness that we learned of the untimely death of Alexandre Smirnitskiy, a talented Russian physicist well known and respected in the heavy ion community. Alexandre was a valued colleague, a dear friend, loving son, husband and father of two children. He died prematurely at the peak of his scientific career, just as his work was beginning to bear fruit.
Alexandreâs career is inextricably tied to the Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics (ITEP, Russia) where he worked for 30 years. At ITEP he joined and co-authored a number of unique experiments studying collective phenomena in nuclear matter. This research had anticipated by nearly twenty years a number of the issues which are presently included in the nuclear program of the LHC.
From the early 1990s, Alexandre Smirnitskiy dedicated his efforts to using gaseous detectors of parallel plate geometry for precise time-of-flight measurements of ionizing particles. He joined the ALICE collaboration with this idea, and the experimental group from ITEP, led by Alexandre Smirnitskiy for 15 years, became an active contributor to the development of a unique large scale ALICE TOF system. Construction of this system is presently nearing its final stage.
Alexandre Smirnitskiy was known by his close friends as an avid yachtsman, hiker, alpinist, white water rafter and skier. He enjoyed traveling in the Caucuses and the far North, as well as working as a rescuer in the mountains. Those who knew Alexandre Smirnitskiy will always remember him as a talented scientist, an intelligent and knowledgeable individual. He energized others by his zest for life, good will, sharp wit, empathy and sincerity.
Despite a serious illness, which grew more acute in the last months of his life, Alexandre Smirnitskiy continued to be actively involved in the work of the group he led. The ALICE Collaboration expresses its deepest sympathy to Alexandreâs family, close friends and colleagues.
The ALICE Collaboration
