Isadore Rudnick
University of California, Los Angeles
May 8, 1917 - August 22, 1997
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Scientific Discipline: Applied Physical Sciences Membership Type:
Member
(elected 1983)
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Isadore Rudnick’s research in experimental and theoretical acoustics and its application to cryogenic, or low-temperature, physics established our fundamental knowledge of the dynamics of superfluid helium. Rudnick began his work at low-temperatures by measuring the speed and attenuation of sound at frequencies up to 10^10 Hz and temperatures within 10^-6 of the lambda point of liquid helium. This research revealed vital information about the critical point and critical phenomena in general. However, his most significant contribution to early cryogenic research was his discovery of “fourth sound,” a propagating acoustic wave of superfluid in a tightly-packed, porous medium. During his studies on the propagation of acoustic waves along a boundary, he discovered a mistake in the Sommerfeld solution to the electromagnetic problem. Rudnick contributed to the area of high-intensity acoustics with his classic studies of the attenuation of sawtooth shock-waves, cavitation, saturation of finite amplitude waves, and the sources of acoustic streaming. His studies of nonlinear, underwater acoustics led to his determination of the previously unknown bulk viscosity of liquids.
Rudnick attended the University of California, Los Angeles where he received his B.S. in 1938, his M.S. in 1940, and his Ph.D. in 1944. He began his teaching career at Pennsylvania State University the year after his graduation. However in 1948, he returned to his alma mater as an assistant professor. Becoming a full professor ten years later, Rudnick continued teaching at the institution for the rest of his career. He was involved in several scientific organizations including the American Physical Society, the Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics (1965-1968), and the Acoustical Society of America where he served as vice president from 1962 to 1963 and as president from 1969 to 1970. Rudnick was the recipient of many awards, such as the Silver Medal of the Acoustical Society of America in 1975, the Fritz London Memorial Award from the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics in 1981, and the Gold Medal of the Acoustical Society of America in 1982.
