Konstantinov, Aleksandr

Born Nov. 9 (21), 1895, in St. Petersburg; died Dec. 17, 1945. Soviet scientist and inventor in the field of radiophysics.

After his graduation from the Leningrad Institute of Technology in 1923, Konstantinov worked at the Physicotechnical Institute under the direction of Academician A. F. loffe and concurrently taught at Leningrad State University and the Military Electrotechnological Academy.

In 1924, Konstantinov created radio-electronic apparatus to measure the difference in the longitudes of the Greenwich and Pulkovo astronomical observatories. Between 1928 and 1930 he developed, in collaboration with his brother B. P. Konstantinov, a radio-electronic alarm system for the state repositories of valuables. The electrical seismographs that he invented have been successfully used for mineral prospecting. Konstantinov made important contributions to the development of television (he proposed a method of narrowing the frequency band of television signals and developed a mosaic photocathode for television camera tubes). The principles of the television camera tube with charge accumulation invented by him in 1930 are used in modern television.