Mikhail Ioffe

Mikhail Solomonovich Ioffe (Russian: Михаил Соломонович Иоффе; 2 September 1917 – 14 July 1996) was a Soviet physicist best known for his work on magnetic mirror fusion devices, and especially his 1961 experimental device that demonstrated gross plasma stability was possible in a properly arranged magnetic field. His concept is known today as "Ioffe bars [ru]". Viewed with disfavour by the Soviet establishment for his cordial ties with his counterparts in the west, he was forbidden from leaving the Soviet Union until the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He subsequently received numerous international awards.