This article describes the history of the creation and further development of Landau’s famous works on phase transitions, diamagnetism of electron gas (Landau levels), and quantum transitions at a level crossing (the Landau — Zener phenomenon), and its role in modern physics.

This article is partially based on the text of my presentation given at the scientific-memorial session devoted to the 100th anniversary of the birth of L D Landau (1908 — 1968), held on 19 — 20 June 2008 in the Central House of Scientists, RAS, Moscow. The text of this article was created as a comment to the anniversary edition of the collected papers of L D Landau in 2008, but was not included in it for reasons independent of the author.

PACS: 01.65.+g, 31.50.Gh, 64.60.−i, 71.70.Di (all) DOI: 10.3367/UFNe.0179.200911j.1237 URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/2009/11/j/ 000285142100009 2-s2.0-77249156913 2009PhyU...52.1169P Citation: Pokrovsky V L "Landau and modern physics" Phys. Usp. 52 1169–1176 (2009) BibTexBibNote ® (generic)BibNote ® (RIS)MedlineRefWorks Оригинал: Покровский В Л «Ландау и современная физика» УФН 179 1237–1244 (2009); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0179.200911j.1237 L.D. Landau is author of Physics-Uspekhi