General Relativity and Gravitation - Jiří Bičák (1942 – 2024)
Farewell to our former Associate Editor of the journal General Relativiy and Gravitation from 2007–2017
With deep sorrow, we announce that on January 26, 2024, at the age of 82, Professor RNDr. Jiří Bičák, DrSc., dr.h.c., a longtime member and the head of the Institute of Theoretical Physics from 1986 to 2002, a member of the Faculty Scientific Council, founding member of the Learned Society of the Czech Republic, and the first chairman of the faculty's academic senate after 1989, passed away.
Jiří Bičák dedicated himself to the theory of gravity – the force that profoundly influences our earthly existence, as well as the structure and evolution of the Solar System, the Galaxy, and the entire universe. The most accurate theory of gravity remains Albert Einstein's general relativity, and Jiří became a world-renowned figure in this field. Inspired by Miroslav Brdička and Karel Kuchař, and recommended by Jozef Kvasnica, he embarked on a research visit to Caltech in 1971, joining Kip Thorne's group, a leading force in the field and Nobel laureates today.
Upon his return, he established a course on relativistic physics at the faculty, later complemented by a course on differential geometry, in collaboration with Oldřich Kowalski. Together, these courses formed one of the most thorough introductions to gravitational physics worldwide.
Jiří Bičák's scientific legacy primarily encompasses the physics and mathematics of black holes, relativistic spacetimes precisely describing gravitational radiation, cosmology, conservation laws, particle and photon motion, problems of magnetic fields inspired by astrophysics of compact objects, the description of stationary gravity sources, the analysis of asymptotic properties of spacetimes, and lately, quantum effects induced or influenced by gravitational fields. In addition to his publication impact, Jiří held a remarkable position in the professional community as a communicative and inspirational figure, beneficial to others as both an encouragement and a source of constructive insights, as well as for his broad philosophical and cultural perspective.
Jiří Bičák not only mentored but often directly inspired numerous students and colleagues for mathematics and physics, many of whom have achieved remarkable success in the field (or elsewhere). His moral and intellectual standards, along with his artistic insight, continue to serve as a cohesive and shared legacy in our gravitational community.
We will remember Jiří not only as a scientist, teacher, colleague, and friend but also as an unconventional personality who could view things from interesting angles and contribute to good times, whether through singing with the violin and guitar or lively commentary on social situations. Moreover, the faculty loses in Jiří Bičák a dedicated professional who, throughout his life, performed various roles in its structure, in study organization, project resolution, the establishment and realization of international relations, and contacts with other domestic academic institutions. We will also reminisce about his significant ideological role, especially during the immediate post-November 1989 period.
The final farewell will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 10, 2024, at the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord, Jiřího z Poděbrad Square 112/19, 130 00 Prague 3 - Vinohrady.
Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Mirko Rokyta, CSc.
Dean, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University
Ke Karlovu 3, 121 16 Prague 2[Translated from http://utf.mff.cuni.cz/index.html and https://www.mff.cuni.cz/cs/verejnost/aktuality/zemrel-profesor-jiri-bicak]