Victor Popov

{{Short description|Russian theoretical physicist}}

{{Infobox scientist

| name = Victor Popov

| image = Доктор ф.-м.н. профессор Попов В Н (1937-1994).jpg

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| birth_date = 27 October 1937

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| death_date = {{D-da|16 April 1994|27 October 1937}}

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| nationality = Russian

| field = Quantum field theory

| work_institution = Steklov Institute of Mathematics

| alma_mater = Leningrad State University

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| known_for = quantization of gauge fields; Faddeev–Popov ghosts

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}}

Victor Nikolaevich Popov ({{langx|ru|Ви́ктор Никола́евич Попо́в}}; 27 October 1937 – 16 April 1994) was a Russian theoretical physicist known for his contribution to the quantization of non-abelian gauge fields. His work with Ludvig Faddeev on that subject introduced the fundamental objects now known as Faddeev–Popov ghosts.

Popov graduated from the Department of Theoretical Physics of the Physics Faculty of Leningrad State University. Popov formed a group at Leningrad Department of Steklov Institute of Mathematics of the USSR Academy of Sciences (LOMI) in early 1965, where he remained for life.{{cite web |last1=Faddeev |first1=L. D. |url=http://www.mathnet.ru/links/1b2affb553ca3061d262bad2fb2c7f1f/znsl4396.pdf |website=mathnet.ru|title=How I came to work with Victor Popov |publisher=All Russian mathematical portal}}