Yakov Savelyevich Shur (born 20.04.1908) - a Soviet physicist, a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1970). Born in Dubrovno (now in Vitebsk Oblast). Graduated from Leningrad University (1932). Since 1932 he has worked at the Institute of Metal Physics of the Urals Scientific Centre of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Sverdlovsk (in 1932 —39 the Urals Physico-Technical Institute). In 1938—44 he was also a docent, and in 1944 —72 professor at the Urals University.
His work concerned the physics of magnetic phenomena and magnetic materials (the study of the magnetic properties of gases and vapours, the ferromagnetic properties of various substances, the theory of the technical magnetisation curve, magnetisation-reversal processes, magnetic hysteresis, the domain structure of ferromagnets). Established the laws of the anisotropy of coercive force in ferromagnetic single crystals, and discovered temperature magnetic hysteresis (1948) and the transitional domain structure in ferromagnets of high magnetic anisotropy (1953). Studied the mechanism of the nucleation of magnetisation reversal (1973).
Gave a method of creating magnetic texture in ferromagnets by thermomechanical treatment (1941). Created new technical magnetic materials.
USSR State Prize (1967).