November 7, 1888 marks the birthday of the Indian physicist CV Raman.
In 1930, Professor CV Raman received the Nobel Prize in Physics for the Raman effect. He became the first person of Asian descent to win this prestigious award.
Key takeaways
- In 1930, Professor CV Raman received the Nobel Prize in Physics.
- She became the first person of Asian descent to win this prestigious award.
- In addition to his achievements in his work around light, he was also a specialist in the study of sound.
Renowned physicist CV Raman was born in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, on November 7, 1888. His full name is Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman.
The Nobel Prize was awarded to the professor for his research on light scattering and for the discovery of the Raman effect.
READ: CV Raman Biography: Early Life, Family, Education, Career, Awards & Achievements
History and timeline of CV Raman
- In the year 1904, Raman, son of a school teacher, excelled in studies faster than anyone else and graduated at the age of 16.
- He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Madras. The physicist also made history there by winning gold medals in English and physics as core subjects.
- When the professor was at his university, he published his first scientific article in the Philosophical Magazine. The topic was “Asymmetric diffraction bands due to a rectangular aperture.” He was only 18 years old at the time.
- 1917 was the year Raman was allotted a professorship at the University of Calcutta.
- 1924 was when he was elected a member of the Royal Society and later, in 1930, he was knighted by the British.
- 1933 marked the year he became the first director of the Indian Institute of Sciences.
- 1948 is known as the year Raman founded the Raman Research Institute. This institute was financed by him and through donations from private sources.
The origin of the Raman effect
On December 10, 1930, CV Raman received the Nobel Prize from the Physics Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
This prize was awarded to him for his efforts and research on light scattering and for the discovery of the Raman effect.
The physicist was interested in understanding the explanation behind the deep blue color of the Mediterranean Sea while making his 15-day return trip aboard the SS Narkunda.
Raman began his research to understand the phenomenon while he was at sea and when he arrived in India.
Later, the professor demonstrated that the color of the sea was due to the scattering of light by water molecules.
This phenomenon occurs when light encounters particles that are smaller than the wavelength of light and the light expands in different directions.
According to Raman, a small fraction of the scattered light accumulates different wavelengths than real light because some of the energy of the incoming photons can be transported to a molecule, giving it a high level of energy.
The Raman effect is one of the most tedious things to discern, since only one in a million of the scattered light particles demonstrates the change in wavelength.
This phenomenon is used by chemists and physicists to study a multitude of materials and is also used in telecommunications, where low-frequency photons are pumped at a high frequency.
Not only that, but it also finds use in the field of nanotechnology, in the study of low-frequency DNA, remote sensing and mineral analysis.
Other achievements of the physicist
- CV Raman became the first Indian to hold the post of Director of IISC, Bangalore.
- In the year 1933, CV Raman was the first Indian to become the director of the Indian Institute of Sciences located in Bangalore. The professor held the position for four years (until 1937).
- Until 1948, the physicist worked at the university and remained the head of research at the Physics department of the IISC.
- CV Raman was the first Pallet Chair of Physics at the University of Calcutta.
Although the professor left his job in 1917 to dedicate himself completely to the field of science and research.
He then accepted the offer of the Pallet Chair of Physics at the University of Calcutta and became the first person to hold this position at the university.
CV Raman’s passions apart from physics
Apart from physics, Raman was passionate about Indian classical music. The professor liked it so much that he used his innovation to invent a mechanical violin.
The physicist was very enthusiastic about the acoustics of string instruments.
CV Raman was always amazed by the phenomenon of sound and notes that were used to create the ‘Jugalbandi’ of art and science.
Not only that, but he also conducted research at the ‘Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS)’.
Later, the physicist discovered ‘The Raman Curve’, a frequency response curve that relates the frequency response of the violin to its quality.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: ptivs2.edu.vn