SIR C V RAMANThe Author Shubashree Desikan is a PhD in Theoretical Condensed Matter, but chose to work in publishing – writing, editing, translating. Her knowledge of physics comes in handy when she writes science fiction and when she publishes science-related texts. She enjoys literature in translation. Early Life… Raman’s story begins in a village near Tiruchirapalli He was born on 8 November 1888 Was the second child of R. Chandrasekhara Iyer & Parvathi Ammal Early life… Family moved to Visakhapatnam when Raman was 4 yrs old Raman’s father was a lecturer in Mrs. A. Mathematics & Physical Geography . Narasimha Rao College He taught Physics. V. Raman…an intelligent student Father was an athletic man & took active interest in sports Raman was not physically strong But was very intelligent Preferred to read books & work at his studies . Raman – A voracious reader Raman was a voracious reader. . & Hermann Helmholtz’s The Sensations of Tone. He was mainly influenced by 3 books – Edwin Arnold’s Light of Asia. never to be forgotten. To him. He read all the books in his father’s collection among which were original writings of great scientists. books were like old friends. The Elements of Euclid. Light of Asia by Edwin Arnold The Light of Asia. The book has been highly acclaimed from the time it was first published. subtitled The Great Renunciation. and describes the life and time of Prince Gautama Buddha. The book is In the form of poem. and philosophy. The book presents his life. character. The Awakened One. and has been the subject of several reviews. It has been translated into several languages. in a series of verses. who after attaining enlightenment became The Buddha. . is a book by Edwin Arnold. postulates (axioms). The thirteen books cover Euclidean geometry and the ancient Greek version of elementary number theory. .The Elements of Euclid Euclid's Elements is a mathematical and geometric treatise consisting of 13 books written by the Greek mathematician Euclid in Alexandria circa 300 BC. It is a collection of definitions. It has proven instrumental in the development of logic and modern science. The Elements is one of the oldest extant Greek mathematical treatises and it is the oldest extant axiomatic deductive treatment of mathematics. propositions (theorems and constructions). and mathematical proofs of the propositions. . 1894) was a German physician and physicist who made significant contributions to several widely varied areas of modern science. demonstrating his interest in the physics of perception. 1821 – September 8. Helmholtz invented the Helmholtz resonator to identify the various frequencies or "tones" present in musical and other sounds containing by multiple tones. This book influenced musicologists into the twentieth century. In 1863 Helmholtz published On the Sensations of Tone as a Physiological Basis for the Theory of Music .The Sensations of Tone Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz (August 31. Professor E.Raman’s Education Completed schooling by 11 years Spent two years in his father’s college Went to Madras when he was 13 Joined B. A. Elliot asked him if he really belonged to the class Raman stunned all sceptics and stood university first in B. exams . in Presidency College. Youngest in his class Unimpressive in appearance In his first English class.A. H. Raman would feel grateful to the man who disqualified him .Education Teachers asked him to prepare for ICS (precursor to the present IAS) This was a very prestigious exam But candidates had ti undergo a medical examination before the qualifying exam The Civil Surgeon of Madras declared Raman unfit to travel to England This was the only exam he failed Later in life. B. Joined M.A. Physics in Presidency College.A. Madras Teachers allowed the students free to look after themselves. to M. A. Raman enjoyed this and attended only one lecture during the whole 2 years But he was developing his original thinking during the time Started experiments with light waves . Madras (now Chennai) Then Now .Presidency College. His classmates would not think of pursuing this simple alternative line to see if something different happened. Raman wondered what would happen if the light shone straight. when entering a narrow slit in it. Raman not only studied this variant problem. not from an angle. or bent. . but also got his results published in Philosophical Magazine (England). while still in his teens – the first student of Presidency College to publish a research paper. on the screen.Raman’s initial experiment with light waves There was a discussion in Raman’s textbook about how light that fell on a screen placed in its path would get diffracted. Marriage. in January 1907 Stood first in the university Married Lokasundari Raman wanted to pursue research But no labs in India.Education. and he could not travel to England So. & Job Passed M. he decided to write FCS (Financial Civil Services) exam – forerunner of IAAS Topped the exam Went to Calcutta to work as Asst Accountant General . A. Lokasundari (later days) .C V Raman with his wife. Life changing moment for Raman: Spotting IACS in Calcutta In Calcutta. when riding to work on a tram. Raman spotted the IACS (Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science) signboard Raman walked in to the building This was a historic moment IACS became the laboratory where he and his team performed the legendary experiments on light . one day. Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science Then NOW . Raman’s double life Worked efficiently as finance officer all day After office hours. Philosophical Magazine (England). which ordinary people loved . moved to IACS and did research until night Papers appeared in international journals like Nature. Physical Review (USA) Communicated with physicists around the world Liked to teach and gave popular lectures in Calcutta Introduced giving live demonstrations. Raman’s public lectures . Raman’s papers appeared in international journals . Raman experiments with waves and sounds Raman was fascinated by waves and sounds He carried the memory of reading Helmholtz’s book Raman chose to study musical instruments at IACS Explained the working of Ektara, a simple instrument made of a resonant box and a string stretched to lie across the cavity Different kinds of ektaras A folk singer with his ektara Raman’s Ektara… . ’ . ‘remarkable resonances.Remarkable Resonances Starting from the understanding of the simple instrument ektara. Raman developed several ideas which he called. From Ektara to Violin During this time. he took up violin for study First time a scientific understanding was established. which is used even today Raman’s studies on the violin were extensive Later published as a book – On the Mechanical Theory of Vibrations of Musical Instruments of the Violin Family with Experimental Results: Part 1 . and other odds and ends Did not resemble the instrument we know But.Raman devised a Mechanical Violin Player Mechanical Violin Player devised by Raman was assembled from parts brought from a cycle shop. it had all the essential features of the violin Stretched string. the bow that can be moved at a desired speed and stroke-length by adjusting the mechanical wheel First time a mechanical violin player was designed for research & the concept is used even today . resonant box. Mechanical Violin Player . tabla… Around this time. mridangam. tambura. he studied the veena. his interest turned to optics which led to the great discoveries that Raman is famous for .From Acoustics to Optics Until 1920 acoustics continued to interest him Besides the violin. Beginning of a full-fledged career in physics Around 1917. Raman got chance to move into a full-fledged career in physics Sir Ashutosh Mookerjee. newly appointed VC of Calcutta University offered him the position of Sir Taraknath Palit Professor of Physics Sir Ashutosh Mookerjee . Ramanathan.Professor of Physics at Calcutta University • To take up the Palit Professorship. he had to leave his secure govt. Krishnan and Suri Bhagavantam – some of the brilliant students of Raman . though he was required only to manage the lab and guide students in research • Keen students from all over the country became his students and later rose to important positions • K. K. S. job along with a higher income • The rule of ‘foreign experience’ was waived for Raman • Raman volunteered to teach students. Ananthakrishnan and C. S.C V Raman with his associates/students – K S Krishnan. K. Venkateswaran .S. Sreenivasa Rao. Standing (left to right) : C.V. Ramaswamy. Paramasivan. S.S. Nagendranath. Bhagavantam. Krishnan. Ganesan. K.S. S. R. Ramdas. & S Bhagavantam Sitting (left to right) : A.S. K R Ramanathan. Ramanathan. C. Venkateswaran.S. Raman. Moorthy Rao.R. N.A. L. S. University Congress at Oxford In 1921. University of Calcutta conferred honorary doctorate on Raman Went overseas for the first time to attend University Congress at Oxford During his voyage back to India he spent hours watching the Mediterranean sea and was struck by its colour . discovered the element Argon. 3rd Baron Rayleigh) was an English physicist who. and predicted the existence of the surface waves now known as Rayleigh waves.” . with William Ramsay. He also discovered the phenomenon now called Rayleigh scattering.Lord Rayleigh’s earlier explanation for the blue colour of the sea Lord Rayleigh (John William Strutt. “The dark blue of the deep sea has nothing to do with the colour of water but is simply the blue of the sky seen in reflection. for which he earned the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1904. explaining why the sky is blue. Raman’s paper explaining his observations on the Mediterranean Sea was ready The paper was sent to the journal Nature .Raman’s observations on the colour of the sea Raman did not appear satisfied with Lord Rayleigh’s explanation He watched the sea intently and conducted experiments while on the ship with his optical tools to capture the colour of the sky When the ship finally reached Bombay. ‘The Molecular Diffraction of Light’ In this essay. Raman speculated that light may exist in quanta.. he wrote a brilliant essay. as mass-less particles of energy In those days it was considered an extremely radical suggestion Raman’s Essay .Raman’s discovery Water molecules could scatter light just like air molecules – was an important and radical idea in those days Set him on the track to discovering the famous ‘Raman Effect’ In 1922.e. i. Raman in his laboratory . if light did exist as particles. then scattering experiments would show only a change in the light intensity and not in its frequency. or colour. or quanta. . then a scattering of light could change its frequency as well as intensity. or quanta. On the other hand.Towards discovering the ‘Raman Effect’ Raman felt that if light did not exist as particles. Raman’s hunch was proved right. He directed all research at the institute towards finding evidence for the corpuscular theory of light through scattering experiments. .Towards discovering the ‘Raman Effect’ Raman did not bother what others thought about his ideas. The discovery of the Compton effect in 1923 established the fact of the existence of light quanta beyond doubt. . set forward by Sir Isaac Newton. This theory also rules out the presence of any medium for propagation of light. says that light is made up of small discrete particles called ‚corpuscles‛ (little particles) which travel in a straight line with a finite velocity and possess kinetic energy. the corpuscular theory of light.Corpuscular theory of light In optics. Compton scattering is a type of scattering that X-rays and gamma rays undergo in matter. Arthur Holly Compton (September 10.Compton effect In physics. called the Compton effect. Louis from 1945 to 1953. He served as Chancellor of Washington University in St. . 1892 – March 15. 1962) was an American physicist and Nobel laureate in physics for his discovery of the Compton effect. The inelastic scattering of photons in matter results in a decrease in energy (increase in wavelength) of an X-ray or gamma ray photon. first spotted this phenomenon in 1923. . Raman’s student. K R Ramanathan. This was a delicate experiment. and it is difficult to be sure of the observation.Towards discovering the ‘Raman Effect’ Now. because effect is very weak. Raman set his team members to work on his ideas on light scattering. Raman’s spectrograph . Finally. . in 1927.Towards discovering the ‘Raman Effect’ Many other students were also able to reproduce this effect. it took 4 more years for Raman and his team to become sure of what they were doing. which they named ‚feeble fluorescence‛. they were able to say confidently that the new effect was not ‘a type of fluorescence’ but a ‘modified scattering’. But. C. Raman explains a point to a group of scientists .V. The ‘Raman Effect’ This led to the discovery made on 28 February 1927 – the fact that light can undergo a scattering through a liquid resulting in a change in its frequency. This was the famous ‘Raman Effect. .’ This date is now celebrated as National Science Day in memory of this historic event. Effect after the ‘Raman Effect’ Raman was aware of the enormity of his discovery. Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930. And he was so sure that he would get the Nobel Prize for that year that he booked two steamer tickets to Europe in 1928!! But he had to wait for 2 years before receiving the honour. . (back row) M. Lagerlof. M. Barany. . M. Hans Fischer. Karl Landsteiner and M. (front row) Sir Clair Lewis. Dahlein. Euller. after the presentation of the prizes in Stockholm. S.Noble prize for physics in 1930 Sir C V Raman (second left) with other Nobel Laureates of 1930. Svedberg. was awarded to him in 1954.Other honours Raman received a large number of honorary doctorates and membership of scientific societies during his life. In 1957. . He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1924. Bharat Ratna. Raman was knighted by the British ruler in 1929. The other important honours that Raman received: Before the Nobel Prize. Raman was awarded the Franklin Medal in 1941 India’s highest civilian award. Raman received the Lenin Peace Prize. Bangalore Stamp released by the Govt of India on the centenary of Indian Institute of Science .Raman as Director of IISc Some time after being awarded the Nobel Prize. Indian Institute of Science. He continued in that post till his retirement in 1948. Raman was offered the post of Director of Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. but he never gave up and never once thought of leaving the country for a better life . Raman gave equal time to research and organizational work Conducted a lot of important research Nurtured many good students during his tenure as Director His tenure was not without controversy.As Director of IISc As Director. Raman devoted time to the setting up of the Raman Research Institute and the running of the Indian Academy of Science in Bangalore He edited journals Current Science and Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Science Logo of Raman Research Institute Raman Research Institute .Raman Research Institute After his retirement. Indian Academy of Science Indian Academy of Science. Raman (second from right) poses with other dignitaries at the inaugural meeting of the Indian Academy of Science in Bangalore on July 31. 1934 . V. Bangalore C. An online version is also available at http://www. and some of the articles written by C V Raman himself in the early issues.html .in/j_archive/currsci/v olindex.html . The picture of the cover alongside is of the latest issue.ias.ac.ac.in/j_archive/proca/vol index.ias. One can also read articles from Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Science @ http://www.in/currsci/ . One can even access back issues of Current Science on this site and read articles right from the first issue.ias. The first issue and subsequent issues can be accessed at http://www.The journal started by C V Raman in 1932 to popularise science is published even today.ac. amidst the surroundings he loved. without any religious ceremonies Today. a solitary tree is all that marks the spot in the grounds of the Raman Research Institute The tree planted on the site at the campus of Raman Research Institute where Raman was cremated .End of an era… C V Raman died on 21 November 1970 He was cremated in the Raman Research Institute campus itself. Assessment of C V Raman – an original thinker and a great scientist Raman was a brilliant student. . C V Raman was able to contribute greatly to Indian science only because of his deep and genuine passion for physics He also showed remarkable independence in choosing to work in areas that excited his curiosity. an original thinker. and a hardworking disciplined person But more than these. spirit and contributions will indeed remain special within the context of the practice of science in India . and there were hardly any institutions or even libraries to support higher education Faced with lack of infrastructure. Raman always improvised and built up whatever he needed from scratch Raman’s determination.Assessment of C V Raman – an original thinker and a great scientist In Raman’s youth. India was not an independent country. Postage stamps released by the Govt. of India in honour of Sir C V Raman . Postage stamp released by Republic of Guinea (West Africa) in honour of C V Raman . . Piler . MJR College of Engineering and Technology. Asst Prof.THANK YOU and I hope you enjoyed this pictorial voyage into Sir C V Raman’s life and times Dr S Jayasrinivasa Rao Professor – Dept of H&S Aurora’s Scientific and Technological Institute This presentation was originally conceived by MR NAGARAJ CHILLAKUR.