SIR C.V.RAMAN BIOGRAPHY

Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, (7 November 1888 – 21 November 1970) was an Indian physicist whose work was influential in the growth of science in India. He was the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930 for the discovery that when light traverses a transparent material, some of the light that is deflected changes in wavelength. This phenomenon is now called Raman scattering and is the result of the Raman effect.

Early years :

Venkata Raman was born at Thiruvanaikaval, near Tiruchirappalli, Madras Province, in British India to R. Chandrasekhara Iyer (b. 1866) and Parvati Ammal (Saptarshi Parvati). He was the second of their five children. At an early age, Raman moved to the city of Vizag, Andhra Pradesh. Studied in St.Aloysius Anglo-Indian High School. His father was a lecturer in Mathematics and physics at Presidency College (Madras) which Raman entered in 1902 at the age of 11. In 1904 he passed his B.A. examination in first place and won the gold medal in physics, and in 1907 he gained his M.A. degree with the highest distinctions.

Career :

In 1917, Raman resigned from his government service and took up the newly created Palit Professorship in Physics at the University of Calcutta. At the same time, he continued doing research at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Calcutta, where he became the Honorary Secretary. Raman used to refer to this period as the golden era of his career. Many students gathered around him at the IACS and the University of Calcutta.

Energy level diagram showing the states involved in Raman signal.

Raman with Richard Bär (1892–1940)

On February 28, 1928, Raman led experiments at the Indian Association for Cultivation of Science with collaborators, including K. S. Krishan, on the scattering of light, when he discovered the Raman effect. A detailed account of this period is reported in the biography by. It was instantly clear that this discovery was of huge value. It gave further proof of the quantum nature of light. Raman had a complicated professional relationship with K. S. Krishan, who did not surprisingly share the award, but is mentioned prominently even in the Nobel lecture.

Raman spectroscopy came to be based on this phenomenon, and Ernest Rutherford referred to it in his presidential address to the Royal Society in 1929. Raman was president of the 16th session of the Indian Science Congress in 1929. He was conferred a knighthood, and medals and honorary doctorates by various universities. Raman was confident of winning the Nobel Prize in Physics as well, and was disappointed when the Nobel Prize went to Richardson in 1928 and to de Broglie in 1929. He was so confident of winning the prize in 1930 that he booked tickets in July, even though the awards were to be announced in November, and would scan each day's newspaper for announcement of the prize, tossing it away if it did not carry the news. He did eventually win the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the effect named after him". He was the first Asian and first non-White to receive any Nobel Prize in the sciences. Before him Rabindranath Tagore (also Indian) had received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.

Raman and Bhagavantam discovered the quantum photon spin in 1932, which further confirmed the quantum nature of light.
During his tenure at IISc, he recruited the then talented electrical engineering student, G._N._Ramachandran, who later was a distinguished X-ray crystallographer himself.
Raman also worked on the acoustics of musical instruments. He worked out the theory of transverse vibration of bowed strings, on the basis of superposition velocities. He was also the first to investigate the harmonic nature of the sound of the Indian drums such as the tabla and the mridangam.

Raman and his student, Nagendra Nath, of Mim high school, provided the correct theoretical explanation for the acousto-optic effect (light scattering by sound waves), in a series of articles resulting in the celebrated Raman-Nath theory. Modulators, and switching systems based on this effect have enabled optical communication components based on laser systems.

In 1934, Raman became the assistant director of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, where two years later he continued as a professor of physics. Other investigations carried out by Raman were experimental and theoretical studies on the diffraction of light by acoustic waves of ultrasonic and hypersonic frequencies (published 1934–1942), and those on the effects produced by X-rays on infrared vibrations in crystals exposed to ordinary light.

He also started a company called cv Chemical and Manufacturing Co. Ltd. in 1943 along with Dr. Krishnamurthy. The Company during its 60 year history, established four factories in Southern India. In 1947, he was appointed as the first National Professor by the new government of Independent India.

In 1948, Raman, through studying the spectroscopic behavior of crystals, approached in a new manner fundamental problems of crystal dynamics. He dealt with the structure and properties of diamond, the structure and optical behavior of numerous iridescent substances (labradorite, pearly feldspar, agate, opal, and pearls). Among his other interests were the optics of colloids, electrical and magnetic anisotropy, and the physiology of human vision.

Personal life :

He was married on 6 May 1907 to Lokasundari Ammal (1892–1980) with whom he had two sons, Chandrasekhar and Radhakrishnan.
On his religious views, he was said to be an agnostic. Raman retired from the Indian Institute of Science in 1944 and established the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore, Karnataka a year later. He served as its director and remained active there until his death in 1970, in Bangalore, at the age of 82.

C.V. Raman was the paternal uncle of Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who later won the Nobel Prize in Physics (1983) for his discovery of the Chandrasekhar limit in 1931 and for his subsequent work on the nuclear reactions necessary for stellar evolution.

Honours and awards :

Raman was honoured with a large number of honorary doctorates and memberships of scientific societies. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society early in his career (1924) and knighted in 1929. In 1930 he won the Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1941 he was awarded the Franklin Medal. In 1954 he was awarded the Bharat Ratna. He was also awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1957. In 1998, the American Chemical Society and Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science recognized Raman's discovery as an International Historic Chemical Landmark.
India celebrates National Science Day on 28 February of every year to commemorate the discovery of the Raman effect in 1928.

TOP 9 LONGEST RIVERS IN THE WORLD

9. Amur River :Russia and China : 4444 Km

Amur River or Heilong Jiang (Tionghoa language), or sahaliyan Ula (Manchu) is the 9th longest river in the world, forms the border between the Far East Russia with the North East part of China.
Amur River is the symbol and important geopolitical factor in the Chinese-Russian relations. Amur is very important in the period of the Sino-Soviet split in the 1960s.

8. Congo River


Congo River (also known as Zaire River) is the largest river in the western part of Central Africa. This river has a length of about 4700 km, making it the second largest river in Africa (after the Nile). It flows through the world’s largest rain forest after Amazon. The name comes from the Kingdom of the Congo. From 1971 until 1997, the government called it Zaire River.

7. Ob – Irtysh River: Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia : 5,410 Km


This long river can be divided into Ob River and The Irtysh is the major tributary of the Ob. There’re several other tributaries for Ob. The water in the Ob was polluted because of the poison from the Russian weapon research and production.

6. Yellow River /Hwang Ho: China : 5464 Km


Yellow River (Huanghe or Hwangho) is an important river in North China which became the center of Chinese culture together with the Long River (Yangtze) in the south. With a length of 5464 kilometers, the river is the second longest river in China after the Long River (Yangtze).

5. Yenisei-Angara-Selenga-Ider: Russia and Mongolia :                                                                                                                                                    5539 Km

Yenisei also written as Yenisey, is the greatest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean. Rising in Mongolia, it follows a northerly course to the Yenisei Gulf in the Kara Sea, draining a large part of central Siberia, the longest stream following the Yenisei-Angara-Selenga-Ider.

4. Mississippi – Missouri River: United States: 6275 Km

Mississippi River is a river in the U.S.. It is one of the longest river in the world and is the second longest river in America. Has a length of 3.734 km for its main river but will be 6275 Km if It’s measured in long range from tributary river of Missouri. It’s originated in Lake Itasca in Minnesota and culminate in the Gulf of Mexico. The name “Mississippi” comes from a Native American language meaning “father of waters.”

Mississippi’s spring is in the state of Minnesota, near the border with Canada. Mississippi flowing to the south across the central U.S.. Flowing through the state of Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

3. Yangtze River / Chang Jiang: China: 6300 Km



Yangtze River (pinyin: Changjiang, English: Long River or the Yangtze River) is the longest river in China and Asia. Long River is the third-longest river in the world. This river become the southern boundary of the ancient culture of China which is located between the Yellow River in the north and Long River in the south.

This river is known as the Yangtze River (pinyin: Yangzi) because of the misunderstanding of the missionaries at first. Yangtze River only refers to the length of the river downstream, but because this is the first heard by the Western, Yangtze is used to represent the entire Long River.

2. Amazon River: South America: 6400 km



The Amazon River (Portuguese: Rio Amazonas; Spanish: Río Amazonas) of South America is the largest river in the world with a total river flow greater than the next ten largest rivers combined. The Amazon, which has the largest drainage basin in the world, accounts for approximately one-fifth of the world’s total river flow. In its upper stretches the Amazon river is called Apurímac (in Peru) and Solimões (in Brazil).
During the wet season, parts of the Amazon exceed 190 kilometres (120 mi) in width. Because of its vast dimensions, it is sometimes called The River Sea. At no point is the Amazon crossed by bridges. This is not because of its huge dimensions; in fact, for most of its length, the Amazon’s width is well within the capability of modern engineers to bridge. However, the bulk of the river flows through tropical rainforest, where there are few roads and even fewer cities, so there is no need for crossings.
While the Amazon is the largest river in the world by most measures, the current consensus within the geographic community holds that the Amazon is the second longest river, just slightly shorter than the Nile.

1. Nile River: Africa: 6650 Km

Nile River in Africa, is one of the two longest rivers on Earth. Nile River flows along the 6650 km or 4132 miles and flow through nine countries: Ethiopia, Zaire, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan and of course Egypt. Because the Nile has the important meaning in Egyptian history (especially ancient Egypt). The Nile has a very important role in the civilization, life and history of the Egyptians since thousands of years ago. One important role from the Nile is the ability to produce fertile soil as a result of sedimentation along the river basin. By the existence of this fertile soil make the inhabitants of Egypt can develop the farm and the Egyptian civilization developed since thousands of years ago.

TOP 10 HIGHEST MOUNTAINS IN THE WORLD

Annapurna (26,545 feet or 8,091 metres)

Annapurna is a Sanskrit name which literally means "full of food", but is normally translated as Goddess of the Harvests. Located east of a great gorge that cuts through the Himalaya Mountains, its peaks are not the tallest in the world, but they are considered the most dangerous to climb. As of 2007, there had been 153 summit ascents of Annapurna I, and 58 fatalities, giving the mountain a fatality to summit ratio of 38%--the highest of any of the eight-thousanders.

Nanga Parbat (26,660 feet or 8,126 metres)

Nanga Parbat forms the western anchor of the Himalayan Range. Its name translates to "Naked Mountain". On July 12, 2009, after reaching the top of Nanga Parbat, South Korean climber Go Mi-Young fell off a cliff on the descent in bad weather. She had been one of the leaders in the quest to become the first woman to scale the world's 14 highest peaks. Nanga Parbat has never been climbed in winter.

Manaslu (26,759 feet or 8,156 metres)

Set in the northern Himalayan range in the Gorkha land of Nepal, Manaslu has been described as a serrated "wall of snow and ice hanging in the sky." Its name, which means "Mountain of the Spirit", comes from the Sanskrit word Manasa, meaning "intellect" or "soul".

Dhaulagiri (26,795 feet or 8,167 metres)

In terms of rise above local terrain, Dhaulagiri is almost unparalleled in the world. It rises 7000 metres over the Kali Gandaki gorge to the southeast in about 30 km of horizontal distance. The Kali Gandaki is especially dramatic since Dhaulagiri and Annapurna both stand near the river, giving a unique example of two eight-thousanders facing each other over a deep valley.

Cho Oyu (26,906 feet or 8,201 metres)

Just a few kilometres west of Cho Oyu is Nangpa La (5,716m/18,753 ft), a glaciated pass that serves as the main trading route between the Tibetans and the Khumbu's Sherpas. Due to its proximity to this pass and the generally moderate slopes of the standard northwest ridge route, some climbers consider Cho Oyu to be the easiest 8,000 metre peak to climb, and it is a popular objective for professionally guided parties. Cho Oyu means "Turquoise Goddess" in Tibetan.

Makalu (27,825 feet or 8,481 metres)

An isolated peak whose shape is a four-sided pyramid, Makalu is considered one of the most difficult mountains in the world to climb. The mountain is notorious for its steep pitches and knife-edged ridges that are completely open to the elements.

Lhotse (27,940 feet or 8,516 metres)

Lhotse is best known for its proximity to Mount Everest and the fact that climbers ascending the standard route on that peak spend some time on its northwest face. However, Lhotse is a dramatic peak in its own right, due to its tremendous south face which rises 3.2 km (2.0 mi) in only 2.25 km (1.4 mi) of horizontal distance, making it the steepest face of this size in the world.

Kangchenjunga (28,169 feet or 8,586 metres)

Kangchenjunga translated means "The Five Treasures of Snows", as it contains five peaks, four of them over 8,450 metres. Kangchenjunga was first climbed on May 25, 1955 by Joe Brown and George Band, who were part of a British expedition. The British expedition honoured the beliefs of the Sikkimese, who hold the summit sacred, by stopping a few feet short of the actual summit. Most successful summit parties since then have followed this tradition.

K2 (28,251 feet or 8,611 metres)

known as the Savage Mountain due to the difficulty of ascent, K2, located on the border between Xinjiang, China and Gilgit, Pakistan, has the 2nd highest fatality rate among "eight thousanders". For every four people who have reached the summit, one has died trying. K2 has never successfully been climbed in winter.

Mount Everest (29,029 feet or 8,848 metres)

At 8,848 meters above sea level, Mount Everest, or Mount Chomolungma, is the world's tallest mountain. The government of Nepal requires all prospective climbers to obtain an expensive permit, costing as much as US $25,000 per person. Still, hundreds of climbers scale the mountain each year, led my professional mountain guides. Everest does not pose substantial technical climbing difficulties on the standard route (other mountains such as K2 and Nanga Parbat are, technically, much more difficult), but a climb to the top of the world's highest peak involves many dangers such as altitude sickness, extreme weather and powerful winds. Conditions are so difficult in the death zone (altitudes higher than 8,000 meters) that most corpses have simply been left where they fell. Some are still visible from standard climbing routes.