Before Independence, India was way behind in the field of science and was constantly violated by the British. C.V. Raman was the transition that India needed at that time. He was a great influencer of science and laid the foundation of the science field in India. Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was born on 7th November 1888 in Trichinipoly and died on 21st November 1970 in Bangalore.
Early Life of C.V. Raman
Raman was born to Chandrasekharan Ramanathan Iyer and Parvati Ammal, in a Brahmin family. His father was a maths and physics professor at Mrs A.V. Narasimha Rao College, Vishakhapatnam. Raman’s father wasn’t a religious man, so from the earliest phase of Raman’s life, he was given books on science, physics, and maths instead of religious upbringing.
This incident plays a significant role and C.V. Raman develops his first interest in Science. He is so dedicated to knowledge in science that he never leaves his book in fever or any challenges. However, later on, he pursues the optics branch in physics covering light spectrum refraction and so much more in the field of light.
At the early age of diving into the spectrums of light. the transfer of his father, he gets to know about the new city, Visakhapatnam. A city known for its natural beauty escapes. They say “A scientist is a child who never lost their wonder, seeking to understand the secrets Mother Nature has carefully hidden.” At Vishakapatnam C.V. Raman continues his study at St, Aloysius Anglo-Indian High School. Close ones of the C.V. Raman also mention his curiosity about the blueness of the sea at Vishakapatnam as the reason for choosing science and mainly optics.
C.V Raman and Raman Effect: How Indian Scientist CV Raman Discovered Why Sea is Blue. Image Credit: myIndiamyglory
Education and Career of C.V. Raman From 1904 to 1928
Secondary and Higher Education
At the early age of 11, he passed his class 10th. After 2 two years, his F.A. also known as Intermediate or class 12th. he excellence in every class or test. All this success and excellence in studies added under his belt. With a scholarship at the age of 13 after clearing 12th. C.V. Raman joins the Presidency College in Madaras. It’s the same college where his father works as a professor in mathematics.
C.V. Raman has 8 siblings and is 2nd child, whenever he returns from college. He showcases all his experiments to his younger siblings. They all believe they as magic and portray his big brother as a magician. As his total focus was on physics and studies his appearance got dull and skinny. In 1904 he cleared his B.A. examination at the University of Madaras. As usual, he won gold in physics and after 3 years he completed his master’s degree. Like gold in graduation, his master’s degree holds distinction in all subjects.
C.V. Raman explaining light scattering. Image Credit: scroll.in
Career and Research
After higher studies, he wants to gain some respectable positions so for that time being he appears for the FCS Exam. He doesn’t only appear in it but also tops that examination with good marks. For that good performance, he was appointed as a clerk in the department of Calcutta. From 1907 to 1917 he stayed in Kolkata, in 1917 with the same dedication of interest in science, he published his paper along with the job of clerk. Mostly his research papers tell people about the solid-state spectrum and much more. These papers caught the attention of Ashutosh Mukherjee VC of Calcutta University.
However, in 1918 he became the first Palit professor of physics at the University of Calcutta and continued his research in IACS Calcutta. With the wisdom of excelling in every field every department and every subject. The C.V Raman following the research become the honorary secretary in IACS Calcutta. During this duration being secretary of IACS from 1918 to 1933. He announces a new journal of physics and names it “A New Radiation”. It was the same time when there was no such degree as physics in INDIA. This new journal of C.V Raman reported the discovery of RAMAN EFFECT.
RAMAN EFFECT
To understand the quantum nature of light, he designs his experiment. C.V. Raman wants to explore the particle nature of light after Louis De Broglie established both the particle and wave nature of light. In March 1928 with K.S. Krishnan, C.V. led the experiment on the scattering of light and discovered the phenomena which he named after the RAMAN EFFECT.
Raman Scattering or RAMAN EFFECT. Image Credit: universityofcambridge
What is RAMAN EFFECT?
The Raman effect or Raman scattering is observed when light interacts with matter, resulting in light with a different wavelength. When light is scattered by a molecule, a fraction of the light will have a different frequency than that of the incident light, resulting in a frequency shift. The difference in frequency is known as the Raman shift. The Raman effect is a useful method for probing molecular structure and properties.
The Raman effect presents several merits, rendering it beneficial applications:
- The study of Molecule Structure:
Identification of molecules: Raman spectroscopy can identify distinct molecules based on a unique Raman spectrum. Deterum mining functional groups: Characteristic Raman bands can be associated with specific functional groups contained by molecules. - Material Characterization:
Phase or structural identification: Different material phases can be discerned based on Raman spectra. Stress and strain sensing: Measuring stress and strain in materials is difficult, if not impossible. Crystal structure: Information about the crystal structure of a material can be extracted.
Nobel Prizes and Achievements.
The amazing work of C.V. Raman made him win many hearts but the most significant thing he won was the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for his work in the field of light and the discovery of the Raman Effect.
He was also very popular among the English. He was a fellow member of the Royal Society in England in 1924 and the Britishers knighted Raman in 1930. Raman is also the founder of the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore. He kept his research ongoing in the institute until his death in 1970.
Establishments of Raman: Indian Academy of Sciences & the Indian Journal of Physics and Raman Research Institute Bangalore.