Raman : His Spectrometer and the City of Joy - Kolkata
This day, 7th November, 1888, was born the par excellence scientist, the one and only, Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman in Tiruchirappalli. His association with the city of Joy, Kolkata, is legendary. It was in this city that Raman fell in love with his passion for science, on seeing the historical ‘Indian Association for Cultivation of Science (IACS)’ board, while travelling in a tram on way to his office as the Assistant Accountant General, a highly lucrative job of the Indian Financial Services with the British Indian Government. The rest, what they say, is history which ultimately led to Raman getting the most coveted Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for the discovery of an effect - Raman Effect - known after his name.
To commemorate the momentous achievement of Raman, the city of Joy chose a brilliant, Guinness Book record winning, idea in which 1598 students of classes VI to XI from different schools from across West Bengal attended a lecture on astrophysics at the Science City, Kolkata, to set a new record in the Guinness Book of World Records. This unique event - a 45 minutes lecture was delivered by Samir Dhurde, science educator, astronomer and Science Outreach In-charge from Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA). This was one of several events, which have been organised during the fifth edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF) that is currently on in Kolkata. As a mark of India’s respect to the legendary scientist, Raman, each of these students made a small model of an advanced low cost spectroscope, with cardboard, during a practical experiment session that followed the lecture.
Raman too had used a low cost, locally built Spectrometer, in this very city, which aided him and his associates in making their profound experimental readings that won Raman the Nobel Prize in Physics for the year 1930. Spectroscopes are instruments that are used by astronomers to record the temperature and understand the chemical composition and other characteristics of celestial bodies, which are millions of light years away from earth.
The Raman Spectrometer, was developed by him and his colleagues in Kolkata while working at the IACS some times during the period 1924 to 27. The functioning of this path breaking instrument was first published in the renowned international magazine, Nature, in 1928. This very instrument, which won Raman the Nobel Prize, was one of the six precious antiquity objects that were sent from India to be a part of the historic exhibition ‘Illumination India - 5000 years of science and Innovation’ that was exhibited at the London Science Museum from October 2017 to April 2018. This historic exhibition was one of the major events to commemorate the India - UK year of Culture. Our Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji, paid a visit to this exhibition in London. I had the unique honour to be the Nodal Officer from India for this exhibition for which we had sent six antiquity objects of historical significance besides 8 other non antiquity objects.
The Raman Spectrometer had 6 different components, namely the Mercury Vapor Lamp, Collimating Lens, the Sample holder, the Collecting lens, the Violet Filter. The original Raman Spectrometer, which was sent for the exhibition was not in working condition as the inner contraptions of the spectrometer were missing. This instrument was originally used to identify materials that display Raman Scattering. Sir, C V Raman got the Nobel Prize for the discovery of an effect named after him in the year 1930, using this very instrument. On completion of the exhibition the Raman Spectrometer along with other antiquity objects returned back to India and the Raman spectrometer is now in the custody of IACS, the very institute where Raman developed and used this instrument.
Rahman’s love for experimental science bloomed in the dusty ambience of IACS. It was this very place which resulted in Raman voluntarily choosing to forego his lucrative financial services job to settle for a lesser salary job at the Calcutta University - as the Palit Professor. This opportunity provided Raman a chance to represent the Calcutta University for a conference in England. It was during this historic return voyage to India in 1921 that the blue colour of the Mediterranean Sea gave raise to an impregnating idea that Raman continued to work on. Raman had pursued his entire studies in India and it was for the first time ever that he was making his trip to London. By then he had already attained some reputation in the study of optics and especially acoustics, which was known to the English physicists J. J. Thomson and Lord Rutherford, who gave Raman a warm reception in England. Raman’s specialty had been the study of the vibrations and sounds of stringed instruments such as the violin, the Indian veena and tanpura and so also the Indian percussion instruments, the tabla and the mridangam, which he had proved had some unique characteristics that produced pure harmonics unlike the western percussion instruments.
It was the return trip from London to Bombay aboard the SS Narkunda that would change forever the direction of Raman’s future. During the fifteen-day voyage, Raman became fascinated with the deep blue color of the Mediterranean. He was not inclined to accept Lord Rayleigh’s explanation that the color of the sea was just a reflection of the color of the sky. He therefore proceeded to outline his thoughts on the matter while still at sea and sent a letter to the editors of the journal, Nature as soon as the ship docked in Bombay (Mumbai now). A little time later Raman was able to show conclusively that the color of the sea was the result of the scattering of sunlight by the water molecules. Raman became obsessed with the phenomenon of light scattering. Immediately on his return to Calcutta, he and his group began an extensive series of experiments and measurements of light scattered primarily by liquids but also by some solids. In less than an year after his return from England - in 1922 - Raman published his work on the “Molecular Diffraction of Light”, the first of a series of investigations with his collaborators, which ultimately led to his discovery, on the 28th of February, 1928, of the radiation effect which bears his name (“A new radiation”, Indian J. Phys., 2 (1928) 387).
It was on the 16th March 1928 in Bangalore that Raman for the first time talked about his new discovery in a public function. He began his lecture in Bangalore with these prophetic words “ I propose this evening to speak to you on a new kind of radiation or light emission from atoms and molecules.” Professor Raman delivered this lecture to the South Indian Science Association in Bangalore. Raman during the course of his lecture described the discovery that, according to him, resulted from a deceptively simple experiment. This famous experiment was conducted by Raman and his colleagues at the IACS, Kolkata, far away from those great centres of scientific research in the Western world. They had used the simplest of inexpensive equipment for their measurement. Although Raman’s original experiments were done by visual observation, precise measurements were made with their historic spectrograph. Raman and his students, during their initial experiments, used only a mercury lamp, a flask of benzene, and a direct vision pocket spectroscope. However the results that they obtained went on to capture the attention of scientists around the world and bring many accolades, including the Nobel Prize, to Raman.
As we celebrate the Guinness Book of Records by students of Calcutta it is time that we pay our respects and reverence to the legendary scientist Sir C V Raman who became instrumental in making this achievement possible. Long live Raman and his profound Raman Effect.
This day, 7th November, 1888, was born the par excellence scientist, the one and only, Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman in Tiruchirappalli. His association with the city of Joy, Kolkata, is legendary. It was in this city that Raman fell in love with his passion for science, on seeing the historical ‘Indian Association for Cultivation of Science (IACS)’ board, while travelling in a tram on way to his office as the Assistant Accountant General, a highly lucrative job of the Indian Financial Services with the British Indian Government. The rest, what they say, is history which ultimately led to Raman getting the most coveted Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for the discovery of an effect - Raman Effect - known after his name.
To commemorate the momentous achievement of Raman, the city of Joy chose a brilliant, Guinness Book record winning, idea in which 1598 students of classes VI to XI from different schools from across West Bengal attended a lecture on astrophysics at the Science City, Kolkata, to set a new record in the Guinness Book of World Records. This unique event - a 45 minutes lecture was delivered by Samir Dhurde, science educator, astronomer and Science Outreach In-charge from Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA). This was one of several events, which have been organised during the fifth edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF) that is currently on in Kolkata. As a mark of India’s respect to the legendary scientist, Raman, each of these students made a small model of an advanced low cost spectroscope, with cardboard, during a practical experiment session that followed the lecture.
Raman too had used a low cost, locally built Spectrometer, in this very city, which aided him and his associates in making their profound experimental readings that won Raman the Nobel Prize in Physics for the year 1930. Spectroscopes are instruments that are used by astronomers to record the temperature and understand the chemical composition and other characteristics of celestial bodies, which are millions of light years away from earth.
The Raman Spectrometer, was developed by him and his colleagues in Kolkata while working at the IACS some times during the period 1924 to 27. The functioning of this path breaking instrument was first published in the renowned international magazine, Nature, in 1928. This very instrument, which won Raman the Nobel Prize, was one of the six precious antiquity objects that were sent from India to be a part of the historic exhibition ‘Illumination India - 5000 years of science and Innovation’ that was exhibited at the London Science Museum from October 2017 to April 2018. This historic exhibition was one of the major events to commemorate the India - UK year of Culture. Our Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji, paid a visit to this exhibition in London. I had the unique honour to be the Nodal Officer from India for this exhibition for which we had sent six antiquity objects of historical significance besides 8 other non antiquity objects.
The Raman Spectrometer had 6 different components, namely the Mercury Vapor Lamp, Collimating Lens, the Sample holder, the Collecting lens, the Violet Filter. The original Raman Spectrometer, which was sent for the exhibition was not in working condition as the inner contraptions of the spectrometer were missing. This instrument was originally used to identify materials that display Raman Scattering. Sir, C V Raman got the Nobel Prize for the discovery of an effect named after him in the year 1930, using this very instrument. On completion of the exhibition the Raman Spectrometer along with other antiquity objects returned back to India and the Raman spectrometer is now in the custody of IACS, the very institute where Raman developed and used this instrument.
Rahman’s love for experimental science bloomed in the dusty ambience of IACS. It was this very place which resulted in Raman voluntarily choosing to forego his lucrative financial services job to settle for a lesser salary job at the Calcutta University - as the Palit Professor. This opportunity provided Raman a chance to represent the Calcutta University for a conference in England. It was during this historic return voyage to India in 1921 that the blue colour of the Mediterranean Sea gave raise to an impregnating idea that Raman continued to work on. Raman had pursued his entire studies in India and it was for the first time ever that he was making his trip to London. By then he had already attained some reputation in the study of optics and especially acoustics, which was known to the English physicists J. J. Thomson and Lord Rutherford, who gave Raman a warm reception in England. Raman’s specialty had been the study of the vibrations and sounds of stringed instruments such as the violin, the Indian veena and tanpura and so also the Indian percussion instruments, the tabla and the mridangam, which he had proved had some unique characteristics that produced pure harmonics unlike the western percussion instruments.
It was the return trip from London to Bombay aboard the SS Narkunda that would change forever the direction of Raman’s future. During the fifteen-day voyage, Raman became fascinated with the deep blue color of the Mediterranean. He was not inclined to accept Lord Rayleigh’s explanation that the color of the sea was just a reflection of the color of the sky. He therefore proceeded to outline his thoughts on the matter while still at sea and sent a letter to the editors of the journal, Nature as soon as the ship docked in Bombay (Mumbai now). A little time later Raman was able to show conclusively that the color of the sea was the result of the scattering of sunlight by the water molecules. Raman became obsessed with the phenomenon of light scattering. Immediately on his return to Calcutta, he and his group began an extensive series of experiments and measurements of light scattered primarily by liquids but also by some solids. In less than an year after his return from England - in 1922 - Raman published his work on the “Molecular Diffraction of Light”, the first of a series of investigations with his collaborators, which ultimately led to his discovery, on the 28th of February, 1928, of the radiation effect which bears his name (“A new radiation”, Indian J. Phys., 2 (1928) 387).
It was on the 16th March 1928 in Bangalore that Raman for the first time talked about his new discovery in a public function. He began his lecture in Bangalore with these prophetic words “ I propose this evening to speak to you on a new kind of radiation or light emission from atoms and molecules.” Professor Raman delivered this lecture to the South Indian Science Association in Bangalore. Raman during the course of his lecture described the discovery that, according to him, resulted from a deceptively simple experiment. This famous experiment was conducted by Raman and his colleagues at the IACS, Kolkata, far away from those great centres of scientific research in the Western world. They had used the simplest of inexpensive equipment for their measurement. Although Raman’s original experiments were done by visual observation, precise measurements were made with their historic spectrograph. Raman and his students, during their initial experiments, used only a mercury lamp, a flask of benzene, and a direct vision pocket spectroscope. However the results that they obtained went on to capture the attention of scientists around the world and bring many accolades, including the Nobel Prize, to Raman.
As we celebrate the Guinness Book of Records by students of Calcutta it is time that we pay our respects and reverence to the legendary scientist Sir C V Raman who became instrumental in making this achievement possible. Long live Raman and his profound Raman Effect.
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