Sivaramakrishna Chandrasekhar
Encyclopedia
Sivaramakrishna Chandrasekhar (6 August 1930 - 8 March 2004) was an Indian physicist who won the Royal Medal
in 1994. He was the founder-president of the International Liquid Crystal Society
.
Chandrasekhar was born on 6 August 1930 at Calcutta. He received his M Sc
degree in physics
with first rank from Nagpur University in 1951. Subsequently,
he joined the Raman Research Institute
(RRI), Bangalore
to work for his
doctoral degree in physics under the guidance of his maternal uncle, C. V. Raman.
The main topic of his research was related to optical rotatory dispersion measurements
on several crystals. He received the D Sc degree from Nagpur University in 1954.
Then he went to the Cavendish Laboratory
on an 1851 Exhibition Scholarship and obtained a second doctorate degree from Cambridge University mainly for his work on the corrections for extinction in neutron
and X-ray scattering from crystal
s.
His subsequent postdoctoral work in the University College and the Royal Institution
at London also dealt with crystallographic problems. He returned to India in
1961 as the first Head of the Department of Physics, which had just been started in
the University of Mysore
at Mysore. It was here that he turned his attention to
liquid crystals, a subject which at that time was just coming out of a long hybernation.
many compounds had been synthesized at Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
, Germany
in the 1920s and 30s.
Some physical studies had been undertaken by the German and Russian schools
during that era, but the subject later languished till the mid-fifties. Starting in the
late fifties, the systematic synthetic effort by George William Gray
in the UK and the physical studies
by Wilhelm Maier in Germany (including the well-known Maier–Saupe or MS theory)
started a revival of the subject. Chandrasekhar and his co-workers made contributions
to the application of the dynamical theory of reflections to study the fascinating
optical properties of cholesteric liquid crystals which have a helical structure
with a pitch which is usually ~ 0.5 mm, and to the extensions of the molecular
theory of nematic liquid crystals beyond the MS model. Chandrasekhar was invited to establish
a liquid crystal laboratory in RRI after the Department of Science and Technology started supporting it in 1971. The
move had a highly positive impact on his productivity. Along with a couple of former
students who moved with him to RRI, in a short time, he developed a laboratory
with all the essential facilities needed for research in the chosen area.
Realizing that cutting-edge research would not be possible without an in-house capacity
to produce new materials, a synthetic organic chemistry laboratory
was set up. Soon many new experimental and a few theoretical results emerged and the Liquid Crystal Laboratory at RRI became one of the leading centres of research in the world. The twisted nematic liquid crystal display
was invented in Europe in 1971 and recently, LCDs have displaced CRTs as
commercially the most important displays. In cooperation with Chandrasekhar and
his colleagues, the Bharat Electronics Limited
(BEL), Bangalore, developed indigenous
know-how for the manufacture of simple LCDs for the domestic market.
his co-workers discovered the columnar phase
of liquid crystals made of disc-shaped molecule
s, rather than the well-studied
rods. Through supramolecular assembly
, the discs exhibit a mesophase
which has a two-dimensional, periodic order. The paper announcing the discovery of this state of matter
was published in the Indian physics journal Pramana
, and is one of the most highly cited
papers in the field of liquid crystals. Subsequently, a few thousand compounds with disc-like
molecules were synthesized. The columnar liquid crystals are noted for their highly anisotropic conducting properties, which is exploited in device applications.
The subject has had yet another resurgence in 1996, when Japanese scientists discovered new types of liquid crystalline phases exhibited by compounds made of another new type of (banana-shaped) molecule having bent-cores. Many such compounds exhibit columnar liquid crystalline phases.
of Chandrasekhar’s book on liquid crystals by the Cambridge University Press
.
The book is popular amongst workers in the field, and has been translated into Russian
and Japanese. An enlarged second edition of the book was published in 1992.
Chandrasekhar also organized several international conferences, including the
one in 1973 on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee
of the founding of the RRI. Many
stalwarts in the field of liquid crystals like Glen H. Brown, George William Gray, Alfred Saupe
and Pierre-Gilles de Gennes
(who was to receive the Nobel Prize in 1991, partly for his work on liquid crystals) participated in this conference.
Some major conferences Chandrasekhar organized include the Ninth International Liquid Crystals Conference in 1982 and the Second Asia-Pacific Physics Conference in 1986.
After retiring from RRI in 1990, Chandrasekhar started the Centre for Liquid Crystal Research in a building made available by BEL. Chandrasekhar’s scientific achievements brought him many honours. He was elected Fellow of all the three academies in
India, of the Royal Society, of the Institute of Physics
(London) and of the Third World Academy of Sciences
. He was a member of several international and national committees on science and education.
He was the founder president of the
International Liquid Crystal Society
for 1990–92, and was an editor of the journal Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals for 20 years. He was the recipient of the Bhatnagar Award (1972), Homi Bhabha (1987) and Meghnad Saha (1992) medals of the Indian National Science Academy
, C.V. Raman Centenary Medal of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science
(1988), the Royal Medal of Royal Society (1994), Niels Bohr International Gold Medal
of UNESCO (1998), and the Freedericksz Medal of the Russian Liquid Crystal Society (2000). He was also the recipient of the Karnataka Rajyotsava award (1986), Padma Bhushan Award (1998) and the entitlement Chevalier dans L’ order des Palmes Academique of the French Government (1999).
Chandrasekhar was largely responsible for placing India
on the international map in the field of liquid crystals.
Chandrasekhar hailed from the most illustrious family of physicists in India.
Royal Medal
The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal, is a silver-gilt medal awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important contributions to the advancement of natural knowledge" and one for "distinguished contributions in the applied sciences" made within the Commonwealth of...
in 1994. He was the founder-president of the International Liquid Crystal Society
International Liquid Crystal Society
The International Liquid Crystal Society was founded in 1990 and currently has over 900 members in 43 countries worldwide.The aim of the Society is to unite scientists, engineers and students working in the broad field of fundamental and applied aspects of different liquid crystal systems,...
.
Chandrasekhar was born on 6 August 1930 at Calcutta. He received his M Sc
degree in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
with first rank from Nagpur University in 1951. Subsequently,
he joined the Raman Research Institute
Raman Research Institute
Raman Research Institute is a research institute in Bangalore, India. It was started by Nobel laureate Sir C. V. Raman.The main areas of research are:*Astronomy and Astrophysics*Liquid Crystals*Theoretical Physics*Optics...
(RRI), Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
to work for his
doctoral degree in physics under the guidance of his maternal uncle, C. V. Raman.
The main topic of his research was related to optical rotatory dispersion measurements
on several crystals. He received the D Sc degree from Nagpur University in 1954.
Then he went to the Cavendish Laboratory
Cavendish Laboratory
The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the university's School of Physical Sciences. It was opened in 1874 as a teaching laboratory....
on an 1851 Exhibition Scholarship and obtained a second doctorate degree from Cambridge University mainly for his work on the corrections for extinction in neutron
Neutron
The neutron is a subatomic hadron particle which has the symbol or , no net electric charge and a mass slightly larger than that of a proton. With the exception of hydrogen, nuclei of atoms consist of protons and neutrons, which are therefore collectively referred to as nucleons. The number of...
and X-ray scattering from crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
s.
His subsequent postdoctoral work in the University College and the Royal Institution
Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research, based in London.-Overview:...
at London also dealt with crystallographic problems. He returned to India in
1961 as the first Head of the Department of Physics, which had just been started in
the University of Mysore
University of Mysore
The University of Mysore , is a public university in India. The University founded during the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore, and was conceptualized on the basis of a report on educational progress in the United States and Australia, submitted by Messrs Thomas Denham and...
at Mysore. It was here that he turned his attention to
liquid crystals, a subject which at that time was just coming out of a long hybernation.
Research
Liquid crystals made of rod-like molecules had been discovered in 1888, andmany compounds had been synthesized at Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the 1920s and 30s.
Some physical studies had been undertaken by the German and Russian schools
during that era, but the subject later languished till the mid-fifties. Starting in the
late fifties, the systematic synthetic effort by George William Gray
George William Gray
George William Gray CBE, FRS is a Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Hull who was instrumental in developing the long-lasting materials which made liquid crystal displays possible...
in the UK and the physical studies
by Wilhelm Maier in Germany (including the well-known Maier–Saupe or MS theory)
started a revival of the subject. Chandrasekhar and his co-workers made contributions
to the application of the dynamical theory of reflections to study the fascinating
optical properties of cholesteric liquid crystals which have a helical structure
with a pitch which is usually ~ 0.5 mm, and to the extensions of the molecular
theory of nematic liquid crystals beyond the MS model. Chandrasekhar was invited to establish
a liquid crystal laboratory in RRI after the Department of Science and Technology started supporting it in 1971. The
move had a highly positive impact on his productivity. Along with a couple of former
students who moved with him to RRI, in a short time, he developed a laboratory
with all the essential facilities needed for research in the chosen area.
Realizing that cutting-edge research would not be possible without an in-house capacity
to produce new materials, a synthetic organic chemistry laboratory
Organic synthesis
Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the construction of organic compounds via organic reactions. Organic molecules can often contain a higher level of complexity compared to purely inorganic compounds, so the synthesis of organic compounds has...
was set up. Soon many new experimental and a few theoretical results emerged and the Liquid Crystal Laboratory at RRI became one of the leading centres of research in the world. The twisted nematic liquid crystal display
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
was invented in Europe in 1971 and recently, LCDs have displaced CRTs as
commercially the most important displays. In cooperation with Chandrasekhar and
his colleagues, the Bharat Electronics Limited
Bharat Electronics Limited
Bharat Electronics Limited is a state-owned electronics company with about nine factories, and few regional offices in India. It is owned by the Indian Government & primarily manufactures advanced electronic products for the Indian Armed Forces.BEL is one of the eight PSUs under Ministry of...
(BEL), Bangalore, developed indigenous
know-how for the manufacture of simple LCDs for the domestic market.
Columns
The pinnacle in Chandrasekhar’s scientific career came in 1977, when he andhis co-workers discovered the columnar phase
Columnar phase
The columnar phase is a class of mesophases in which molecules assemble into cylindrical structures to act as mesogens. Originally, these kinds of liquid crystals were called discotic liquid crystals because the columnar structures are composed of flat-shaped discotic molecules stacked...
of liquid crystals made of disc-shaped molecule
Molecule
A molecule is an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from ions by their electrical charge...
s, rather than the well-studied
rods. Through supramolecular assembly
Supramolecular assembly
A supramolecular assembly or "supermolecule" is a well defined complex of molecules held together by noncovalent bonds. While a supramolecular assembly can be simply composed of two molecules , it is more often used to denote larger complexes of molecules that form sphere-, rod-, or sheet-like...
, the discs exhibit a mesophase
Mesophase
In physics, a mesophase is a state of matter intermediate between liquid and solid. Gelatin is a common example of a partially-ordered structure in a mesophase...
which has a two-dimensional, periodic order. The paper announcing the discovery of this state of matter
State of matter
States of matter are the distinct forms that different phases of matter take on. Solid, liquid and gas are the most common states of matter on Earth. However, much of the baryonic matter of the universe is in the form of hot plasma, both as rarefied interstellar medium and as dense...
was published in the Indian physics journal Pramana
Pramana (journal)
Pramana – Journal of Physics is a scholarly journal in physics published by the Indian Academy of Sciences in connection with the Indian National Science Academy and the Indian Physics Association. It publishes refereed papers on research, brief reports, as well as invited reviews. It also has...
, and is one of the most highly cited
papers in the field of liquid crystals. Subsequently, a few thousand compounds with disc-like
molecules were synthesized. The columnar liquid crystals are noted for their highly anisotropic conducting properties, which is exploited in device applications.
The subject has had yet another resurgence in 1996, when Japanese scientists discovered new types of liquid crystalline phases exhibited by compounds made of another new type of (banana-shaped) molecule having bent-cores. Many such compounds exhibit columnar liquid crystalline phases.
Publications and honors
The year 1977 also saw the publicationof Chandrasekhar’s book on liquid crystals by the Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
.
The book is popular amongst workers in the field, and has been translated into Russian
and Japanese. An enlarged second edition of the book was published in 1992.
Chandrasekhar also organized several international conferences, including the
one in 1973 on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
of the founding of the RRI. Many
stalwarts in the field of liquid crystals like Glen H. Brown, George William Gray, Alfred Saupe
Alfred Saupe
-Biography:Alfred Saupe was a German Physicist born in Badenweiler, who laid groundbreaking work in the area of liquid crystal studies....
and Pierre-Gilles de Gennes
Pierre-Gilles de Gennes
Pierre-Gilles de Gennes was a French physicist and the Nobel Prize laureate in physics in 1991.-Biography:...
(who was to receive the Nobel Prize in 1991, partly for his work on liquid crystals) participated in this conference.
Some major conferences Chandrasekhar organized include the Ninth International Liquid Crystals Conference in 1982 and the Second Asia-Pacific Physics Conference in 1986.
After retiring from RRI in 1990, Chandrasekhar started the Centre for Liquid Crystal Research in a building made available by BEL. Chandrasekhar’s scientific achievements brought him many honours. He was elected Fellow of all the three academies in
India, of the Royal Society, of the Institute of Physics
Institute of Physics
The Institute of Physics is a scientific charity devoted to increasing the practice, understanding and application of physics. It has a worldwide membership of around 40,000....
(London) and of the Third World Academy of Sciences
Third World Academy of Sciences
TWAS, until 2004 named Third World Academy of Sciences and now TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, is a merit-based science academy uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable development in...
. He was a member of several international and national committees on science and education.
He was the founder president of the
International Liquid Crystal Society
International Liquid Crystal Society
The International Liquid Crystal Society was founded in 1990 and currently has over 900 members in 43 countries worldwide.The aim of the Society is to unite scientists, engineers and students working in the broad field of fundamental and applied aspects of different liquid crystal systems,...
for 1990–92, and was an editor of the journal Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals for 20 years. He was the recipient of the Bhatnagar Award (1972), Homi Bhabha (1987) and Meghnad Saha (1992) medals of the Indian National Science Academy
Indian National Science Academy
The Indian National Science Academy , New Delhi is the apex body of Indian scientists representing all branches of science & technology.-History:...
, C.V. Raman Centenary Medal of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science
Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science
The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, established in July 1876 at 210 Bowbazar street, Calcutta, is a national institution for higher learning whose primary purpose is to foster high quality fundamental research in frontier disciplines of the basic sciences. Founded by Dr. Mahendra...
(1988), the Royal Medal of Royal Society (1994), Niels Bohr International Gold Medal
Niels Bohr International Gold Medal
The Niels Bohr International Gold Medal is an international engineering award.It has been awarded annually since 1955 for "outstanding work by an engineer or physicist for the peaceful utilization of atomic energy". The medal is administered by the Dansk Ingeniorforening ....
of UNESCO (1998), and the Freedericksz Medal of the Russian Liquid Crystal Society (2000). He was also the recipient of the Karnataka Rajyotsava award (1986), Padma Bhushan Award (1998) and the entitlement Chevalier dans L’ order des Palmes Academique of the French Government (1999).
Chandrasekhar was largely responsible for placing India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
on the international map in the field of liquid crystals.
Chandrasekhar hailed from the most illustrious family of physicists in India.
External links
- Obituary: Professor Sivaramakrishna Chandrasekhar, published in Times Online, 11 May 2004