Sunday, January 9, 2022
Biography of Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910-1995) was an Indian-American astrophysicist who made significant contributions to our understanding of the structure and evolution of stars. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983 for his theoretical studies of the physical processes of importance to the structure and evolution of the stars.
Early Life and Education of Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar:
Chandrasekhar was born on October 19, 1910, in Lahore, British India (now in Pakistan). He showed exceptional mathematical talent from a young age. He graduated from Presidency College in Chennai, India, and later attended the University of Cambridge in England, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1933 at the age of 22.Chandrasekhar Limit:
Chandrasekhar's most significant contribution to astrophysics is the concept of the Chandrasekhar limit. In 1930, he proposed that there is an upper limit (now known as the Chandrasekhar limit) to the mass of a white dwarf star beyond which it would not be stable against gravitational collapse. This limit, approximately 1.4 times the mass of the sun, is crucial in understanding the fate of stars and the formation of phenomena like supernovae and black holes.
Career and Research of Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar:
Chandrasekhar worked at the University of Chicago, where he conducted extensive research on the physical processes occurring in stars. He made important contributions to the understanding of stellar dynamics, radiative transfer, and the behavior of matter under extreme conditions. His work laid the foundation for our understanding of the life cycles of stars and the formation of celestial objects.
Later Life and Recognition of Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar:
Chandrasekhar became a naturalized American citizen and spent the latter part of his career at the University of Chicago. In addition to the Nobel Prize, he received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to astrophysics, including the National Medal of Science in 1966 and the Royal Astronomical Society's Gold Medal in 1953. He was also honored with the naming of the Chandrasekhar limit after him.
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar's work significantly advanced our knowledge of the behavior of matter under extreme conditions and had a profound impact on the field of astrophysics. He is remembered as one of the greatest astrophysicists of the 20th century.