The Life and Science Of Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
One of the leading scientific figures in modern astrophysics
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was born in Lahore, on October 19, 1910, in Lahore, India while it was under the British regime (Lahore would later end up being a part of Pakistan). His family was a literate bunch. His mother practiced the profession of Translator and his father was the Deputy Auditor General of Northern Railways. Also his uncle, C.V. Raman won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 and was the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in any branch of Science. Without a doubt, a prolific mind as he turned out to be in his later years, there was a great deal of influence from his family.
He got a scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge.
His keen enthusiasm and curiosity in the field of Physics had been reflected from a very young age. He dwelled on studying Physics theories and experiments more often than none and as a consequence, no surprise, he got a scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge for his Ph.D. While he was there, he had Ralph Fowler as his supervisor. Chandrasekhar had already read and assessed the works of Fowler when he was traveling to Britain in 1930, the area of study being degenerate electron gas in white dwarf stars, and introduced new relativistic ideas of Einstein to the classical approach to understanding the behaviors of electrons.
His fascination with Astrophysics.
He had a peculiar interest in the field of Astrophysics (a branch of Astronomy incorporating the physical nature of stars and other celestial bodies) between the ages of 18 to 28. He was immensely invested in the study of stars.
The Chandrasekhar Limit
During the time of his life when he had an active engagement in Astrophysics, he made some astounding finds in this field. While he was traveling to Britain in 1930, he calculated a specific number that is famously known as The Chandrasekhar Limit (Numerical value = 1.4) today. This value determines the future of any star and states that ‘If the mass of a white dwarf exceeds 1.4 solar masses, it will collapse under its own gravity.’ However, this was not the exact value he came up with initially. The value was 1.7 which he later rectified and concluded to be 1.4.
His influence on the concept of Singularity.
Chandrasekhar, in his papers in 1932 concluded that if the stars have a mass greater than 1.4 solar masses (Basically The Chandrasekhar Limit), they would no doubt collapse into a singularity as no known forces are there to prevent the shrink. Today, in the field of Physics, Singularity is considered to be a point of zero volume, the point into which the entire mass of the star collapses after the depletion of the fusion reaction that fuelled the star.
He often had disagreements with his colleagues and his superiors.
His works are no doubt a reflection of pure intellect and genius but not everybody saw it that way. Sir Arthur Eddington, who was the chief authority on the Physics of stars opposed the views of Chandrasekhar on the collapse of the stars. Apparently, Eddington did not believe in the concept of singularity as he thought that it was physically impossible for t star to be crushed into an infinitely dense point, that such density was unimaginable. Although several scientifically inclined minds stood in his way, he received incredibly humble support from great minds like Niels Bohr and Paul Dirac.
Jack of all trades and master of all.
In any field of Physics that he touched on, he worked with pure passion and determination in his heart. Also, his unfathomable intuition and intellect helped him a great deal at becoming the best in each field he worked in. When his four years fellowship ended, he applied for the acceptance of his theory about the collapse of stars to Cambridge but it didn’t get accepted. He always worked on a certain area, accomplish it and move on, that’s the best explanation for his professional career. Eg — He worked on the limits of white dwarf formation for two years and then moved on and this would become a familiar pattern in his life.
Winner of The Nobel Prize.
His ideas were not primarily accepted in the physics community. It took as long as 30 years for the scientists to truly appreciate the genius of his works as it was ahead of its time. He was ultimately honored with The Nobel Prize in 1983 ‘for his studies on the physical processes important to the structure and evolution of stars.’
He was a distinguished scholar.
Some of the esteemed honors he received are mentioned below :
1944: Elected Fellow of the Royal Society
1948: Cambridge University Adams Prize
1953: The Royal Astronomical Society Gold Medal
1955: Elected to the NAS
1957: Rumford Prize of the AAAS
1962: The Royal Medal
1966: National Medal of Science
1968: Padma Vibhushan
1971: NAS Henry Draper Medal
1974: Heineman Prize
1983: Nobel Prize in Physics
1984: Royal Society Copley Medal
He indulged in specific characters in his life and lived by them until the very end.
Chandrasekhar was a man of a peculiar character. Love him or hate him, he always had this tendency to make his queer presence felt in any room he stood on. Say in his dress, the external elegance he displayed reflected the hallmark of a man. Whether it be his talks in public, lectures, books, his scientific works, or anything he did in his life, his aura was always ingrained within it. Such a person might not be the favorite for the mass but Chandrasekhar never wanted to be that person anyway. Embracing oneself was the best decision of his life because, without it, his works might not have seen the light of day.
Contributed by Rishab Karki and curated by the author.
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