C. V.

Raman
In this Indian name, the name Chandrasekhara is a
patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be
referred to by the given name, Raman.

in physics. In 1907 he gained his M.A. (Master of Arts)

degree with the highest distinctions.[1]

Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, FRS[2] (Tamil:

; 7 November 1888 21
November 1970) was an Indian physicist, born in the former Madras Province, whose ground breaking work in
the eld of light scattering earned him the 1930 Nobel
Prize for Physics. He discovered that, when light traverses a transparent material, some of the deected light
changes in wavelength. This phenomenon is now called
Raman scattering and is the result of the Raman eect.[3]
In 1954, he was honoured with the highest civilian award
in India, the Bharat Ratna.[4][5]

2 Career

In 1917, Raman resigned from his government service after he was appointed the rst Palit Professor of Physics at
the University of Calcutta. At the same time, he continued doing research at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Calcutta, where he became the
Honorary Secretary. Raman used to refer to this period
as the golden era of his career. Many students gathered
around him at the IACS and the University of Calcutta.
Virtual
energy
states

Early years

Raman was born to a Tamil family in Thiruvanaikaval,

Trichinopoly, present-day Tiruchirapalli, Madras Presidency, in British India to Parvati Amma. He was selfeducated in the eld of science.

1.1

Vibrational
energy states

Ancestors

Infrared
absorption

Ramans maternal grandfather, Saptarshi Sastri, was a

Sanskrit scholar, who was learned in navya nyaya (modern logic). Ramans father initially taught in a local school
in Thiruvanaikaval and later became a lecturer of mathematics and physics in Mrs. A.V. Narasimha Rao College,
Vishakapatnam (then Vizagapatnam) in the Indian state
of Andhra Pradesh, and later joined Presidency College
in Madras.[6]

Rayleigh
scattering

4
3
2
1
0
Stokes
Anti-Stokes
Raman
Raman
scattering scattering

Energy level diagram showing the states involved in Raman signal

On 28 February 1928, Raman led experiments at the

IACS with collaborators, including K. S. Krishnan, on
the scattering of light, when he discovered what now is
called the Raman eect.[8] A detailed account of this period is reported in the biography by G. Venkatraman.[9] It
was instantly clear that this discovery was of huge value.
1.2 Early years
It gave further proof of the quantum nature of light. Raman had a complicated professional relationship with K.
At an early age, Raman moved to the city of Visakha- S. Krishnan, who surprisingly did not share the award, but
patnam, and studied in St. Aloysius Anglo-Indian High is mentioned prominently even in the Nobel lecture.[10]
School. Raman passed his matriculation examination at Raman spectroscopy came to be based on this phethe age of 11 and he passed his F.A. examination (equiv- nomenon, and Ernest Rutherford referred to it in his
alent to todays Intermediate exam) with a scholarship at presidential address to the Royal Society in 1929. Rathe age of 13.
man was president of the 16th session of the Indian Science Congress in 1929. He was conferred a knighthood,
and medals and honorary doctorates by various universities. Raman was condent of winning the Nobel Prize
in Physics as well, but was disappointed when the Nobel

In 1902, Raman joined Presidency College in Madras

where his father had become a lecturer in mathematics
and physics.[7] In 1904 he passed his B.A. (Bachelor of
Arts) examination - he stood rst and won the gold medal
1

2
Prize went to Owen Richardson in 1928 and to Louis de
Broglie in 1929. He was so condent of winning the prize
in 1930 that he booked tickets in July, even though the
awards were to be announced in November, and would
scan each days newspaper for announcement of the prize,
tossing it away if it did not carry the news.[11] He did eventually win the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work
on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the Raman eect.[12] He was the rst Asian and rst non-white
to receive any Nobel Prize in the sciences. Before him
Rabindranath Tagore (also Indian) had received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.

BOOKS

and optical behaviour of numerous iridescent substances

(labradorite, pearly feldspar, agate, opal, and pearls).
Among his other interests were the optics of colloids,
electrical and magnetic anisotropy, and the physiology of
human vision.[20]

3 Personal life
He was married on 6 May 1907 to Lokasundari Ammal
(18921980[21] ). They had two sons, Chandrasekhar and
Radhakrishnan.

Raman and Suri Bhagavantam discovered the quantum

On his religious views, he was an agnostic.[22][23]
photon spin in 1932, which further conrmed the quanRaman retired from the Indian Institute of Science in
tum nature of light.[13]
1948 and established the Raman Research Institute in
During his tenure at IISc, he recruited the then talented
Bangalore, Karnataka, a year later. He served as its dielectrical engineering student, G. N. Ramachandran, who
rector and remained active there until his death in 1970,
later was a distinguished X-ray crystallographer.
in Bangalore, at the age of 82.
Raman also worked on the acoustics of musical instruRaman was the paternal uncle of Subrahmanyan Chanments. He worked out the theory of transverse vibration
drasekhar, who later won the Nobel Prize in Physics
of bowed strings, on the basis of superposition velocities.
(1983) for his discovery of the Chandrasekhar limit in
He was also the rst to investigate the harmonic nature of
1931 and for his subsequent work on the nuclear reacthe sound of the Indian drums such as the tabla and the
tions necessary for stellar evolution.
mridangam.[14] He was also interested in the properties
of other musical instruments based on forced vibrations
such as the violin. He also investigated the propagation
4 Achievements
of sound in whispering galleries.[15]
Raman and his student, Nagendra Nath, provided the correct theoretical explanation for the acousto-optic eect
(light scattering by sound waves), in a series of articles resulting in the celebrated RamanNath theory.[16] Modulators, and switching systems based on this eect have enabled optical communication components based on laser
systems.
Raman was succeeded by Debendra Mohan Bose as the
Palit Professor in 1932. In 1933, Raman left IACS to join
Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore as its rst Indian
director.[17] Other investigations carried out by Raman
were experimental and theoretical studies on the diraction of light by acoustic waves of ultrasonic and hypersonic frequencies (published 19341942), and those on
the eects produced by X-rays on infrared vibrations in
crystals exposed to ordinary light.
He also started the company called Travancore Chemical and Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (now known as TCM
Limited) which manufactured potassium chlorate for the
match industry[18] in 1943 along with Dr. Krishnamurthy. The Company subsequently established four factories in Southern India. In 1947, he was appointed as the
rst National Professor by the new government of Independent India.[19]

During a voyage to Europe in 1921, Raman noticed the

blue colour of glaciers and the Mediterranean sea. He
was motivated to discover the reason for the blue colour.
Raman carried out experiments regarding the scattering
of light by water and transparent blocks of ice which explained the phenomenon.
There is an event that served as the inspiration of the Raman eect. On a December evening in 1927, Ramans
student K. S. Krishnan (who later became the Director
of the National Physical Laboratory) gave him the news
that Professor Compton had won the Nobel Prize for his
studies of the scattering of X-rays. This led Raman to
theorize that if the Compton eect is applicable for Xrays, then it may be for light also, and to devise some
experiments.
Raman employed monochromatic light from a mercury
arc lamp which penetrated transparent material and was
allowed to fall on a spectrograph to record its spectrum.
He detected lines in the spectrum which he later called
Raman lines. He presented his theory at a meeting of
scientists in Bangalore on 16 March 1928, and won the
Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.

In 1948, Raman, through studying the spectroscopic be- 5 Books

haviour of crystals, approached in a new manner fundamental problems of crystal dynamics. He dealt with
the structure and properties of diamond, the structure For compact work, see: Scientic Papers of C. V. Raman,
S. Ramaseshan (ed.).

3
Vol. 1 Scattering of Light (Ed. S. Ramaseshan)
Vol. 2 Acoustic

India celebrates National Science Day on 28 February of

every year to commemorate the discovery of the Raman
eect in 1928.[26]

Vol. 3 Optica

7 Archive of Raman Research Papers

Vol. 4 Optics of Minerals and Diamond

Vol. 5 Physics of Crystals
Vol. 6 Floral Colours and Visual Perception

The Raman Research Institute, founded by Raman after his tenure at IISc, curates a collection of Ramans research papers, and articles on the web.[27]

Honours and awards

8 Death
At the end of October he collapsed in his laboratory, the
valves of his heart having given way. He was moved to
hospital and the doctors gave him four hours to live. He
survived and after a few days refused to stay in the hospital as he preferred to die in the gardens of his Institute
surrounded by his owers.
Two days before Raman died, he told one of his former
students, Do not allow the journals of the Academy to
die, for they are the sensitive indicators of the quality of
science being done in the country and whether science
is taking root in it or not. That same evening, Raman
met with the Board of Management of his Institute and
discussed (from his bed) with them any proceedings with
regards to the Institutes management. Raman died from
natural causes early next morning on 21 November 1970.

9 Posthumous recognition
contemporary references
Bust of Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman which is placed in the
garden of Birla Industrial & Technological Museum.

Raman was honoured with a large number of honorary

doctorates and memberships of scientic societies.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
in his career (1924) and knighted in 1929.

[2]

early

In 1930 he won the Nobel Prize in Physics.

In 1941 he was awarded the Franklin Medal.

On 7 November 2013, A Google Doodle honoured Raman on the 125th anniversary of his
birthday.[28][29][30]
A road in Indias capital, New Delhi, is named C. V.
Raman marg.[31]
An area in Bangalore near 16th cross road is called
C. V. Raman nagar.[32]
The road running north of the national seminar complex in Bangalore is named C. V. Raman Road.[33]
A building at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore is named the Raman Building.[34]

In 1954 he was awarded the Bharat Ratna.[24]

He was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1957. In
1998, the American Chemical Society and Indian
Association for the Cultivation of Science recognised Ramans discovery as an International Historic
Chemical Landmark.[25]

and

10 See also
Raman amplication
Raman (crater)

12 FURTHER READING
Raman laser
Raman optical activity
Raman Research Institute
Resonance Raman spectroscopy

11

References

[1] The Nobel Prize in Physics 1930 Sir Venkata Raman, Ofcial Nobel prize biography, nobelprize.org
[2] Bhagavantam,
S. (1971).
Chandrasekhara
Venkata Raman 1888-1970.
Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 17: 564526.
doi:10.1098/rsbm.1971.0022.

[19] Parameswaran, Umma (2011). C.V.Raman : A biography. India: Penguin. ISBN 0143066897.
[20] C. V. Raman. FamousScientists.org. Retrieved 201112-15.
[21] Raman, Sir (Chandrasekhara) Venkata. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press).
2004. Retrieved October 2013.
[22] Ramananda Chatterjee, ed. (1981). The Modern review,
Volume 145. Prabasi Press Private, Ltd. p. 154.
[23] Uma Parameswaran (2011). C.V. Raman: A Biography.
Penguin Books India. p. 5. ISBN 9780143066897.
[24] Padma Awards Directory (19542007)" (pdf). Ministry
of Home Aairs. Retrieved 26 November 2010.

[3] Sir Venkata Raman - Biographical. Nobel Peace Prize

- Ocial website. Retrieved 6 November 2013.

[25] C. V. Raman: The Raman Eect. American Chemical

Society. Retrieved 6 June 2012.

[4] Raman, Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata. Encyclopdia

Britannica, Inc. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-11.

[26] Science Day: Remembering Raman. Zee News (India).

27 February 2009.

[5] G. Venkataraman, Journey into light: Life and Science of

C. V. Raman, Indian Academy of Science, 1988. ISBN
818532400X.

[27] The Raman papers archive curated by Raman Research

Institute, Bangalore, India. C.V. Raman and his work

[6] Prasar, Vigyan. Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman A Legend of Modern Indian Science. Government of India.
Retrieved 7 November 2013.
[7] This Month in Physics History February 1928: Raman
scattering discovered APS News Archives February 2009
vol.18 no.2

[28] Google doodle to honour Dr. C.V.Raman. Uncle Penkle website. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
[29] C.V. Ramans 125th Birthday. Google. 7 November
2013.

[8] Raman Eect Visualized. Retrieved 15 May 2014.

[30] Google doodle honours Indian physist Dr. C. V. Raman.

Times Feed. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 6 November
2013.

[9] Journey into Light: Life and Science of C. V. Raman by

G. Venkataraman, 1988,

[31] C.V.Raman Marg. New Delhi. Wikimapia. Retrieved

6 November 2013.

[10] Nobel Lecture, C.V. Raman. NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 15 May 2014.

[32] C.V.Raman nagar. Google maps. Retrieved 6 November 2013.

[11] G. Venkataraman (1995), Raman and His Eect, Orient

Blackswan, p. 50, ISBN 9788173710087

[33] C.V.Raman road- Bangalore. Google maps. Retrieved

6 November 2013.

[12] The Nobel Prize in Physics 1930. Nobel Foundation.

Retrieved 2008-10-09.

[34] Center of Nano science and engineering. Indian Institute of Sciences. Retrieved 6 November 2013.

[13] Nature Physics Portal

[14] Raman, C.V. & Sivakali Kumar (1920). Musical drums
with harmonic overtones. Nature 104 (2620): 500.
[15] Raman, C.V. (1922). On whispering galleries. Bulletin
of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science 7:
159172.
[16] C. V. Raman, N. S. Nagendra Nath, The diraction of
light by high frequency sound waves. Part I, Proc. Ind.
Acad. Sci., 1935

12 Further reading
Miller, Foil A.; Kauman, George (1989). C.
V. Raman and the Discovery of the Raman
eect.
Journal of Chemical Education 66
(10): 795801. Bibcode:1989JChEd..66..795M.
doi:10.1021/ed066p795.

[17] Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (1876)". Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science.

Ramaseshan S: C.V.Raman. Journal of Madras

University, section B, Sept.1983, 46(1): 116.

[18] About us. TCM Limited - Ocial website. Retrieved 6

November 2013.

Scientic Papers of CV Raman, Ed. S Ramaseshan,

Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore 1988.

5
Sri Kantha S: The discovery of the Raman Eect
and its impact in Biological Sciences. European
Spectroscopy News, Aug/Sept. 1988, no.80, 20, 22,
24 & 26.
Sri Kantha S: Ramans prize. Nature, 1989; 340:
672.
Fabelinski I,L. Priority and the Raman Eect. Nature, 1990; 343: 686.
CV Raman centennial issue. Journal of the Indian
Institute of Science 68 (1112). 1988.

13

External links

The Nobel Prize in Physics 1930 at the Nobel Foundation

Nobel prize internet archive
Path creator C.V. Raman
Nobel Lecture
Archive of all scientic papers of C.V. Raman
Raman Eect: ngerprinting the universe
The Quantum Indians: lm on Raman, Bose and
Saha on YouTube by Raja Choudhury and produced
by PSBT and Indian Public Diplomacy.

14

14
14.1

TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

C. V. Raman Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C.%20V.%20Raman?oldid=648490227 Contributors: Andre Engels, Stevertigo,

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14.2

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