C V Raman

Life and Times

Born- 7th November 1888
to
R. Chandrasekhar Iyer
Parvathi Ammal
• 2nd in eight children (5 sons and 3 daughters)

• Father teacher in a school, later moved to Visakhapatanam to be a lecturer in

Mathematics and Physics in the Mrs AVN College when Raman was 3, with a salary
of Rs 85/- per month

• Matriculated at 11, FA at 13, BA at 15 from the Presidency College in Chennai (Gold

medal in English and Physics) and MA at 18 (exempted from attending all classes of
science)

• First research paper at the age of 16 in The Philosophical Magazine (London) on

diffraction of light from prism, and another on measurement of surface tension
(communicated by author himself, with no acknowledgements!)

• Topped Civil Services exam (Finance Dept)- “I shall ever be grateful to the Civil
Surgeon of Madras”

• In 1907, at 18 ½ married Lokasundari and then joined as Asst Accountant General in

the Finance Dept, Kolkata
 Early Education
Raman's father initially taught in a school in Thiruvanaikovil, became a lecturer in
mathematics and physics in Mrs. A.V. Narasimha Rao College, Visakhapatnam (then
Vishakapatnam) in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, and later joined Presidency College in
Madras (now Chennai).

At an early age, Raman moved to the city of Visakhapatnam and studied at St. Aloysius
Anglo-Indian High School. Raman passed his matriculation examination at the age of 11 and
he passed his F.A. examination (equivalent to today's Intermediate exam, PUCPDC and +2)
with a scholarship at the age of 13.

In 1902, Raman joined Presidency College in Madras where his father was a lecturer in
mathematics and physics. In 1904 he passed his Bachelor of Arts examination of University
of Madras. He stood first and won the gold medal in physics. In 1907 he gained his Master of
Sciences degree with the highest distinctions from University of Madras.
Raman scattering
Raman scattering or the Raman effect is the inelastic scattering of a photon by molecules
which are excited to higher vibrational or rotational energy levels.

When photons are scattered from an atom or molecule, most of them are
elastically scattered (Rayleigh scattering), such that the scattered photons have
the same energy (frequency and wavelength) as the incident photons. A small
fraction of the scattered photons (approximately 1 in 10 million) are scattered
inelastically by an excitation, with the scattered photons having a frequency and
energy different from, and usually lower than, those of the incident photons.[4]
In a gas, Raman scattering can occur with a change in energy of a molecule due
to a transition to another (usually higher) energy level. Chemists are primarily
concerned with this "transitional" Raman effect.
History
The inelastic scattering of light was predicted by Adolf Smekal in 1923 (and in German-
language literature it may be referred to as the Smekal-Raman effect. In 1922, Indian
physicist C. V. Raman published his work on the "Molecular Diffraction of Light," the first of a
series of investigations with his collaborators that ultimately led to his discovery (on 28
February 1928) of the radiation effect that bears his name. The Raman effect was first
reported by C. V. Raman and K. S. Krishnan, and independently by Grigory Landsberg and
Leonid Mandelstam, on 21 February 1928 (that is why in the former Soviet Union the
priority of Raman was always disputed; thus in Russian scientific literature this effect is
usually referred to as "combination scattering" or "combinatory scattering"). Raman
received the Nobel Prize in 1930 for his work on the scattering of light.

In 1998 the Raman effect was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark by the
American Chemical Society in recognition of its significance as a tool for analyzing the
composition of liquids, gases, and solids.
Achievements
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.

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 were 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 Munich, some physicists were initially unable to
reproduce Raman's results, leading to scepticism. However, Peter Pringsheim was the
first German to reproduce Raman's results successfully. He sent spectra to Arnold
Sommerfeld. Pringsheim was the first to coin the term "Raman effect" and "Raman
lines.
Honours and awards
-He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society[1] early in his career (1924) and knighted in
1929.

-He resigned from the Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1968 for unrecorded reasons, the
only Indian FRS ever to do so.

-In 1930 he won the Nobel Prize in Physics.

-In 1941 he was awarded the Franklin Medal.
-In 1954 he was awarded the Bharat Ratna.

-He was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1957. In 1998, the American Chemical Society
and Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science recognised Raman's discovery as an
International Historic Chemical Landmark.

-India celebrates National Science Day on 28 February of every year to commemorate the
discovery of the Raman effect in 1928.