Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar – Astrophysicist and Nobel Laureate:
Early Life and Education:
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, known as Chandra, was born on October 19, 1910, in Lahore (now in Pakistan), into a Tamil family. His father, C. Subrahmanyan Iyer, was a civil servant, and his mother, Sitalakshmi, was a homemaker. Chandra’s early education was influenced by his uncle, Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, a Nobel laureate in physics.
Chandra showed an early aptitude for mathematics and physics. In 1925, at the age of 15, he entered Presidency College in Madras (now Chennai), where he studied physics. He completed his Bachelor’s degree with honors in 1930.
Cambridge University and Stellar Structure:
In 1930, Chandra sailed to England to continue his studies at Trinity College, Cambridge. He began working with the renowned astrophysicist Arthur Eddington. Chandra’s interest in the structure and evolution of stars led to his groundbreaking work on the limiting mass (Chandrasekhar limit) that a star can achieve before collapsing into a black hole or neutron star.
Chandra’s findings, published in his doctoral thesis in 1933, were met with resistance from Eddington and others who disagreed with the concept of collapsed stars. This led to a strained relationship, but Chandra’s work eventually gained recognition.
Move to the United States and University of Chicago:
In 1936, Chandra accepted a position at the University of Chicago, where he would spend the rest of his career. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1953. During his tenure at Chicago, Chandra made significant contributions to various areas of astrophysics.
Chandrasekhar Limit and White Dwarfs:
Chandra’s work on stellar structure, particularly the Chandrasekhar limit, established that if a star’s mass exceeds 1.44 times that of the Sun, it will undergo gravitational collapse to become a white dwarf. This groundbreaking concept revolutionized the understanding of the final stages of stellar evolution.
Radiation Processes and Hydrodynamic Stability:
Chandra made substantial contributions to the theory of radiation processes in astrophysics. He also worked on the hydrodynamic stability of fluid masses, investigating the stability of rotating ellipsoidal figures and the dynamics of fluid masses in general relativity.
Nobel Prize in Physics (1983):
In 1983, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, jointly with William A. Fowler, for his groundbreaking work on the physical processes important to the structure and evolution of stars.
Later Years and Legacy:
Chandra continued his active research until his death. He served as the editor of The Astrophysical Journal for nearly two decades. His contributions to astrophysics, mathematical physics, and fluid dynamics are enduring.
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar passed away on August 21, 1995, in Chicago. His legacy lives on through his numerous contributions to astrophysics, and the Chandrasekhar limit remains a fundamental concept in the study of stellar evolution. The Chandra X-ray Observatory, launched by NASA in 1999, was named in his honor, recognizing his profound impact on the field of astrophysics.
