Science Horizon Volume 4 Issue 2 February, 2019 President, Odisha Bigyan Academy Editorial Board Prof. (Dr.) Pramod Chandra Mishra Prof. Niranjan Barik Editor Prof. Ramesh Chandra Parida Er. Mayadhar Swain Dr. Choudhury Satyabrata Nanda Managing Editor Dr. Prafulla Kumar Bhanja Dr. Rajballav Mohanty Secretary, Odisha Bigyan Academy Dr. Nilambar Biswal CONTENTS Subject Author Page 1. Editorial : National Science Day Er. Mayadhar Swain 2 2. Invisibility : A Myth? Prof. Bipin Bihari Swain 4 3. Impact of Pollution Generated from Coal based Power Plant Er. Prasanta Kumar Pradhan 8 4. Bioterrorism Prof. Gopendra Kishore Roy 12 Dr. Pragyan Roy 5. The Unprecedented Illumination Pankaj Kumar Samal 16 6. Plastic Menace- Health Concern for All Dr. K.K. Sardar 18 Dr. B.C. Das 7. Nature with Architecture Prof. Prafulla Kumar Mohanty 21 Miss Swetashree Jena 8. Saline Soils: Effect on Group Production and Dr. Antaryami Mishra 30 Strategies for Management Dr. Subhashis Saren Prava Kiran Dash 9. Solar Parks- The Ultimate Option Prof. Suresh Mohapatra 33 10. Tigers Under Threat Nikunja Bihari Sahu 36 11. Interdisciplinary Research: Some Recent Success Stories Dr. Bijay Kumar Parida 38 12. Integrated Management of Mines and Mineral based Prof. Dr. P.K. Jena 45 Industries with Zero Waste Approach 13. Quiz : Renowned Scientists of India Bibhuprasad Mohapatra 47 The Cover Page depicts : Plastic Menace - Health Concern for All Cover Design : Kalakar Sahoo neutron star FEBRUARY, 2019 EDITORIAL NATIONAL SCIENCE DAY The renowned Indian scientist Sir more activities. The aim is to impart scientific Chandrasekhar Venkat Raman discovered temper in the minds of people of all age the phenomenon of scattering of light, groups. Each year one specific theme is popularly known as Raman Effect on 28 chosen and discussed. This years theme is February, 1928. For this, he was awarded Science for the people and the people for the prestigious Nobel Prize in physics in Science. 1930. It is to be noted that he is the only When a light beam passes through a Indian to get a Nobel Prize in the field of transparent medium, some part of it is science. Although, there is plenty of scope scattered. The wavelength of some of the for research in the country now, no other scattered rays is different from that of the person has been able to get a Nobel Prize in incident rays of light. This phenomenon of science, which tells the brilliance of Raman. scattering of light is called Raman Scattering Recognising the significance of the and the cause of the scattering is called discovery and the contribution of C.V. Raman Effect. Raman, the National Council for Science At the time of the discovery, the 40 and Technology Communication (NCSTC) year old Raman held the Palit Chair for proposed to celebrate 28 February as physics at Calcutta University. However he National Science Day. The Government of was doing this research at the Indian India approved the proposal and since 1986, Association for the Cultivation of Science the country has been celebrating this day as (IACS), Calcutta, which was established by National Science Day. It is a great tribute to Mahendra Lal Sircar in 1876. It is to be C.V. Raman. The day is also observed to noted that after getting his post-graduate recall and celebrate the contribution of all degree in physics in 1907 from Presidency the great scientists of India who made College, Madras, he passed the Financial fundamental discoveries and advanced Civil Service Examination and was posted human knowledge. The National Science as Assistant Accountant General in Calcutta Day is celebrated throughout India as a (now Kolkata). But his interest was in science festival by organising science science. He had published his first research exhibitions, workshops, seminars, paper in Philosophical Magazine at the age symposiums, quiz and debate on science of 18 while studying for his M.A. degree. So topics among school children and many in Calcutta, he worked at the IACS in the 2 Science Horizon FEBRUARY, 2019 morning and evening and in the first 10 and many scientists carried out research on years published 27 research papers. Much this throughout the world. Raman Effect of his early works was on the theory of was honoured with the rank of being a vibration. At the age of 29, he resigned from National Historic Chemical Landmark by the lucrative civil service job, when Sir the American Chemical Society on 15 Ashutosh Mukherjee, Vice-Chancellor of December 1998. It got also designated as an Calcutta University offered him the Palit International Historic Chemical Landmark Chair professorship. Of course, he continued in 2003. his research work at IACS and used it as the Soon after its discovery, the significance research arm of the university. of the Raman Effect was recognized by C.V. Raman went to England in 1921 other scientists. Raman remarked in his as the Universitys delegate to the 1930 Nobel Prize address that the character International Universities Congress being of the scattered radiations enable us to held in London. While returning from obtain an insight into the ultimate structure England in September in 1921 aboard the of the scattering substance. By the late S.S. Narkunda, he was amazed to see the 1930s, the Raman Effect had become the colour of the Mediterranean Sea. Earlier, principal method of non-destructive chemical Lord Rayleigh of England had suggested analysis for both organic and inorganic that the blue colour of the sea was due to the compounds. The unique spectrum of Raman reflection of the sky. Raman was not scattered light for any particular substance convinced with the theory and he carried served as a fingerprint that could be used some experiments on this at the ship with a for qualitative analysis. The Raman pocket size spectroscope. He concluded spectroscopy is used for monitoring that water molecules could scatter light just manufacturing processes in the petrochemical as air molecules. He sent a letter on this topic and pharmaceutical industries. It is also used to Nature after reaching Bombay (now to check illegal drugs. Mumbai). The students should get inspiration After reaching Calcutta, Raman and from the works of Sir C.V. Raman and his research group set up some simple engage themselves in research in science. experiments to observe the scattering of The country desires a second Nobel Prize in light in various liquids. In February 1928, science from them. Raman published his discovery in the Indian n Journal of Physics and subsequently was Er. Mayadhar Swain awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1930. Editor After that Raman became worldwide famous Science Horizon 3 FEBRUARY, 2019 INVISIBILITY How then an object would not be visible A MYTH? in the presence of light? Is it possible to manipulate incident rays in such a manner that they skip-past the object while being present in the surrounding at the same time? Result, Prof. Bipin Bihari Swain the object is camouflaged for the viewers. Can a person be invisible? How exciting Clearly, invisibility is a property that would it be for a thief or gold smuggler evade arises at the atomic level. Possibly, common detection being invisible! In science fictions materials as such, cannot be made invisible. such as Flash Gordon stories of the 1950s, Scientists are attempting to develop special Flash becomes invisible in order to escape the type of artificial materials to make an object firing squads of Ming, the Merciless. Harry invisible. Potter stories and the classic novel, The The military, unable to create invisible Invisible Man deals with immense power aeroplanes, has tried to do the next best thing: acquired by man due to invisibility. create stealth technology which renders These instances are mere speculative airplanes invisible to radar. Stealth technology and provide fodder for wild imagination. How relies on Maxwells equations to create a does a physicist look at it? series of tricks. A stealth fighter jet is perfectly visible to the human eye (optical wave) but its It is common experience that light causes radar image on an enemy radar (radio wave) an object visible. Nothing is visible in a pitch- screen is only of the size of a large bird. The dark night in the absence of light. Opaque construction of stealth fighter plane is objects and transparent objects, both are visible different from an ordinary jet. This jet (stealth) when illuminated by a beam of light. Maxwells fighter uses a variety of materials for it and its equations and atomic theory, give simple construction is so altered that the radar beams explanation for behaviour of light in different hitting the aircraft disperses randomly in all mediums. In opaque materials, the atoms are directions so that they never get back to the closely shaped such that the inter-atomic radar screen. Since then, a jet fighter is not separation is less than the wavelength of light entirely invisible on the enemy radar; it only and light cannot pass through it. In transparent creates a deceptive small speck. materials, this space is large and light passes through it easily. But both opaque and Metamaterials transparent materials are visible due to the Common materials cannot make an object effect of incident light and emergent light. A invisible, hence the need of a new type of piece of iron and a glass slab or a glass of material arises to be developed for this purpose. water, are all visible. 4 Science Horizon FEBRUARY, 2019 Such an artificially designed material is named flowing down. Water quickly wraps around the metamaterial. boulder and water flows down with no one downstream noticing the presence of the The creation of a material which may boulder.