Govind Swarup: Radio Astronomer, Innovator Par Excellence and a Wonderfully Inspiring Leader
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LIVING LEGENDS IN INDIAN SCIENCE Govind Swarup: Radio astronomer, innovator par excellence and a wonderfully inspiring leader G. Srinivasan They are ill discoverers that think there the important contributions to cosmology is no land, when they can see nothing but being made using this telescope. He sea. mentioned in very flattering terms the Francis Bacon Ph D thesis of one of Swarup’s students (Vijay Kapahi) which had come to him I must say at the outset that I have no for evaluation. That is how I came to special credentials to write an article know of Swarup. about as famous a person as Govind As it turned out, I moved from Cam- Swarup. I am not one of his numerous bridge to the Raman Research Institute students. Nor have I collaborated with (RRI), Bangalore in the beginning of him in research. Indeed, I am not even an 1976. Within weeks after my coming, I astronomer, let alone a radio astronomer. received an invitation from Govind Swa- But I have been one of his great admir- rup to attend a small meeting he had ers, and he has been a beacon of inspira- convened at RRI to discuss a Summer tion for me during the past four decades. School in Astronomy he was organizing I was therefore delighted – although sur- in Bangalore in June 1976. I was rather prised – when the Editor of Current Sci- surprised because I was still working in ence invited me to write this article. The Condensed Matter Physics. There were K. S. Krishnan, B. N. Srivatsava, Deo- Editor reminded me that articles in this only four persons present at this meeting: dhar, Gorak Prasad, N. R. Dhar et al.; new series are primarily intended to Govind Swarup, V. Radhakrishnan (Di- many of whom had authored well-known inspire young people. I have, therefore, rector of RRI), my young colleague text books. Swarup was greatly im- written this article in a manner that Rajaram Nityananda and me. I vividly pressed and inspired by K. S. Krishnan would highlight Swarup’s remarkable recall that meeting. While waiting for who taught him Electricity and Magnet- characteristics as a scientist, an innovator coffee to be served before getting down ism in his second year. and as a leader, rather than concentrate to the business of giving shape to the After completing M Sc in 1950, Swa- on his scientific achievements. After all, summer school, Rajaram was challenging rup joined the National Physical Labora- young people are inspired more by the us – as he was fond of doing – with tory in New Delhi. ‘personality’ of a scientist rather than clever problems, this time from The their ‘CV’. I have also deliberately cho- Cavendish Problems in Physics compiled National Physical Laboratory (NPL) sen to highlight some historical events by Sir Brian Pippard; these were tough related to the growth of modern astron- problems from the Cambridge Tripos ex- The foundation stone for NPL was laid omy in India, aspects that the young ams. I was amazed how effortlessly Swa- by Jawaharlal Nehru in January 1947. K. readers may find interesting. rup handled them, without ever getting S. Krishnan was the founding Director. I first heard about Govind Swarup in up from his chair and going to the board; For the benefit of young readers, may I 1975 from Martin Rees in Cambridge his tremendous intuitive powers were add a brief note? K. S. Krishnan was one (now Lord Rees, Astronomer Royal of quite evident (by then, I was already of the many students who were working England and till recently the Master of aware of Radhakrishnan’s very remark- with C. V. Raman in Calcutta when he Trinity College in Cambridge and the able intellect). That was my first meeting made the famous discovery in 1928. President of the Royal Society of Lon- with Swarup. Since then we have been Krishnan was perhaps the most brilliant don). I was, at that time, working in the close friends. Over the next few years, of them; he played an essential role in Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge my own interests shifted gradually to- the discovery. In fact, the ‘discovery University. Although my research inter- wards astrophysics and my world line paper’ was jointly authored by C. V. est at that time was in the area of Physics became entangled with that of his group. Raman and K. S. Krishnan. At Nehru’s of Condensed Matter, I was keenly fol- invitation, Sir K.S.K. (as he was referred lowing the revolutionary developments to) moved from Allahabad to assume the in General Relativity and Astrophysics, Early years Directorship of the new laboratory. much of it happening in Cambridge By this time, K.S.K.’s interest had itself. Naturally, this brought me into Swarup was born in Thakurdwara (Uttar shifted to quantum theory of magnet- contact with Martin Rees, Roger Pen- Pradesh) in 1929. After matriculation, he ism – a hot topic in physics at that time. rose, Stephen Hawking and many others. went to Allahabad University for his col- The phenomenon of ‘magnetic reso- In one of the conversations with Martin lege education. He completed his B Sc nance’ had been discovered just a few Rees, he told me about this ‘remarkable degree in 1948, and then went on to do years earlier; electron spin resonance man, Govind Swarup’ who had built a his M Sc. During that period, Allahabad in 1944, and nuclear spin resonance in novel radio telescope in Ooty, and about had a very good faculty which included 1946; Nobel Prize was awarded for both 618 CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 109, NO. 3, 10 AUGUST 2015 LIVING LEGENDS IN INDIAN SCIENCE these discoveries. K.S.K. asked young research. But money was very hard to Swarup to build the necessary electronics come by. Several of the physicists who to operate at a wavelength of 3 cm (fre- worked on the development of radar used quency of 10 GHz) in order to study their expertise to design and build ingen- electron spin resonance – a tall order for ious antennas to study radio waves from someone just out of college! Such high the Sun, stars and galaxies. The subject frequency electronics was very novel at of Radio Astronomy was born. Within a that time. Fortunately, NPL had acquired span of five or six years several breath- some surplus radar sets built during the taking discoveries were made, notably by Second World War. Swarup ‘cannibal- Joseph Pawsey and his group in Sydney ized’ them for parts. But the know-how in Australia and by Martin Ryle and his to build high frequency electronics had group in Cambridge in England. Since all still to be obtained. The series of price- these persons came from a ‘radio engi- less volumes compiled by the Radiation neering’ background, they usually pre- Laboratory in MIT in Boston came to his sented their results in meetings of the rescue. International Radio Science Union Govind Swarup (left) and R. Parthasara- A few words about the ‘Rad Lab’ (as it (URSI). The General Assembly of URSI thy in Potts Hill field station. At the back is used to be referred to) may be in order was to take place in Sydney in August a radar antenna (salvaged after the War) for the benefit of young readers. The de- 1952. Interestingly, Krishnan went to which was being used for astronomical velopment of microwave electronics, and this meeting to learn about these deve- studies. the radar, was of paramount importance lopments. There, among other things, during the Second World War. The lead- he learnt about the discoveries being ing physicists in Britain and America made by Joseph Pawsey and his group in subject! During the second year of his were recruited for war efforts. The ‘Rad the Radio Physics Division of CSIRO Fellowship, Swarup and Parthasarathy Lab’ was set up in this context in the (the Australian equivalent of CSIR in converted an array of 32 antennae, each autumn of 1940 by President Franklin India). This group comprised of some of roughly 2 m in diameter, so that the op- Roosevelt. Some of the best brains in the most clever and original persons, erating wavelength would be 60 cm America were gathered there. The mag- such as Paul Wild, Wilbur Christiansen, (500 MHz); they had originally been netron – the first microwave generator – John Bolton and Bernard Mills. Upon his designed to operate at a wavelength of which, incidentally, is today used in return, K.S.K. gave a colloquium at NPL 21 cm. This was part of a sophisticated domestic microwave ovens! – was devel- in which he described these momentous telescope designed and built by oped in Birmingham in England just discoveries. That is how Swarup got Christiansen for studying the Sun. To around that time. Soon, one of them was interested in radio astronomy! He was quote Swarup ‘This was a great experi- secretly smuggled into the United States. also greatly enthused by K.S.K.’s ence: building dipoles, a transmission This triggered a burst of intense research announcement that he wanted to start line network and a receiver system; mak- in microwave engineering. The ‘Rad some radio astronomy activities at NPL, ing the observations; and, finally, carrying Lab’ made stunning discoveries in the despite meagre resources. out the data reduction – not to mention next five years. The research carried out saving my dear friend Parthasarathy from there was documented in a series of vol- drowning in the Potts Hill reservoir!’ umes. After the World War ended, a few Off to Australia And then it was time to return to NPL.