Sisir Kumar Mitra, Scientific Achievements and the Fellowship of the Royal Society of London

Indian Journal of History of Science, 52.4 (2017) 407-419 DOI: 10.16943/ijhs/2017/v52i4/49264 Sisir Kumar Mitra, Scientific Achievements and the Fellowship of the Royal Society of London Rajinder Singh* (Received 01 October 2017) Abstract Sisir Kumar Mitra (1890-1963) was a Bengal based Professor of Physics at the University of Calcutta. He was the founder of ionospheric science and radio technology in India. He was one of the few physicists, whose names are connected with the Physics Nobel Prize and the Fellowship of Royal Society London. He was associated with various scientific institutions such as Indian National Science Academy, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science and Asiatic Society of Bengal. In spite of high reputation and international achievements, little is written on him. The present communication gives: (i) a short review of S K Mitra’s scientific work in the fields of optics, which he did under C V Raman, and (ii) S K Mitra’s scientific achievements for which he was nominated and elected for the Fellowship of the Royal Society of London. Key words: C V Raman, D-layer, FRS, Ionosphere, M N Saha, Nobel Prize, S K Mitra. 1. INTRODUCTION S K Mitra had been one of the most successful Indian scientists. His contemporary M N Saha gave him credit in initiating ionospheric science (Saha, 1938, pp. 674-741), and as founder of ionosphere science1 and radio technology in history of science in India. His nomination to Physics Nobel Prize (Table 1) and election to Fellowship of the Royal Society of London (Table 2) also justifies these statements. However, only Fig. 1. S K Mitra, F R S (Courtesy: University of Calcutta) a few short papers are written on his life and work (Banerjee, et al 1957) (Ratcliffe, 1994, pp. 501-502; Chattopadhyay, 2002, pp. 827-828; Mahanti, 2000, pp.92-99; In the present communication I give a short Ramanathan, 1967, pp.268-281; Bose, 2010, pp. review of: 510-17). My publication, Nobel Prize Nominator a) Mitra’s researches on light diffraction Sisir Kumar Mitra, FRS – His Scientific Works in b) It is scientific achievements for which he was International Context made through a German nominated for the Fellowship of the Royal publisher (Singh, 2014) may also be consulted. Society of London * Research Group – Physics Education and History of Science, University of Oldenburg, Germany, Email: rajinder.singh@uni- oldenburg.de 1 For the history of the development of India’s ionosphere research after 1960s, see, Mitra A P, Indian ionospheric research – S K Mitra to now, in Mitra A N (ed.), History of science, philosophy and culture in Indian civilization, Vol. XIII – Part I, India in the world of physics – Then and now, Pearson Longman, Delhi, 2009, pp. 517-540. 408 INDIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY OF SCIENCE Table 1. S K Mitra got most of the invitation among Indian physicists, for sending proposals for the Physics Nobel Prize in the time period of 1900-1965.4 C V Raman belonging to a special category, because being a Nobel Laureate he had the permanent right of nomination Nominator Nominees (year for which the person was nominated for the Physics Nobel Prize) S K Mitra M N Saha (1930, 1939, 1951, 1955) D M Bose M N Saha (1930) C V Raman O Stern (1934), E Fermi and E O Lawrence (1938), E O Lawrence (1939), S Chandrasekhar (1957) H J Bhabha J D Cockcroft2 (1951); F Bloch (1952); W E Lamb Jr. (1953) M N Saha A Sommerfeld (1951)3 K Banerjee S N Bose (1956) D S Kothari S N Bose (1959) G N Ramachandran Norbert Wiener & C.E. Shannon (1959) S N Bagchi S N Bose (1962) Arun K Dutta S N Bose (1962) Table 2. Indian physicists elected to FRS till 1965 (Singh, Sarat Kumari, was a doctor at the Lady Dufferin 2016, p. 2016; Kocchar, 2001, pp. 721-722) Hospital, Bhagalpur. Mitra studied at the Year of Election Name of Physicist Bhagalpur District School and T N J College. At 1920 J C Bose the time of his father’s death, Mitra had yet not 1924 C V Raman finished his F A (First Arts) examination. Later he 1927 M N Saha joined the Presidency College Calcutta. In 1912, he did M.Sc. Physics from the University of 1940 K S Krishnan Calcutta and won a Gold Medal. From 1913 to 1941 H J Bhabha 1915 he was lecturer at the T N J College 1944 S Chandrasekhar Bhagalpur; and the Christian College Bankura. In 1958 S K Mitra & S N Bose 1916, he was appointed as lecturer at the newly founded Science and Technology College, To start with Mitra’s short biography is University of Calcutta. Mitra, who started under given, which is based on above referred to articles. J C Bose as research scholar (Ghosh and Ghosh, 1995, pp.1150-1159); soon left to take Rashbehary Ghosh Research Scholarship, University of 2. SISIR KUMAR MITRA – A SHORT Calcutta. Mitra, Susilkumar Acharyya and BIOGRAPHY Kumarnath Banerjee were the research scholars Sisir Kumar Mitra was born on Oct. 24, of the Department of Physics at the University of 1890, at Konnagar, Calcutta. His father, Joy Calcutta (Gangopadhayay and Kundu, 2016, pp. Krishna Mitra, was a school teacher. His mother, 23-51). 2 H J Bhabha’s this proposal was invalid as he sent it too late, that is, on Feb. 16, 1952. 3 There seems to be mistake on the webpage of the Nobel Foundation. Mrs. Maria Asp Dahlbäck – Archivist, Center for History of Science, Stockholm, on Dec. 22, 2015, wrote to me (Rajinder Singh) that “Saha in turn did not, as far as I can tell, submit a nomination.” 4 The time period is limited until 1965 as according to the rules and regulations of the Nobel Foundation, documents older than 50 years can be consulted for research purposes. SISIR KUMAR MITRA, SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS AND THE FELLOWSHIP 409 In 1920 he went to France for further The Upper Atmosphere, was published by the studies. There he worked in the laboratories of Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta. From 1949 Charles Fabry and Marie Skodowska-Curie; and until his retirement in 1955, he was Professor at obtained second D.Sc. degree. The abstract of his the Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics, thesis: “Determination of spectroscopic standard University of Calcutta. From 1956 until 1962, he wave-lengths in the short wave-length region” was an administrator of the Board of Secondary (Mitra, 1923, pp.315-339) was reported in the Education in West Bengal. Journal of Chemical Society (Anonymous, 1923, ii595-ii596). It remains unclear, why Mitra left 2.1 Awards light scattering, in which he was quite successful; Gold Medal by the University of Calcutta and turned his attention to wireless technology. (1912), King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The fact is, in France Mitra started research work (1935), Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the with the French radio communication scientist British Empire (1938), Joy Kissen Mookerjee Camille Gutton. In 1923, Mitra in the publication: Gold Medal - IACS (1943), Indian Science “The demagnetization of iron by electromagnetic Congress Medal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal oscillations” (Mitra, 1923, pp. 1214-1217) (1956), Fellowship of the Royal Society London concluded that “the demagnetization increases as (1958), Sir Deva Prasad Sarvadhikary Gold Medal the frequency of the oscillations is lowered” - University of Calcutta (1961), Corresponding (Anonymous, 1923, p.727). This paper was read Member of the International Academy of before the Paris Science Academy by G A Ferrié Astronautics (1962), Presidential Award on April 30, 1923. His next article in co-operation Padmabhushan, and National Research Professor with C. Gutton and V. Ylöstalö was “On the high- (1962). frequency discharge in rarefied gases” (Gutton, Mitra and Ylöstalö, 1923, pp.1871-1874). Before 2.2 Honours leaving for India, Mitra wrote a letter to Asutosh Mukherjee, Educator and Vice Chancellor of the 1934: Sectional President for Physics and University of Calcutta, and revealed his plan to Mathematics - Indian Science Congress initiate wireless technology at the University of Association (ISCA.); Secretary - Indian Calcutta (Ghosh and Ghosh, 1995, pp.1150-1159). Association for the Cultivation of Sciences 1935: Foundation Fellow, National Institute of After his return he was appointed as Khaira Sciences, India - Today known as Indian National Professor of Physics. He initiated the teaching of Science Academy – INSA wireless technology at the graduate level. In 1925, he established Wireless Laboratory and a radio 1935, 1938: Local Secretary - ISCA; General transmitting station. From 1935 to 1955 he Secretary (1939-1944) occupied the Ghosh Chair of Physics. In 1936, 1937: Member of the editorial team - “Indian during a six month stay in UK, he visited different Journal of Physics” laboratories working on wireless technology; and 1943-1944: Vice President – INSA. sought support from the British scientific 1943-1948: Chairman, Radio Research community for establishing Radio Research Board Committee in India. He was one of the members of the Indian Scientific Mission, which visited UK and the 1948: Natural History Secretary (Physical U.S.A., in 1944-1945. In 1945 he published the Sciences), Asiatic Society of Bengal monograph Active Nitrogen – A New Theory, 1949-1950: Ordinary Member of the Council of Indian Press Ltd., Calcutta. His monumental book the IACS. 410 INDIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY OF SCIENCE 1951-1952: President, Asiatic Society of Bengal ambitious of making an honourable reputation as the College of Science, a 1953-1954: Vice President – IACS. transaction should be entered upon, of a 1954: Member of Council – National Institute of kind do open to criticism even in commercial competition.

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