An Encounter with Prof. Dr. Kedar Lal Shrestha
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Symmetry XII (2018) 1 Dedicated to John Bardeen Born: 23 May, 1908, Madison, Wisconsin, USA Died: 30 January, 1991, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Symmetry XII (2018) 2 Volume XII, 2018 Editorial Symmetry The field of scientific research and physics, in particular, has contributed a lot in An annual Publication of CDP, TU shaping our modern society. The paradigm from Aristotle’s philosophical beginning to the current technological innovations has its root in the immense Patron research done in the physics and other sciences- the intensity of which became Prof. Dr. Binil Aryal more apparent after the two Great World Wars. This year was marked with the Nobel prize in physics for the ground-breaking invention in the field of Lasers. Advisory Board Moreover, Donna Strickland was declared to be the third woman (i.e ¼ the share of Prof. Dr. Om Prakash Niraula Nobel prize in physics) to achieve such highest honor for devising a method of Prof. Dr. Ram Prasad Regmi generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses. This year also witnessed a Prof. Dr. Raju Khanal computer scientist Katie Bouman who helped through her algorithm in deciphering Prof. Dr. Narayan Prasad Adhikari a huge telescopic data (i.e. about 5 Petabytes) observed through the collaborative Prof. Dr. Ishwar Koirala efforts of several astronomers which helped to obtain the first-ever image of a Dr. Hari Prasad Lamichhane black hole. Sometimes the people questions on the billions of dollars spent in such Dr. Bal Ram Ghimire research regarding their significances. The discovery of spectrum outside the Dr. Ajay Kumar Jha visible was once questioned similarly but when the real application of such Dr. Gopi Chandra Kaphle discovery was applied to several sectors like medicine, telecommunication, etc it Dr. Madhav Prasad Ghimire not only improved the human lives but also helped in globalization. One thing is Dr. Nurapati Pantha thus for a certain that science thrives after the rigorous research which later would Dr. Sanju Shreshtha have direct relevance for human benefits, of course, the matter of use is on the Mr. Pramod Kumar Thakur human hand itself. John Bardeen is one of the pioneers who through his invention Ms. Sangeeta Maharjan of a transistor, a device that triggered a revolution in electronics and radically changed the face of technology which further earned him a first Nobel prize in Physics. To date, he is the only one to achieve two such honors, the next honors being in the theoretical regime of superconductors. Physicists, particularly after the Publication Committee Post-war era, have been dedicated to contributing the society, however, the original Mr. Sarga Man Maharjan way of thinking leading to research and innovation are always intact. The Central Mr. Ram Chandra Basnet Department of Physics despite the dearth of high research facilities has been able to Mr. Govinda Maharjan produce hundreds of graduates publishing high-quality research in several reputed Journals. Due to the several political and economic instability, the government is unable to provide the necessary platform for the physicists, however, the students graduated from the CDP with their outstanding performances in the worldwide: Editorial Board United States, Europe, and South Korea being the major destination for Ph.D. has Ajay Gopali made the department and in fact the country itself to be a matter of pride. Proper Amar Thakuri research facilities and the appropriate national budget allocation in these research Bibek Tiwari areas by the Government of Nepal apart from the collaborative work that Ganesh Pandey department currently does is mandatory to utilize and promote the science and Pradip Adhikari technology throughout the country. Symmetry is the annual magazine published by Prakash Timsina th the CDP and to our delight the 12 volume this year shows the aptitude of scholars Pramita Tiwari and graduates toward the physics. This magazine is concerned about the basic Suvekshya Lamichhane theories and advancement in the field of physics along with the CDP activities. This edition is dedicated to John Bardeen with the prime focus on his contribution particularly for his 2nd Nobel prize in Physics i.e. BCS theory. This edition is honored with a biography and interview of our Prof. Dr. Kedar Lal Shrestha, HoD of CDP (1985-2001). Moreover, the visit of ICTP director, Fernando Quevedo this Publisher year has added glory to our department. His inspirational speech highly motivates ©Central Department of Physics, the physics aspirants from the developing countries like Nepal and we have been Tribhuvan University able to present his ideas in this volume for promoting Physics. This volume also Kirtipur, Kathmandu, 01-4331054 contains the interview of Subodh Raghunath Shenoy, an Indian condensed matter Email: [email protected] physicist and a former professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research who Website: www.tucdp.edu.np taught us a formal course on superconductivity. Also, the CDP students were lucky enough this year to attend the lecture series of Dr. Michael Clark, a NASA scientist. The publication of the 12th volume of Symmetry has been possible due to the Print tireless effort from Prof. Dr. Binil Aryal, HoD of CDP, and the cooperation from TU Press, TU, Kirtipur all the members of Symmetry Publishing Committee. We are similarly thankful to all faculty members for their encouragement and valuable suggestions. We also thank all students, staffs for their help and all the writers who provided their valuable articles to enrichen our magazine. Indivisual Price: Rs. 500/- Institutional Price: Rs. 2000/- - Editorial Board 3 Symmetry (Volume XII, 2018) Contents 1. Message from Nobel Laureate Dr. Leon Cooper to Symmetry Message 4 2. Cover Story 1: John Bardeen: Social Life, Achievement…… Prakash Timsina 5 3. Cover Story 2: Personal life of John Bardeen Pramita Tiwari 8 4. Cover Story 3: Invention of Transistor Ajay Gopali 11 5. Cover Story 4: Bell Lab and John Bardeen Pradip Adhikari 13 6. Cover Story 5: Bardeen’s contribution to Superconductivbity Bibek Tiwari 14 7. Cover Story 6: The BCS Theory Suvekshya lamichhanne 16 8. Cover Story 7: University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign… Ganesh Pandey 19 9. Experience: M.Sc. (Physics) Entrance Topper Hari Timsina Interview 21 10. Interview 1: TIFR Professor Dr. Subodh Raghunath Shenoy Interview 23 11. Interview 2: NASA Scientist Dr. Michael S. Kirk Interview 26 12. Interview 3: ICTP Director Dr. Farnando Quevedo Interview 29 13. Lifetime Sketch: Prof. Dr. Kedar Lal Shrestha Interview 34 14. Brain Drain in Nepal: A painful Reality Dr. Binil Aryal 42 15. Condensed Matter Physics Course at Tribhuvan University Dr. Narayan Pd Adhikari 46 16. Surface Plasmons and Nano-electronics Dr. Bal Ram Ghimire 48 17. Correlation between Relative Humidity and Global Solar….. Dr. Krishna Raj Adhikari 50 18. Physics behind Aurora Dr. Lekha Nath Mishra 53 19. How common is our galaxy Milky-Way? Dr. Sanjaya Paudel 55 20. The Rise of the Data Science Dr. Prajwal Kafle 57 21. M.Sc. (Physics) Program at Amrit Campus, T.U. Dr. Leela Pradhan Joshi et al. 59 22. Meta-Materials and its Applications Amrit Sedain & Suraj Neupane 62 23. Physical Analysis of Hitting Sixes in Cricket Hum Prasad Shrestha 65 24. Different Aspects of Quantum Computing with Classical …. Prashrit Baruwal & Prashant Baruwal 69 25. Lagrangian Points: The Parking Spots in Space Niraj Kumar Shah 72 26. Implications of Shape-Shifting Neutrinos Sagar Adhikari 74 27. Integrated Circuit Fabrication Bharat Sunar 77 28. A Versatile, source of High Quality Microwave Signal, Oscillator Nabin K. Raut 79 29. Is Life Possible on Mars? Manoj Kumar Shrestha 82 30. Solution of Schrodinger equation evolves with ….. Shiva Bhandari 87 31. High-Temperature Superconductor Bikash Chauhan 89 32. Monte Carlo Simulation in Astrophysics Sujan Prasad Gautam 91 33. A Simple Technique for the Construction of Thin film and its … Ramesh Chalise 93 34. Josephson Effect And Its Applications Bivek Pokhrel 95 35. Quantum Decoherence and Einselection Tika Ram Bhandari 97 36. CDP Activities: International Conference (ICNHEP-2019) Event 99 37. CDP Activities: Workshop (SITARE, 13-15 June, 2018) Event 100 38. CDP Activities: Winter Lecture Series (10-12 Feb., 2019) Event 101 39. CDP Activities: CDP Wins Geo-Science Exhibition (11-13 Feb) Event 102 40. CDP Activities: Astrofest Nepal (22 April, 2018) Event 103 41. CDP Activities: Workshop (CMESW, 30 Dec, 2018) Event 104 42. CDP Activities: Confident, Successful & Clean (5 April, 2018) Event 105 43. CDP Activities: TU Futsal Competition (2075) Event 106 44. CDP Activities: Welcome & Farewell Program (27 Dec. 2018) Event 107 45. CDP News: International Publications (2018-2019) News 108 46. CDP News: Three Ph.D. Awarded in 1918` News 109 47. CDP News: Talk Program (2017-2018) at CDP News 110 48. CDP News: M.Sc.Dissertation (1990 to 2018) & CDP Almuni News 111 49. CDP News: Curriculum of Ph.D. (Physics) Second Semester News 113 50. List of Our Graduates Leaving for USA for Further Study News 114 51. Faculty, Staff and Student Profile Profiles 115 4 Symmetry (Volume XII, 2018) Message from Nobel Laureate Dr. Leon Cooper to Symmetry My Remembrance with John Bardeen calculations and could not find anything wrong. We were My interaction with superconductivity began when I almost ready to accept that, somehow, this might, in fact, met John Bardeen in April or May of 1955 at the be the case. Thinking through the Meissner effect matrix Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. John was on elements for the thousandth time, I realized that between the East Coast looking for a postdoc to work with him on the initial and final state there existed another path, a superconductivity. He had written to several physicists, path that did not occur in normal metal calculations. In among them T. D. Lee and Frank Yang, asking if they the relevant limit the additional term would be of equal knew of some young fellow, skilled in the latest and magnitude to the usual term but would possibly di most fashionable theoretical techniques (at that time, er by a sign.