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{{Short description|Indian space scientist}}
{{Onesource|date=January 2008}}
{{other people|Radhakrishnan|Radhakrishnan (name)}}
'''Venkatraman Subramaniam''' (born on 18 May 1929) is an internationally renowned [[Space science|space scientist]] and member of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]]. He is [[Professor Emeritus]] of the [[Raman Research Institute]] in [[Bangalore]], [[India]], where he was Director from 1972 to 1994.
{{multiple issues|
{{COI|date=June 2017}}
{{POV|date=June 2017}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Venkataraman Radhakrishnan
| image = LowRes 50dpi 69x89 Venkatraman Radhakrishnan IAS photo.png
| image_size = 150px
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|05|18|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Madras]], [[Madras Presidency]], [[British India]]<br/>(now [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India)
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2011|3|3|1929|05|18|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Bangalore]] (now [[Bengaluru]]), [[Karnataka]], [[India]]
| nationality = Indian
| father = [[C.V. Raman]]
| mother = {{ill|Lokasundari Ammal|wd=Q108750488|short=1}}
| spouse = {{ill|Francoise-Dominique Barnard|wd=Q124333150|short=1}}
| relatives = {{ill|Chandrasekhar Raman|wd=Q124337417|short=1}} (brother)
| field = [[Astronomy]], [[astrophysics]]
| alma_mater = [[Mysore University]]
}}


{{Indian name|Radhakrishnan|Venkataraman}}'''Venkataraman Radhakrishnan''' (18 May 1929&nbsp;–&nbsp;3 March 2011) was an Indian [[Space science|space scientist]] and [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]] member.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Atomstalk |date=2021-02-16 |title=Venkatraman Radhakrishnan: Education, Career, Awards |url=https://atomstalk.com/stories/venkatraman-radhakrishnan/ |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=AtomsTalk |language=en-US}}</ref> He retired from his career as [[professor emeritus]] of the [[Raman Research Institute]] in [[Bangalore]], [[India]], of which he had previously been director from 1972 to 1994 and which is named after his father. He served on various committees in various capacities including as the vice president of the [[International Astronomical Union]] during 1988–1994. He was also a Foreign Fellow of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]] and the U.S. [[National Academy of Sciences]]. He was an Associate of the [[Royal Astronomical Society]] and a Fellow of the [[Indian Academy of Sciences]], Bangalore.
Professor Radhakrishnan was born in Tondaripet, a suburb of Madras. His earlier schooling was in Madras. He married Mrs. Francoise-Dominique Radhakrishnan. They have one son Vivek, who is married to Namrata and have recently moved to Bangalore from USA.


==Early life and education==
Prof. Radhakrishnan has served on various committees in various capacities. He was the Vice President of the International Astronomical Union during 1988-1994. He served as the Chairman of Commission J ( Radio Astronomy) of the International Union of Radio Sciences (1981-84).
Radhakrishnan was born in [[Tondiarpet]], a suburb of [[Madras]], to Nobel laureate physicist [[Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman]] and his wife Lokasundari Ammal. His early schooling was in Madras. He graduated from [[Mysore University]] before joining the Department of Physics at the [[Indian Institute of Science]] in [[Bangalore]].


==Career==
⚫
Radhakrishnan is one of the most respected Radio Astronomers in the world today, in that he has been associated in one capacity or other with the world’s biggest radio telescopes. He was member of the Foreign Advisory Committee for the Netherlands Foundation for Radio Astronomy, Steering Committee of the Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, Australia, Advisory Committee for the Green Bank Radio Telescope, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, USA He has also been Member of the Governing Council of the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad and the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics. During the period of 1973 – 1981 he was a member of the Indian National Committee for Astronomy.
⚫
He worked at the [[Chalmers University of Technology]] in [[Gothenburg]], Sweden as a Research Assistant during 1955–1958. He was a senior research fellow of the [[California Institute of Technology]] in USA before joining the Radiophysics Division of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Sydney, Australia initially as the senior research scientist and later as the principal research scientist. He returned to India in 1972 and took up the task of rebuilding the [[Raman Research Institute]] as its director. During his tenure as the director of the Raman Research Institute between 1972–1994 he built an international reputation for work in the areas of pulsar astronomy, liquid crystals, and other areas of frontline research in Astronomy.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}} The [[University of Amsterdam]] conferred the Doctor Honoris Causa degree on Prof. Radhakrishnan in 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Amsterdam |first=Universiteit van |date=2022-06-09 |title=Honorary doctorates |url=https://www.uva.nl/en/about-the-uva/organisation/honorary-doctorates/honorary-doctorates.html |access-date=2022-07-03 |website=University of Amsterdam |language=en}}</ref>


⚫
Radhakrishnan served on various committees in various capacities. He was the vice president of the International Astronomical Union during 1988–1994. He served as the chairman of Commission J ( Radio Astronomy) of the International Union of Radio Sciences (1981–1984). He was a member of the Foreign Advisory Committee for the Netherlands Foundation for Radio Astronomy, Steering Committee of the Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, Australia, Advisory Committee for the Green Bank Radio Telescope, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, USA. He was also the Member of the Governing Council of the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad and the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics. During the period of 1973–1981 he was a member of the Indian National Committee for Astronomy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prof. V. Radhakrishnan {{!}} Imprints Collection {{!}} Raman Research Institute |url=https://wwws.rri.res.in/htmls/library/imprints_collection/bios/radhakrishnan.html |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=wwws.rri.res.in}}</ref>
⚫
Radhakrishnan has been selected to various scientific bodies, both national and international. He is a Foreign Fellow of both the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the U.S. National Science Academy. He is an Associate of the Royal Astronomical Society and a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore


⚫
Radhakrishnan was selected to various scientific bodies, both national and international. He was a Foreign Fellow of both the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the U.S. National Science Academy. He was an Associate of the Royal Astronomical Society and a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}
⚫
He is an internationally acclaimed Astrophysicist and also renowned for his design and fabrication of ultralight aircraft and sailboats. Prof. V. Radhakrishnan has received his B.Sc.(Hon) from Mysore University. He has started his research career as a research scholar at the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore and thereafter has been in the research faculties of various world famous institutes. He worked in the Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden as a Research Assistant during 1955-58. He was a Senior Research fellow of the California Institute of Technology, USA before joining the Radiophysics Division of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Sydney, Australia initially as the Senior Research Scientist and later as the Principal Research Scientist. He returned to India in 1972 and took up the task of rebuilding the Raman Research Institute as it’s Director. During his tenure as the Director of the Raman Research Institute between 1972 –1994 he has built up an international reputation for work in the areas of pulsar astronomy, liquid crystals and other areas of frontline research in Astronomy. The University of Amsterdam has conferred the most prestigious Doctor Honoris Causa degree on Prof. Radhakrishnan in 1996.


==Areas of Research==
==Research==
V. Radhakrishnan has been associated with the field of radio astronomy practically from the beginning of its phenomenal post- World War II growth in the 1950s. He was one of the persons who founded the science of observational astronomy in India. His career has been truly international, starting in Sweden in 1954 and proceeding via CalTech and CSIRO, Sydney to Banagalore where he has spent the last thirty three years.
Radhakrishnan was associated with radio astronomy from the beginning of its post-World War II growth in the 1950s. He was one the founders of observational astronomy in India. He worked around the world throughout his career in various locations, such as Sweden in 1954, Caltech, CSIRO, Sydney, and Bangalore. The last 33 years of his career were spent in Bangalore.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}


Starting with the electronics of receivers, he moved on to technically innovative and astronomically far-reaching studies of the polarization of the radio waves. These include the detection of radio waves from the Van Allen like belts surrounding Jupiter and the first determination of the true rotation of the core of Jupiter. He was also the first in systematic application of interferometry to polarized brightness brightness distributions and an early study of the Zeeman Effect in the 21cm line emitted by a hydrogen atom. His measurements of polarization of Vela Pulsar were decisive in establishing the picture of a magnetized rotating neutron star and led him to propose the paradigm of curvature radiation from polar caps of neutron stars which has dominated the subject of pulsar emission mechanisms since that time.
Part of his research involved studying the polarization of radio waves in astronomical objects. This included the detection of radio waves from the Van Allen like belts surrounding Jupiter and the first determination of the true rotation of the core of Jupiter. He was also the first to systematically apply interferometry to polarized brightness distributions and an early study of the [[Zeeman Effect]] in the 21cm line emitted by a hydrogen atom.<ref>Zeeman Splitting of the 21-cm Absorption Line in Orion A [http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1971ApL.....8..121B] '', NASA ADS''</ref> His measurements of polarization of Vela Pulsar aided in establishing the picture of a magnetized rotating neutron star and led him to propose the paradigm of curvature radiation from polar caps of neutron stars which has been a notable contribution to the study of pulsar emission mechanisms since that time.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}


The period of his stay in Australia also marked his leadership of an extensive survey of the absorption and emission of 21 cm line radiation by neutral hydrogen which later helped to develop the realistic model of the interstellar medium. He has also carried out systematic interferometric study of 21 cm absorption towards a large number of galactic and extragalactic sources. His detailed observational and theoretical work on different aspects of pulsars is truly pioneering in the field of Pulsar Astronomy.
The period of his stay in Australia also marked his leadership of an extensive survey of the absorption and emission of 21&nbsp;cm line radiation by neutral hydrogen which later helped to develop a realistic model of the interstellar medium. He also carried out systematic interferometric study of 21&nbsp;cm absorption towards a large number of galactic and extragalactic sources.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}


⚫
He also contributed in designing and fabricating hang-gliders, micro-light aircraft and sailboats. His original contributions in these fields were acknowledged by the Government of India by way of support from the Aeronautics Research Development Board, Ministry of Defence (for designing hang-gliders) and ISRO (for sailboats).{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=International Astronomical Union {{!}} IAU |url=https://www.iau.org/administration/membership/individual/2221/ |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=www.iau.org}}</ref>
According to his colleagues in different international institutes, each world renowned for their contributions in the field of astronomy & astrophysics, although Prof. Radhakrishnan has a number of important discoveries to his credit, his main impact on astronomy has been in his effect in other people’s research through discussion of the astronomical and technical problems and practical assistance with the later. He is one of the most devoted and perceptive physicists only satisfied with deep understanding of any concept and his interest increases with the strangeness or significance of the phenomenon. He is disinterested in mundane repetitions of other people’s work and searches for new breakthroughs.


⚫
===Publications===
⚫
It is not only in the field of astronomy that Prof. Radhakrishnan has kept his mark but also in the designing and fabricating hang-gliders, micro-light aircraft and sailboats. His original contributions in these fields have been acknowledged by the Government of India by way of support from the Aeronautics Research Development Board, Ministry of Defence (for designing hang-gliders) and ISRO (for sailboats).
Radhakrishnan published more than 80 papers in research journals<ref>List of publications tracked by NASA ADS Abstract Service [http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-abs_connect?db_key=AST&db_key=PRE&qform=AST&arxiv_sel=astro-ph&arxiv_sel=cond-mat&arxiv_sel=cs&arxiv_sel=gr-qc&arxiv_sel=hep-ex&arxiv_sel=hep-lat&arxiv_sel=hep-ph&arxiv_sel=hep-th&arxiv_sel=math&arxiv_sel=math-ph&arxiv_sel=nlin&arxiv_sel=nucl-ex&arxiv_sel=nucl-th&arxiv_sel=physics&arxiv_sel=quant-ph&arxiv_sel=q-bio&sim_query=YES&ned_query=YES&adsobj_query=YES&aut_logic=OR&obj_logic=OR&author=Radhakrishnan%0D%0A&object=&start_mon=&start_year=1960&end_mon=&end_year=2011&ttl_logic=OR&title=&txt_logic=OR&text=&nr_to_return=200&start_nr=1&jou_pick=NO&ref_stems=&data_and=ALL&group_and=ALL&start_entry_day=&start_entry_mon=&start_entry_year=&end_entry_day=&end_entry_mon=&end_entry_year=&min_score=&sort=SCORE&data_type=SHORT&aut_syn=YES&ttl_syn=YES&txt_syn=YES&aut_wt=1.0&obj_wt=1.0&ttl_wt=0.3&txt_wt=3.0&aut_wgt=YES&obj_wgt=YES&ttl_wgt=YES&txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1] '', NASA ADS''</ref> and also proceedings of different various International Conferences. Radhakrishnan also co-edited a book of conference-proceedings, "Supernovae: their Progenitors and Remnants" (1985).<ref>1985, Indian Academy of Sciences, [http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/t2png?bg=%23FFFFFF&/seri/JRASC/0080/600/0000157.000&db_key=AST&bits=4&res=100&filetype=.gif See review by van den Berg (NASA ADS entry)]</ref> He was the chairman of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy from 1982 to 1987.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy {{!}} Indian Academy of Sciences |url=https://www.ias.ac.in/Journals/Journal_of_Astrophysics_and_Astronomy/Editorial_Board |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=www.ias.ac.in}}</ref>
'''He is being Awarded with Novel Przie for hi Work in 2009'''


⚫
==Important contributions==
⚫
==Publications==
Radhakrishnan worked in the [[Raman Research Institute]]. He was involved in the construction of the 10.4 meter millimeter wave radio antenna at the Institute which has been used to study various astrophysical phenomena producing original contributions in pulsar astronomy as well as recombination line studies of the interstellar medium.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}


⚫
He made contributions to the study of Deuterium abundance in the galaxy, Astrophysical Raman Masers, OH emission from clouds, and construction of low frequency telescopes at Gauribidanur and Mauritius.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}
Professor Radhakrishnan has published more than 90 papers in research journals and proceedings of different various International Conferences. He has also co-edited a book, “Supernovae : their Progenitors and Remnants”, published by the Indian Academy of Sciences. He has been the Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy.


He delivered the Milne Lecture in Oxford in 1987, and Jansky Lecture in 2000.<ref>List of Jansky lectures [http://www.nrao.edu/jansky/janskyprize.shtml], ''NRAO''</ref>
It is to be noted that Prof. Radhakrishnan’s style of doing science has won him a valued place in the astronomical community. It starts by raising a few penetrating questions, which are analysed in informal but deep discussion, shorn of formalism but full of physical insights. By his choice, his name rarely appears in the final publication. His often unconventional views on other matters relating to the pursuit of science, especially radioastronomy, have been expressed to colleagues but rarely published.


He was the member of International Astronomical Union (IAU) and served on some of its committees including Division VI Commission 34 on ''Interstellar Matter'', Division X Commission 40 on ''Radio Astronomy'', Division XI Commission 44 ''Space & High Energy Astrophysics'', Division VI ''Interstellar Matter'', Division X ''Radio Astronomy'', and Division IX ''Space & High Energy Astrophysics''.<ref>[http://www.iau.org/administration/membership/individual/2221/ IAU member page for V. Radhakrishnan].</ref>
⚫
==Important Contributions==


==Personal life==
Prof. Radhakrishnan’s contribution to science in general and astronomy in particular has been exceptional. As mentioned earlier his observations and theoretical insights have helped the community in unraveling many a mysteries surrounding pulsars, interstellar clouds, galaxy structures and various other celestial bodies.
Radhakrishnan married Francoise-Dominique Barnard.<ref>{{cite web|author=V. Radhakrishnan|url=http://dspace.rri.res.in/bitstream/2289/5288/1/1993_Flying%20Slowly%20by%20Rad_2%20Meera%20memorial%20lecture.pdf |title=Flying slowly |access-date=19 October 2017|quote=He was married to Francoise-Dominique nee Barnard and had a child.}}</ref> They have a son, Vivek Radhakrishnan.


==Awards==
In making the Raman Research Institute a world renowned center of excellence in astronomy research he has worked tirelessly. The institute has become well known for his efforts to sustain a unique free and open working atmosphere with emphasis on fostering young talents in an informal and friendly setting and giving it all facilities and encouragement. He has sought to lower barriers between theory and experiment, scientific and technical staff, between physicists and astronomers or staff members and students. This approach, unprecedented not only in the country but perhaps in the rest of the world as well, required his personal attention to every detail in the running of the institute. He was instrumental and closely involved with the construction of the 10.4 metre millimeter wave radio antenna in the Institutes which has been used to study various astrophysical phenomena producing original contributions in pulsar astronomy as well as recombination line studies of the interstellar medium.
V. Radhakrishnan received numerous awards, some of which are listed below.
* M. P. Birla Memorial Award (2005)<ref>{{cite web |title=M. P. Birla Memorial Award 2005 |url=http://education.vsnl.com/planetarium/award.htm |access-date=25 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302043341/http://education.vsnl.com/planetarium/award.htm |archive-date=2 March 2009}}</ref>


==See also==
⚫
It is not an easy task to touch upon a variety of other topics where he has made important contributions nor on the deep and profound human aspects of his personality. Deuterium abundance in the galaxy, Astrophysical Raman Masers, OH emission from clouds and later on building of the low frequency telescopes at Gauribidanur and Mauritius are some of the hallmarks of his career.
* [[Chandrasekhar family]]


⚫
== Sources ==
He has been invited to deliver the prestigious Milne Lecture in Oxford in 1987, and also gave the extremely prestigious Jansky Lecture in 2001.
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
To summarise, the best way to describe the life and works of Prof. Radhakrishnan, is to quote the famous scientist, J.B.S. Haldane : “ Given good conditions anybody could turn out acceptable work; but the mark of a true scientist is that he can create the requisite conditions and make great discoveries. The scientific career of Prof. Radhakrishnan exemplifies the spirit of this statement.”
⚫
* [http://www.rri.res.in/ Raman Research Institute official website]

“ Radhakrishnan is unassuming, highly reticent about his own achievements, but with a quick and generous appreciation of good work in others. He is a source of inspiration to not merely the members of his institute but motivates his colleagues everywhere towards higher human values”

⚫
== Sources ==
⚫
*[http://www.rri.res.in/ Raman Research Institute official website]
*[http://education.vsnl.com/planetarium/award.htm#Profile "M. P. Birla Memorial Award 2005: Professor Venkataraman Radhakrishnan"]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Radhakrishnan, Venkatraman}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Radhakrishnan, Venkataraman}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:Members of the National Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian astronomers]]
[[Category:Indian astronomers]]
[[Category:Scientists from Chennai]]
[[Category:Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century astronomers]]
[[Category:Tamil Nadu scientists]]
[[Category:Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Chandrasekhar family]]
[[Category:University of Mysore alumni]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the Indian Institute of Science]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century American scientists]]

Latest revision as of 12:16, 23 October 2024

For other people named Radhakrishnan, see Radhakrishnan (name).

Venkataraman Radhakrishnan
Born(1929-05-18)18 May 1929
Madras, Madras Presidency, British India
(now Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India)
Died3 March 2011(2011-03-03) (aged 81)
Bangalore (now Bengaluru), Karnataka, India
NationalityIndian
Alma materMysore University
SpouseFrancoise-Dominique Barnard [d]
Parents
RelativesChandrasekhar Raman [d] (brother)
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy, astrophysics
In this Indian name, the name Venkataraman is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Radhakrishnan.

Venkataraman Radhakrishnan (18 May 1929 – 3 March 2011) was an Indian space scientist and Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences member.[1] He retired from his career as professor emeritus of the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore, India, of which he had previously been director from 1972 to 1994 and which is named after his father. He served on various committees in various capacities including as the vice president of the International Astronomical Union during 1988–1994. He was also a Foreign Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He was an Associate of the Royal Astronomical Society and a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore.

Early life and education

[edit]

Radhakrishnan was born in Tondiarpet, a suburb of Madras, to Nobel laureate physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman and his wife Lokasundari Ammal. His early schooling was in Madras. He graduated from Mysore University before joining the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

Career

[edit]

He worked at the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden as a Research Assistant during 1955–1958. He was a senior research fellow of the California Institute of Technology in USA before joining the Radiophysics Division of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Sydney, Australia initially as the senior research scientist and later as the principal research scientist. He returned to India in 1972 and took up the task of rebuilding the Raman Research Institute as its director. During his tenure as the director of the Raman Research Institute between 1972–1994 he built an international reputation for work in the areas of pulsar astronomy, liquid crystals, and other areas of frontline research in Astronomy.[citation needed] The University of Amsterdam conferred the Doctor Honoris Causa degree on Prof. Radhakrishnan in 1996.[2]

Radhakrishnan served on various committees in various capacities. He was the vice president of the International Astronomical Union during 1988–1994. He served as the chairman of Commission J ( Radio Astronomy) of the International Union of Radio Sciences (1981–1984). He was a member of the Foreign Advisory Committee for the Netherlands Foundation for Radio Astronomy, Steering Committee of the Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, Australia, Advisory Committee for the Green Bank Radio Telescope, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, USA. He was also the Member of the Governing Council of the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad and the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics. During the period of 1973–1981 he was a member of the Indian National Committee for Astronomy.[3]

Radhakrishnan was selected to various scientific bodies, both national and international. He was a Foreign Fellow of both the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the U.S. National Science Academy. He was an Associate of the Royal Astronomical Society and a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore.[citation needed]

Research

[edit]

Radhakrishnan was associated with radio astronomy from the beginning of its post-World War II growth in the 1950s. He was one the founders of observational astronomy in India. He worked around the world throughout his career in various locations, such as Sweden in 1954, Caltech, CSIRO, Sydney, and Bangalore. The last 33 years of his career were spent in Bangalore.[citation needed]

Part of his research involved studying the polarization of radio waves in astronomical objects. This included the detection of radio waves from the Van Allen like belts surrounding Jupiter and the first determination of the true rotation of the core of Jupiter. He was also the first to systematically apply interferometry to polarized brightness distributions and an early study of the Zeeman Effect in the 21cm line emitted by a hydrogen atom.[4] His measurements of polarization of Vela Pulsar aided in establishing the picture of a magnetized rotating neutron star and led him to propose the paradigm of curvature radiation from polar caps of neutron stars which has been a notable contribution to the study of pulsar emission mechanisms since that time.[citation needed]

The period of his stay in Australia also marked his leadership of an extensive survey of the absorption and emission of 21 cm line radiation by neutral hydrogen which later helped to develop a realistic model of the interstellar medium. He also carried out systematic interferometric study of 21 cm absorption towards a large number of galactic and extragalactic sources.[citation needed]

He also contributed in designing and fabricating hang-gliders, micro-light aircraft and sailboats. His original contributions in these fields were acknowledged by the Government of India by way of support from the Aeronautics Research Development Board, Ministry of Defence (for designing hang-gliders) and ISRO (for sailboats).[citation needed][5]

Publications

[edit]

Radhakrishnan published more than 80 papers in research journals[6] and also proceedings of different various International Conferences. Radhakrishnan also co-edited a book of conference-proceedings, "Supernovae: their Progenitors and Remnants" (1985).[7] He was the chairman of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy from 1982 to 1987.[8]

Important contributions

[edit]

Radhakrishnan worked in the Raman Research Institute. He was involved in the construction of the 10.4 meter millimeter wave radio antenna at the Institute which has been used to study various astrophysical phenomena producing original contributions in pulsar astronomy as well as recombination line studies of the interstellar medium.[citation needed]

He made contributions to the study of Deuterium abundance in the galaxy, Astrophysical Raman Masers, OH emission from clouds, and construction of low frequency telescopes at Gauribidanur and Mauritius.[citation needed]

He delivered the Milne Lecture in Oxford in 1987, and Jansky Lecture in 2000.[9]

He was the member of International Astronomical Union (IAU) and served on some of its committees including Division VI Commission 34 on Interstellar Matter, Division X Commission 40 on Radio Astronomy, Division XI Commission 44 Space & High Energy Astrophysics, Division VI Interstellar Matter, Division X Radio Astronomy, and Division IX Space & High Energy Astrophysics.[10]

Personal life

[edit]

Radhakrishnan married Francoise-Dominique Barnard.[11] They have a son, Vivek Radhakrishnan.

Awards

[edit]

V. Radhakrishnan received numerous awards, some of which are listed below.

  • M. P. Birla Memorial Award (2005)[12]

See also

[edit]

Sources

[edit]
  1. ^ Atomstalk (16 February 2021). "Venkatraman Radhakrishnan: Education, Career, Awards". AtomsTalk. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  2. ^ Amsterdam, Universiteit van (9 June 2022). "Honorary doctorates". University of Amsterdam. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Prof. V. Radhakrishnan | Imprints Collection | Raman Research Institute". wwws.rri.res.in. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  4. ^ Zeeman Splitting of the 21-cm Absorption Line in Orion A [1] , NASA ADS
  5. ^ "International Astronomical Union | IAU". www.iau.org. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  6. ^ List of publications tracked by NASA ADS Abstract Service [2] , NASA ADS
  7. ^ 1985, Indian Academy of Sciences, See review by van den Berg (NASA ADS entry)
  8. ^ "Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy | Indian Academy of Sciences". www.ias.ac.in. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  9. ^ List of Jansky lectures [3], NRAO
  10. ^ IAU member page for V. Radhakrishnan.
  11. ^ V. Radhakrishnan. "Flying slowly" (PDF). Retrieved 19 October 2017. He was married to Francoise-Dominique nee Barnard and had a child.
  12. ^ "M. P. Birla Memorial Award 2005". Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
[edit]
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