Ramanath Cowsik
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Ramanath Cowsik is an Indian astrophysicist and the James S. McDonnell Professor of Space Sciences at
Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
. He is considered by many as the father of
astroparticle physics Astroparticle physics, also called particle astrophysics, is a branch of particle physics that studies elementary particles of astronomical origin and their relation to astrophysics and cosmology. It is a relatively new field of research emergin ...
. A recipient of the
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (SSB) is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research, Applied science, applied or Fundamenta ...
, Cowsik was honored by the
Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
, in 2002, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of
Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...


Biography

Ramanath Cowsik was born in 1940 in
Nagpur Nagpur (pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nag ...
, in the Western Indian state of
Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
. He did his schooling in
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
which he completed before turning 14 and graduated from Mysore University in 1958, with physics, chemistry and biology as the optional subjects, at the age of 17. He continued his master's studies at the Karnatak university in Dharwar, to secure the degree in physics in 1960, aged 19 and joined the Atomic Energy Establishment Training School, present day
Homi Bhabha National Institute The Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI) is an Indian deemed university established by the Department of Atomic Energy, which unifies academic programmes of several of its constituent institutions. Deemed universities in India have been divi ...
,
Trombay Trombay is an eastern suburb in Bombay (Mumbai), India. History Trombay was called Neat's Tongue because of its shape. Once, it was an island nearly 5 km East of Mumbai and was about 8 km in length and 8 km in width. The island ...
where he did a post graduate course. He started his career as a member of faculty of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in 1961, simultaneously pursuing his doctoral studies to secure a PhD from
Bombay University The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai. The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed ...
in 1968, researching under the guidance of Professor Yash Pal. He taught at TIFR for over forty years, growing over the years as a fellow, a reader, an associate professor, a professor, a senior professor, and reaching the status of a distinguished professor of the institute. He also worked as the Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics on deputation from TIFR, during the period from 1992 to 2003, where he has been a Vainu Bappu Distinguished Professor. On invitation from
P. Buford Price Paul Buford Price (1932 – 2021), usually known as P. Buford Price, was a professor in the Graduate School at the University of California, Berkeley and a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences. His ...
, Cowsik also worked as an assistant professor at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
from 1970 to 1973. In December 2002, he moved to
Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
and serves at the McDonnell Centre for the Space Sciences as the Professor of Physics and Director. He is the James S. McDonnell Professor of Space Sciences of the institute since 2013. A former research fellow of the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
, Cowsik is a visiting professor at the
University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...
and a visiting fellow at the
Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics The Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics is a former institute of the Max Planck Society in Germany. Located in Munich, it was also known as the Werner Heisenberg Institute. The institute was founded in 1958 as a successor to the Max ...
, Munich. He has also served as a member of the governing council of the Commission on Cosmic Rays of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics. He is a member of the
International Society for Science and Religion The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is a learned society established in 2001 for the purpose of the promotion of education through the support of inter-disciplinary learning and research in the fields of science and religion c ...
and sits in the board of advisors of ''Forgiveness Research'', a community of forgiveness. Cowsik, who is known to be proficient in languages such as Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Sanskrit, English, German and French, is married to Sudha, a research instructor and a doctoral degree (PhD) holder, associated with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics of the Washington University in St. Louis. Cowsik has two sons, Sasha and Aditya, and resides in the city of St. Louis.


Legacy

Ramanath Cowsik is known for his theories related to the
Big Bang The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...
origin of the universe. He argued that, post the Big Bang, ''gravitationally dominant relicts'' were formed from the particles with finite rest mass, resulting in the formation of ''halos of
dark matter Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe. Dark matter is called "dark" because it does not appear to interact with the electromagnetic field, which means it does not ab ...
'' with galaxies embedded within. He postulated that this would limit the sums of masses of
neutrinos A neutrino ( ; denoted by the Greek letter ) is a fermion (an elementary particle with spin of ) that interacts only via the weak interaction and gravity. The neutrino is so named because it is electrically neutral and because its rest mass is ...
, a phenomenon known in the scientific world as the ''Cowsik-McClelland bound''. These theories are said to have explained the velocity dispersion of particles of dark matter and reproduced the ''luminosity profiles'' and ratified the '' rotation curves of galaxies''. Cowsik is credited with the invention of ''leaky box'' and ''nested leaky box'' models for the observation of optical and infrared wavelength bands of
cosmic rays Cosmic rays are high-energy particles or clusters of particles (primarily represented by protons or atomic nuclei) that move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the Sun, from outside of the Solar System in our own ...
and employing these models, he is known to have established an
observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...
for
optical astronomy Visible-light astronomy encompasses a wide variety of observations via telescopes that are sensitive in the range of visible light (optical telescopes). Visible-light astronomy is part of optical astronomy, and differs from astronomies based on in ...
in Hanle,
Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...
, at an altitude of 15,000 feet, reported to be the highest observatory in the world. The observatory is controlled remotely from Bangalore and is operational year round. He is involved in experiments related to Grand Unified Theory and attempts to ''probe violations of the inverse square law of gravity at sub-millimeter scales''. His scientific paper on the role of
neutrinos A neutrino ( ; denoted by the Greek letter ) is a fermion (an elementary particle with spin of ) that interacts only via the weak interaction and gravity. The neutrino is so named because it is electrically neutral and because its rest mass is ...
was included by the
American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...
and the ''Physics Review'' magazine, in their selection of 1000 most important scientific papers of the century. Cowsik has reported contributions towards understanding ''highly energetic phenomena in astrophysics such as
cosmic ray Cosmic rays are high-energy particles or clusters of particles (primarily represented by protons or atomic nuclei) that move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the Sun, from outside of the Solar System in our own ...
,
pulsar A pulsar (from ''pulsating radio source'') is a highly magnetized rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation out of its magnetic poles. This radiation can be observed only when a beam of emission is pointing toward Ea ...
, supernova remnant, gamma ray burst, active galactic nucleus and other similar sources powered by accretion flows''. His studies cover the diffuse non thermal radiations found all over space as well as radiations from ''discrete astronomical sources''. His experiments are known to be interdisciplinary in nature and bridge the gap between universal phenomena and experimental physics. He has conducted extensive research on pre-solar grains of aluminum oxide found in
meteorites A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon. When the original object en ...
and has devised a methodology to assess the age of the universe from them. Ramanath Cowsik is credited with the first detailed calculations on neutrino fluxes generated atmospheric cosmic ray interactions and observations of the same in underground detectors. These findings have been known to have assisted in the discovery of neutrino oscillations at Super-Kamiokande observatory in Japan. He is also known to have made the longest
half-life Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable ato ...
measured in the world which related to that of '' double beta decay of Te-128, as 7.7 x 1024 years''. He has also conducted studies on finite temperature corrections to the Casimir forces occur at large separations. Cowsik has developed a sensitive torsion balance using which he conducted the first laboratory experiment for the so-called
fifth force In physics, there are four observed fundamental interactions (also known as fundamental forces) that form the basis of all known interactions in nature: gravitational, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear forces. Some speculative the ...
. He is involved in the development of a more sensitive torsion balance for probing the violations of the
Inverse-square law In science, an inverse-square law is any scientific law stating that a specified physical quantity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source of that physical quantity. The fundamental cause for this can be understo ...
of gravity at millimeter scales, Cowsik, who has drawn comparison with the renowned physicist,
Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian (later naturalized American) physicist and the creator of the world's first nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1. He has been called the "architect of the nuclear age" and ...
for his achievements in theoretical and experimental physics, has published his experiments and observations in several scientific papers published in peer reviewed journals and
ResearchGate ResearchGate is a European commercial social networking site for scientists and researchers to share papers, ask and answer questions, and find collaborators. According to a 2014 study by ''Nature'' and a 2016 article in ''Times Higher Education'' ...
, an online repository has listed 193 of them. He has attended several seminars and conferences and has delivered keynote addresses on astrophysics and the relationship between religion and science. He has edited three books, including "Cosmic Pathways", a collection of essays in physics and astrophysics. He has also assisted other scientists in ratifying their experiments by acting as a reference point; his involvement in the
OPERA experiment The Oscillation Project with Emulsion-tRacking Apparatus (OPERA) was an instrument used in a scientific experiment for detecting tau neutrinos from muon neutrino oscillations. The experiment is a collaboration between CERN in Geneva, Switzerland ...
, a
CERN The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in a northwestern suburb of Gene ...
, Geneva and the
Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) is the largest underground research center in the world. Situated below Gran Sasso mountain in Italy, it is well known for particle physics research by the INFN. In addition to a surface portion of the ...
,
Gran Sasso Gran Sasso d'Italia (; ) is a massif in the Apennine Mountains of Italy. Its highest peak, Corno Grande (2,912 metres), is the highest mountain in the Apennines, and the second-highest mountain in Italy outside the Alps. The mountain lies wit ...
collaboration was one such instance.


Awards and recognitions

Ramanath Cowsik is an elected Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, Indian Academy of Sciences,
National Academy of Sciences, India The National Academy of Sciences, India, established in 1930, is the oldest science academy in India. It is located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Prof. Meghnad Saha was the founder president. Fellows *Suddhasatwa Basu * Sudha Bhattacharya * Ch ...
, Indian Geophysical Union and
The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable deve ...
. He is a ''Foreign Associate'' of the
National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
, USA, a life member of the
American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...
and a member of the
International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...
. Cowsik received the Shri Hari Om Prerit Vikram Sarabhai Award in 1981, followed by
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (SSB) is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research, Applied science, applied or Fundamenta ...
in 1984.
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
awarded him the Public Service Group Achievement Award in 1986 and the Indian National Science Academy awarded him the
Vainu Bappu Manali Kallat Vainu Bappu (10 August 1927 – 19 August 1982) was an Indian astronomer and president of the International Astronomical Union. Bappu helped to establish several astronomical institutions in India, including the Vainu Bappu Ob ...
Memorial Medal in 1997. The
Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
honoured him with the civilian award of
Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
in 2002 and he received the M. P. Birla Award in 2007. He is also a recipient of
TWAS Prize This is a list of recipients of the TWAS Prize, awarded annually by The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). Summary Agricultural Sciences Biology Chemistry Earth Sciences Engineering Sciences Mathematics Medical Sc ...
and the ISCA
S. N. Bose Satyendra Nath Bose (; 1 January 1894 – 4 February 1974) was a Bengali mathematician and physicist specializing in theoretical physics. He is best known for his work on quantum mechanics in the early 1920s, in developing the foundation for ...
Birth Centenary Award and has delivered the Sir C. V. Raman Memorial Award Lecture (1996) and the Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award Lecture (2002).


See also

*
Astroparticle physics Astroparticle physics, also called particle astrophysics, is a branch of particle physics that studies elementary particles of astronomical origin and their relation to astrophysics and cosmology. It is a relatively new field of research emergin ...
* Neutrino *
Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
* Indian Institute of Astrophysics *
Dark matter Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe. Dark matter is called "dark" because it does not appear to interact with the electromagnetic field, which means it does not ab ...
* Grand Unified Theory *
Fifth Force In physics, there are four observed fundamental interactions (also known as fundamental forces) that form the basis of all known interactions in nature: gravitational, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear forces. Some speculative the ...
*
Optical astronomy Visible-light astronomy encompasses a wide variety of observations via telescopes that are sensitive in the range of visible light (optical telescopes). Visible-light astronomy is part of optical astronomy, and differs from astronomies based on in ...


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cowsik, Ramanath Living people 1940 births Scientists from Nagpur Indian scientific authors Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Physical Science Tata Institute of Fundamental Research alumni Tata Institute of Fundamental Research faculty Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences Fellows of The National Academy of Sciences, India TWAS laureates Indian theoretical physicists Physicists from Missouri Washington University physicists Scientists from Missouri 20th-century Indian physicists Indian expatriates in the United States People associated with CERN Washington University in St. Louis faculty