C.S. Unnikrishnan

Last updated

C.S. Unnikrishnan
C. S. Unnikrishnan.jpg
Unnikrishnan in 2023
Born (1962-07-25) 25 July 1962 (age 62)
Kalady, Keralam, India
Nationality Indian
Alma mater Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
University of Mumbai
Occupation(s)Professor,
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India;
Professor, Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, India;
Adjunct Professor,
Indian Institute of Astrophysics, India;
ParentC.K. Sivarama Pillai: G.Kalyanikutty Amma
Awards Breakthrough Prize in Physics (2016)
Gruber Prize in Cosmology (2016)

C. S. Unnikrishnan (born 25 July 1962) is an Indian physicist and professor known for his contributions in multiple areas of experimental and theoretical physics. He has been a professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research [1] Mumbai and is currently a professor in the School of Quantum Technology at the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology [2] in Pune. He has made significant contributions in foundational issues in gravity [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] and quantum physics and has published over 250 research papers and articles. [8] [9] [10] Unnikrishnan is also a key member of the LIGO-India [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] project and a member of the global LIGO Scientific Collaboration [16] [17] [18]

Contents

Education

Unnikrishnan received his M.Sc. degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and his Ph.D. from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, University of Mumbai. He has also been a visiting researcher at the Kastler-Brossel Laboratory of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris and at the University of Paris 13.

Research contributions

Unnikrishnan is a renowned researcher in the field of foundational issues in gravity [19] [20] [21] [17] and quantum physics, [22] including quantum optics. [23] His expertise lies in experimental physics, and he has been instrumental in setting up the laser-cooling laboratory at TIFR, [24] [25] Mumbai. He is well-versed in the use of torsion balances, [26] interferometers, [27] [28] laser cooled atoms, [29] and Bose-Einstein Condensates [30] for his experiments. [31]

Unnikrishnan's major theoretical contributions include the Theory of Cosmic Relativity [32] [33] [7] [34] and Universal Action Mechanics. These theories have provided new insights into our understanding of the interplay between gravity and quantum mechanics, and have opened up new avenues for further research. Cosmic Relativity, [35] replaces current theories of dynamics and relativity and argues that all relativistic phenomena and laws of dynamics are controlled by the gravitational potentials of matter and energy in the universe. [6] It provides evidence and solutions to several major issues in fundamental physics. [36]

The discovery of the quantization of the Hall effect, where the movement of electrons is restricted to a 2-D plane, was characterized by quantized plateaus in the Hall resistance and has a simple theory for the integer quantum Hall effect, [37] but there is still no proper understanding of the more spectacular fractional quantum Hall effect. [37] The Cosmic Relativity theory offers a comprehensive understanding of both integer and fractional effects by modifying the quantum degeneracy due to cosmic gravitomagnetic interaction. [38]

Professional accomplishments

Awards

Unnikrishnan is a key member and proposer-scientist of the LIGO-India [39] project and has been a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC). [16] He has made a significant impact in the field of gravitational waves [40] [24] as he shared the Breakthrough Prize in Physics [41] and the Gruber Prize in Cosmology [42] with the LSC in 2016 for their groundbreaking discovery.

He has held academic positions at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) [1] Mumbai, India, School of Quantum Technology at the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) [2] Pune, India and Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore, India.

Unnikrishnan has published over 250 research papers and articles, and is also the author of two major works: [21] [20] his first monograph "Gravity's Time" [20] and a major treatise "New Relativity in the Gravitational Universe". [43] The treatise, which presents a new and innovative perspective on the foundational basis of relativity, [44] has had a major impact in the field. The latter book calls for a change in the foundational basis of relativity and provides a solution to outstanding questions and puzzles about dynamics and relativity.

Books authored

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Physical cosmology</span> Branch of cosmology which studies mathematical models of the universe

Physical cosmology is a branch of cosmology concerned with the study of cosmological models. A cosmological model, or simply cosmology, provides a description of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of the universe and allows study of fundamental questions about its origin, structure, evolution, and ultimate fate. Cosmology as a science originated with the Copernican principle, which implies that celestial bodies obey identical physical laws to those on Earth, and Newtonian mechanics, which first allowed those physical laws to be understood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General relativity</span> Theory of gravitation as curved spacetime

General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity, and as Einstein's theory of gravity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of gravitation in modern physics. General relativity generalizes special relativity and refines Newton's law of universal gravitation, providing a unified description of gravity as a geometric property of space and time, or four-dimensional spacetime. In particular, the curvature of spacetime is directly related to the energy and momentum of whatever present matter and radiation. The relation is specified by the Einstein field equations, a system of second-order partial differential equations.

In theories of quantum gravity, the graviton is the hypothetical quantum of gravity, an elementary particle that mediates the force of gravitational interaction. There is no complete quantum field theory of gravitons due to an outstanding mathematical problem with renormalization in general relativity. In string theory, believed by some to be a consistent theory of quantum gravity, the graviton is a massless state of a fundamental string.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quantum gravity</span> Description of gravity using discrete values

Quantum gravity (QG) is a field of theoretical physics that seeks to describe gravity according to the principles of quantum mechanics. It deals with environments in which neither gravitational nor quantum effects can be ignored, such as in the vicinity of black holes or similar compact astrophysical objects, as well as in the early stages of the universe moments after the Big Bang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theory of everything</span> Hypothetical physical concept

A theory of everything (TOE), final theory, ultimate theory, unified field theory, or master theory is a hypothetical, singular, all-encompassing, coherent theoretical framework of physics that fully explains and links together all aspects of the universe. Finding a theory of everything is one of the major unsolved problems in physics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gravity</span> Attraction of masses and energy

In physics, gravity (from Latin gravitas 'weight') is a fundamental interaction primarily observed as mutual attraction between all things that have mass. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the strong interaction, 1036 times weaker than the electromagnetic force and 1029 times weaker than the weak interaction. As a result, it has no significant influence at the level of subatomic particles. However, gravity is the most significant interaction between objects at the macroscopic scale, and it determines the motion of planets, stars, galaxies, and even light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gravitational singularity</span> Condition in which spacetime itself breaks down

A gravitational singularity, spacetime singularity or simply singularity is a condition in which gravity is predicted to be so intense that spacetime itself would break down catastrophically. As such, a singularity is by definition no longer part of the regular spacetime and cannot be determined by "where" or "when". Gravitational singularities exist at a junction between general relativity and quantum mechanics; therefore, the properties of the singularity cannot be described without an established theory of quantum gravity. Trying to find a complete and precise definition of singularities in the theory of general relativity, the current best theory of gravity, remains a difficult problem. A singularity in general relativity can be defined by the scalar invariant curvature becoming infinite or, better, by a geodesic being incomplete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of gravitational physics and relativity</span>

The following is a timeline of gravitational physics and general relativity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LIGO</span> Gravitational wave observatory site

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory designed to detect cosmic gravitational waves and to develop gravitational-wave observations as an astronomical tool. Two large observatories were built in the United States with the aim of detecting gravitational waves by laser interferometry. These observatories use mirrors spaced four kilometers apart to measure changes in length—over an effective span of 1120 km—of less than one ten-thousandth the charge diameter of a proton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kip Thorne</span> American physicist and writer (born 1940)

Kip Stephen Thorne is an American theoretical physicist and writer known for his contributions in gravitational physics and astrophysics. Along with Rainer Weiss and Barry C. Barish, he was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainer Weiss</span> Nobel Prize-winning American physicist

Rainer "Rai" Weiss is a German-born American physicist, known for his contributions in gravitational physics and astrophysics. He is a professor of physics emeritus at MIT and an adjunct professor at LSU. He is best known for inventing the laser interferometric technique which is the basic operation of LIGO. He was Chair of the COBE Science Working Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Introduction to general relativity</span> Theory of gravity by Albert Einstein

General relativity is a theory of gravitation developed by Albert Einstein between 1907 and 1915. The theory of general relativity says that the observed gravitational effect between masses results from their warping of spacetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics</span>

The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics is a Max Planck Institute whose research is aimed at investigating Einstein's theory of relativity and beyond: Mathematics, quantum gravity, astrophysical relativity, and gravitational-wave astronomy. The institute was founded in 1995 and is located in the Potsdam Science Park in Golm, Potsdam and in Hannover where it closely collaborates with the Leibniz University Hannover. Both the Potsdam and the Hannover parts of the institute are organized in three research departments and host a number of independent research groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thanu Padmanabhan</span> Indian physicist and cosmologist (1957–2021)

Thanu Padmanabhan was an Indian theoretical physicist and cosmologist whose research spanned a wide variety of topics in gravitation, structure formation in the universe and quantum gravity. He published nearly 300 papers and reviews in international journals and ten books in these areas. He made several contributions related to the analysis and modelling of dark energy in the universe and the interpretation of gravity as an emergent phenomenon. He was a Distinguished Professor at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) at Pune, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gravitational wave</span> Aspect of relativity in physics

Gravitational waves are transient displacements in a gravitational field – generated by the relative motion of gravitating masses – that radiate outward from their source at the speed of light. They were first proposed by Oliver Heaviside in 1893 and then later by Henri Poincaré in 1905 as the gravitational equivalent of electromagnetic waves. In 1916, Albert Einstein demonstrated that gravitational waves result from his general theory of relativity as ripples in spacetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gravitational-wave astronomy</span> Branch of astronomy using gravitational waves

Gravitational-wave astronomy is a subfield of astronomy concerned with the detection and study of gravitational waves emitted by astrophysical sources.

In particle physics and physical cosmology, Planck units are a system of units of measurement defined exclusively in terms of four universal physical constants: c, G, ħ, and kB. Expressing one of these physical constants in terms of Planck units yields a numerical value of 1. They are a system of natural units, defined using fundamental properties of nature rather than properties of a chosen prototype object. Originally proposed in 1899 by German physicist Max Planck, they are relevant in research on unified theories such as quantum gravity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pankaj Joshi (physicist)</span> Indian physicist and cosmologist

Pankaj S. Joshi is an Indian astrophysicist and cosmologist whose research is mainly focused on areas of gravitational collapse and spacetime singularity. He has published more than 225 research papers in national and international journals, and books and monographs on the subject. Currently, he is a Distinguished Professor of Physics, and founding director of the International Center for Space and Cosmology at Ahmedabad University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rana X. Adhikari</span> American experimental physicist (born 1974)

Rana X. Adhikari is an American experimental physicist. He is a professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and an associate faculty member of the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (ICTS-TIFR).

References

  1. 1 2 "CS Unnikrishnan | Tata Institute of Fundamental Research - Academia.edu". tifr.academia.edu. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Faculty". School of Quantum Technologies. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  3. ↑ Relativity@Helsinki , retrieved 4 March 2023
  4. ↑ Unnikrishnan, C.S. (2022). New Relativity in the Gravitational Universe. Fundamental Theories of Physics. Vol. 209. Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-08935-0. ISBN   978-3-031-08934-3. S2CID   253304794.
  5. ↑ Unnikrishnan, C.S. (2022). "Gravity's Time". Routledge & CRC Press. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  6. 1 2 Vijayan, Vipin (8 January 2023). "Asianet News Dialogues: 'Einstein's theory of relativity is incorrect, must be totally replaced'". Asianet. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  7. 1 2 T. P., Sooraj. "ഐന്‍സ്റ്റീന്‍ സിദ്ധാന്തങ്ങളെ അടിമുടി നിരാകരിക്കുന്ന കണ്ടെത്തലുകള്‍". Samakalika Malayalam (in Malayalam). Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  8. ↑ "CS Unnikrishnan". scholar.google.co.in. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  9. ↑ C.S, Unnikrishnan. "JSTOR: Search Results". www.jstor.org. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  10. ↑ rasaraja1979 (8 July 2017). "Prof. C. S. Unnikrishnan". Bhaktivedanta Institute. Retrieved 22 February 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ "TIFR played a crucial role in gravitational wave detection". The Times of India. 12 February 2016. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  12. ↑ "IndIGO-GWIC-11". studylib.net. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  13. ↑ R, Ramachandran (18 September 2010). "India set for building prototype gravitational wave detector". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  14. ↑ C.S., Unnikrishnan (2013). "IndIGO AND LIGO-INDIA: SCOPE AND PLANS FOR GRAVITATIONAL WAVE RESEARCH AND PRECISION METROLOGY IN INDIA". International Journal of Modern Physics D. 22 (1). arXiv: 1510.06059 . Bibcode:2013IJMPD..2241010U. doi:10.1142/S0218271813410101. S2CID   119297978.
  15. ↑ Talk 5 - Surfing in Physics with the Waves of Gravity and Electromagnetism - Prof. C S Unnikrishnan , retrieved 22 February 2023
  16. 1 2 "The LIGO Team Members | Gruber Foundation". gruber.yale.edu. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  17. 1 2 Galileo, Time and Space: Gravity affecting clocks , retrieved 21 February 2023
  18. ↑ R., Ramachandran (24 October 2018). "The Prize and many firsts". frontline.thehindu.com. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  19. ↑ LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration; Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abernathy, M. R.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Adams, T.; Addesso, P.; Adhikari, R. X.; Adya, V. B.; Affeldt, C.; Agathos, M.; Agatsuma, K. (11 February 2016). "Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger". Physical Review Letters. 116 (6): 061102. arXiv: 1602.03837 . Bibcode:2016PhRvL.116f1102A. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102. PMID   26918975. S2CID   119286014.
  20. 1 2 3 C.S., Unnikrishnan. "Gravity's Time". Jenny Stanford Publishing. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  21. 1 2 C.S, Unnikrishnan (2022). New Relativity in the Gravitational Universe. Fundamental Theories of Physics. Vol. 209. Switzerland: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-08935-0. ISBN   978-3-031-08934-3. S2CID   253304794.
  22. ↑ d'Espagnat, Bernard (21 February 2003). "On the Unnikrishnan approach to the notion of locality". arXiv: quant-ph/0302167 .
  23. ↑ Unnikrishnan, C. S. (23 December 2019). "Quantum Noise in Balanced Differential Measurements in Optics: Implication to the Wave Modes of Quantum Vacuum". arXiv: 1912.11362 [quant-ph].
  24. 1 2 G. S., Mudur. "Bose-Einstein feat in India". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  25. ↑ "- a-n The Artists Information Company" . Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  26. ↑ Unnikrishnan, C S (1 June 1994). "Experimental gravitation in India: progress and challenges". Classical and Quantum Gravity. 11 (6A): A195–A206. doi:10.1088/0264-9381/11/6A/015. ISSN   0264-9381. S2CID   250885722.
  27. ↑ C. S., Unnikrishnan (July 2000). "Origin of quantum-mechanical complementarity without momentum back action in atom-interferometry experiments". Physical Review A. 62 (1): 015601. Bibcode:2000PhRvA..62a5601U. doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.62.015601.
  28. ↑ C. S., Unnikrishnan (3 December 2012). "Reexamining the roles of gravitational and inertial masses in gravimetry with atom interferometers". Physics Letters A. 377 (1–2): 60–63. Bibcode:2012PhLA..377...60U. doi:10.1016/j.physleta.2012.11.012.
  29. ↑ ayecapitalist (18 December 2011). "Capitalist Muse".
  30. ↑ Pereira Dos Santos, F.; Léonard, J.; Wang, Junmin; Barrelet, C. J.; Perales, F.; Rasel, E.; Unnikrishnan, C. S.; Leduc, M.; Cohen-Tannoudji, C. (16 April 2001). "Bose-Einstein Condensation of Metastable Helium". Physical Review Letters. 86 (16): 3459–3462. arXiv: cond-mat/0103387 . Bibcode:2001PhRvL..86.3459D. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.3459. PMID   11327998.
  31. ↑ The Unknown Real Nature of Light: ROWS 2020 Prof C S UNNIKRISHNAN , retrieved 22 February 2023
  32. ↑ Unnikrishnan, C. S. (2022), "Cosmic Gravity and the Quantum Spin", New Relativity in the Gravitational Universe: The Theory of Cosmic Relativity and Its Experimental Evidence, Fundamental Theories of Physics, vol. 209, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 373–405, doi:10.1007/978-3-031-08935-0_13, ISBN   978-3-031-08935-0 , retrieved 23 February 2023
  33. ↑ Unnikrishnan, C. S. (2022), "Cosmic Relativity—The Theory and itItsrimary Fundamental Results", New Relativity in the Gravitational Universe: The Theory of Cosmic Relativity and Its Experimental Evidence, Fundamental Theories of Physics, vol. 209, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 255–306, doi:10.1007/978-3-031-08935-0_10, ISBN   978-3-031-08935-0 , retrieved 5 February 2023
  34. ↑ Namboothiri, VPN. "India's Physics community must lend its ears to Cosmic Relativity that challenges Einstein's theory". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  35. ↑ Talk 6 - Gravity's Time in Physics, Life, and GPS - Prof. C. S. Unnikrishnan , retrieved 22 February 2023
  36. ↑ Unnikrishnan, C. S. (2022), "The Paradigm of Cosmic Relativity and Its Evidence", New Relativity in the Gravitational Universe: The Theory of Cosmic Relativity and Its Experimental Evidence, Fundamental Theories of Physics, vol. 209, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 3–29, doi:10.1007/978-3-031-08935-0_1, ISBN   978-3-031-08935-0 , retrieved 5 February 2023
  37. 1 2 Unnikrishnan, C. S. (2022), "The Quantum Hall Effects: Gravity in Condensed Matter", New Relativity in the Gravitational Universe: The Theory of Cosmic Relativity and Its Experimental Evidence, Fundamental Theories of Physics, vol. 209, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 407–444, doi:10.1007/978-3-031-08935-0_14, ISBN   978-3-031-08935-0 , retrieved 5 February 2023
  38. ↑ Unnikrishnan, C. S. (30 September 2021). "A Coherent and Unified Single Particle Description of the Integer and Fractional Quantum Hall Effects". arXiv: 2110.00343 [physics.gen-ph].
  39. ↑ "TIFR played a crucial role in gravitational wave detection". The Times of India. 12 February 2016. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  40. ↑ "INSPIRE".
  41. ↑ "Breakthrough Prize – Special Breakthrough Prize In Fundamental Physics Awarded For Detection Of Gravitational Waves 100 Years After Albert Einstein Predicted Their Existence". breakthroughprize.org. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  42. ↑ "2016 Gruber Cosmology Prize Press Release | Gruber Foundation". gruber.yale.edu. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  43. ↑ Unnikrishnan, C.S. (2022). New Relativity in the Gravitational Universe. Fundamental Theories of Physics. Vol. 209. Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-08935-0. ISBN   978-3-031-08934-3. S2CID   253304794.
  44. ↑ "Newer theories to the fore at Physical Universe meet". The Times of India. 28 February 2018. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  45. ↑ C.S., Unnikrishnan. "Gravity's tTme". Jenny Stanford Publishing. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  46. ↑ C.S., Unnikrishnan (2022). New Relativity in the Gravitational Universe. Fundamental Theories of Physics. Vol. 209. Switzerland: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-08935-0. ISBN   978-3-031-08934-3. S2CID   253304794.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.