Deepak Kumar (physicist)

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Deepak Kumar
Deepak Kumar 2007.jpg
Deepak Kumar at J.N.U in 2007
Born(1946-04-01)1 April 1946
New Delhi, India
Died26 January 2016(2016-01-26) (aged 69)
New Delhi, India
Nationality Indian
Alma mater
Known forStudies on theory of disordered magnetic systems
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
Doctoral advisor
  • A. B. Harris

Deepak Kumar (1 April 1946–26 January 2016) was an Indian condensed matter physicist and a professor at the School of Physical Sciences of Jawaharlal Nehru University. Known for his research on quantum mechanics and other areas of condensed matter physics, Kumar was an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to physical sciences in 1988. [1] [note 1]

Contents

Biography

IIT Roorkee Main(Administrative)Building IIT-Roorkee.JPG
IIT Roorkee

Born to Punjabi Hindu parents on 1 April 1946 in New Delhi, Kumar completed his early schooling at local schools in 1962 before joining St. Stephen's College, Delhi from where he graduated in science with honors in 1965. [2] He continued his studies at the University of Delhi and after earning a master's degree in physics in 1967, he moved to the US to pursue his doctoral studies under the supervision of A. B. Harris at University of Pennsylvania to secure a PhD in 1972. [3] Subsequently, Kumar returned to India to start his career as a member of faculty of the physics department at University of Roorkee (present-day Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee). He served the institution for 16 years and when Jawaharlal Nehru University established a School of Physical Sciences, Kumar returned to his native place to take up the position of a professor at the school in 1988. [4] In between, he had a short spell in Germany as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow during 1978–79. [2]

Kumar maintained his association with JNU for the rest of his life and it was during his return from the university on 25 January 2016, he fell ill. He died the next day at a local hospital, at the age of 69, survived by son, Sharad, and daughter Jyoti. [2]

Legacy

The main focus of Kumar's research in condensed matter physics was the theory related to disordered magnetic systems. [5] At IIT Roorkee, he collaborated with a number of scientists such as Mustansir Barma and S. Shenoy and studied superparamagnetic particles, magnetic anisotropy and disordered ultrametric models. [2] Kumar's work on the percolation threshold of anisotropic magnets widened the understanding of the fractal nature of spin clusters and was one of the first Indian scientists to estimate the consequences of the clusters near the percolation threshold. [6] Binary liquids, statistical mechanics, phase separation, Stern–Gerlach measurement and Bell’s inequality were some of the other areas of his study for which he collaborated with many physicists including Subir Kumar Sarkar, Sanjay Puri, Rupamanjari Ghosh, Ramamurti Rajaraman and A. K. Rastogi. Kumar's studies have been documented by way of a number of articles [7] [note 2] and the online article repository of Indian Academy of Sciences has listed 98 of them. [8] Besides, he co-edited two books viz. Proceedings Of The Discussion Meeting On Physics Of Defects with C. N. R. Rao, [9] and Proceedings of the Conference on Quantum Many-Body Physics: From cosmology to superconductivity with S. Puri. [10] Kumar also wrote about the sociological aspects of education and research, [11] contributed chapters to books published by others [12] [13] [14] [15] and his work has drawn citations from others. [16] [17] [18] [19]

Awards and honors

Kumar, an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, was selected as a senior associate of Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in 1986 and the Indian Academy of Sciences elected him as a fellow in 1987. [20] The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards in 1988. [21] Kumar was also associated with Indian Physics Association and Material Research Society of India as a member. [2]

Selected bibliography

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Long link – please select award year to see details
  2. ↑ Please see Selected bibliography section

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tata Institute of Fundamental Research</span> Public research institute in Mumbai, India

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is a leading research Institute under the Department of Atomic Energy of the Government of India. It is a public deemed university located at Navy Nagar, Colaba in Mumbai. It also has a centres in Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad. TIFR conducts research primarily in the natural sciences, the biological sciences and theoretical computer science.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) is a multidisciplinary research institute located at Jakkur, Bangalore, India. JNCASR was established by the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India as a centre for advanced scientific research in India, to mark the birth centenary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India. In 2019, JNCASR was ranked #7 among the world's top ten research institutes and universities by Nature journal in a normalised ranking of research institutes and universities with high quality output.

Dipankar Das Sarma, popularly known as D.D. Sarma, is an Indian scientist and structural chemist, known for his researches in the fields of Solid State Chemistry, Spectroscopy, Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Science, and Nanoscience. He is a former MLS Chair Professor of Physics and Chairman of the Centre for Advanced Materials and the GAST Professor of Uppsala University, Sweden, A recipient of TWAS Physics Prize and the UNESCO Biennial Javed Husain Prize, Sarma was honored by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India, in 1994, with the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology.

Swapan Kumar Pati is an Indian quantum chemist, a professor of the department of chemistry at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and the head of the Quantum Theory Molecules to Materials Group at the institute. He is known for his studies on electronic optical and magnetic phenomena in molecular systems and is an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, India and The World Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 2010, for his contributions to chemical sciences.

Rajinder Kumar is an Indian chemical engineer and a former professor at the Indian Institute of Science. He is known for his studies on multiphase phenomena and is an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, Indian Academy of Sciences, and the Indian National Academy of Engineering. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Engineering Sciences in 1976. He received the third highest Indian civilian award of the Padma Bhushan in 2003. He is also a recipient of Om Prakash Bhasin Award and the VASVIK Industrial Research Award.

Biswa Ranjan Nag was an Indian physicist and the Sisir Kumar Mitra chair professor at Rajabazar Science College, University of Calcutta. Known for his research in semiconductor physics, Nag was an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy and Indian Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Physical Sciences in 1974.

Sudhanshu Shekhar Jha is an Indian condensed matter physicist and a former director of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Known for his research in optoelectronics, Jha is an elected fellow of all the three major Indian science academies – Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences, India and Indian Academy of Sciences – as well as of The World Academy of Sciences and American Physical Society. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded Jha the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to Physical Sciences in 1979.

Narendra Kumar was an Indian theoretical physicist and a Homi Bhaba Distinguished Professor of the Department of Atomic Energy at Raman Research Institute. He was also an honorary professor at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N. V. Madhusudana</span> Indian physicist (born 1944)

Nelamangala Vedavyasachar Madhusudana is an Indian physicist and an emeritus scientist at Raman Research Institute. Known for his research on liquid crystals, Madhusudhana is an elected fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences and Indian National Science Academy. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to physical sciences in 1989.

Subodh Raghunath Shenoy is an Indian condensed matter physicist and a former professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. He has also been associated with the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram. Known for his studies on Condensed matter physics and Statistical physics, his research covered topological defect-mediated phase transitions, vortex dynamics and decay kinetics of metastability.

Arup Kumar Raychaudhuri is an Indian condensed matter physicist, materials scientist and a Distinguished Emeritus Professor at the S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences. Known for his pioneering work on the interplay of disorder and interaction, Raychaudhuri is an elected fellow of all the three major Indian science academies viz. Indian Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, India and Indian National Science Academy as well as the Asia-Pacific Academy of Materials. He is a recipient of a number of awards such as Millennium Medal of the Indian Science Congress, ICS Gold Medal of the Materials Research Society of India and FICCI Award. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to physical sciences in 1994.

Arun Mallojirao Jayannavar was an Indian condensed matter physicist and a senior professor at the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar. Known for his research on many interdisciplinary areas of condensed matter physics, Jayannavar was an elected fellow of all the three major Indian science academies viz. Indian Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, India and Indian National Science Academy. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the government of India for scientific research, awarded Jayannavar the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to physical sciences in 1998.

Echur Varadadesikan Sampathkumaran is an Indian condensed matter physicist and a Distinguished Professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Known for his research on the thermal and transport behaviour of magnetic systems, Sampathkumaran is an elected fellow of all the three major Indian science academies viz. Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy and National Academy of Sciences, India as well as The World Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to physical sciences in 1999.

Rahul Pandit is an Indian condensed matter physicist, a professor of physics and a divisional chair at the Indian Institute of Science. Known for his research on phase transitions and spatiotemporal chaos and turbulence, Pandit is an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy and The World Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to physical sciences in 2001.

Madan Rao is an Indian condensed matter and biological physicist and a senior professor at National Centre for Biological Sciences. Known for his research on molecular dynamics on cell surface, Rao is an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and the Indian National Science Academy. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to physical sciences in 2004.

Sanjay Puri is an Indian statistical physicist and a senior professor at the School of Physical Sciences of Jawaharlal Nehru University. Known for his research on non-linear dynamics, Puri is an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and the Indian National Science Academy. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to physical sciences in 2006.

Deepak Gaur (1972–2021) was an Indian molecular biologist and professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is best known for his work on Plasmodium falciparum, the malaria-causing parasite, and for receiving the N-Bios Prize.

Rajesh Ganapathy is a physicist at the International Centre for Materials Science in Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru. He specialises in experimental soft condensed matter physics. He was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology for his contributions to physical sciences in 2020.

Kanishka Biswas is an Associate Professor in the New Chemistry Unit at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore with research interests focused on renewable energy and clean environment. The areas in which he has worked include solid state inorganic chemistry of metal chalcogenides, thermoelectric materials, 2D layered materials, topological insulators.

Tapas Kumar Maji is a professor in the Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru with research interests in topics related to porous materials, nanoscale metal-organic frameworks and composites and functional gel materials. Maji obtained his MSc degree in inorganic chemistry from Burdwan University in 1997 and PhD degree from Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in 2002. He did a post-doctoral fellowship at Kyoto University, Japan (2003–05).

References

  1. ↑ "View Bhatnagar Awardees". Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize. 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Deepak Kumar (1946–2016)" (PDF). Current Science Volume 110 Issue 6. March 2016.
  3. ↑ "Faculty Profile". Jawaharlal Nehru University. 2017.
  4. ↑ "A Physicist and a Gentleman". Ramaswamy.com. 2017.
  5. ↑ "Brief Profile of the Awardee". Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize. 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Handbook of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Winners" (PDF). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  7. ↑ "On ResearchGate". 2017.
  8. ↑ "Browse by Fellow". Indian Academy of Sciences. 2017.
  9. ↑ C. N. R. Rao, Deepak Kumar (1988). Proceedings Of The Discussion Meeting On Physics Of Defects. Indian Academy of Sciences.
  10. ↑ Deepak Kumar, S. Puri (2000). Proceedings of the Conference on Quantum Many-Body Physics: From cosmology to superconductivity. International Journal of Modern Physics B.
  11. ↑ Deepak Kumar (July 2011). "University science set to decline: a new caste system" (PDF). Current Science. 101 (2): 149.
  12. ↑ Sumathi Rao (30 May 2002). Field Theories in Condensed Matter Physics. CRC Press. pp. 119–. ISBN   978-0-7503-0876-2.
  13. ↑ Prabodh Shukla (1982). Physics of Disordered Solids. Mittal Publications. pp. 57–. GGKEY:55XP02JETHQ.
  14. ↑ Proceedings of the Nuclear Physics and Solid State Physics Symposium. Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. 1982.
  15. ↑ S. Prakash; K. N. Pathak (1990). Advances in statistical physics of solids and liquids. Wiley. ISBN   978-0-470-21710-8.
  16. ↑ Institute of Pure and Applied Physics (2004). Japanese Journal of Applied Physics. The Institute of Pure and Applied Physics.
  17. ↑ Japanese Journal of Applied Physics: Regular papers & short notes. Publication Board, Japanese Journal of Applied Physics. 2004.
  18. ↑ Silver Jubilee Physics Symposium: 25th Year of the Nuclear Physics and Solid State Physics Symposium, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay, December 28, 1981 – January 1, 1982. publisher not identified. 1981.
  19. ↑ R. Ramachandran (October 1985). Recent advances in theoretical physics: proceedings of the Silver Jubilee Workshop held at IIT, Kanpur, December 1984. World Scientific. ISBN   978-9971-5-0014-6.
  20. ↑ "Fellow profile". Indian Academy of Sciences. 2017.
  21. ↑ "CSIR list of Awardees". Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. 2017.

Further reading

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.