C. V. Vishveshwara
Encyclopedia
C. V. Vishveshwara is an Indian scientist, one of the pioneers in black hole
physics. Specializing in Einstein's General Relativity
, he has worked extensively on the theory of black holes and made major contributions to this field of research since its very beginning.
,where Robert W. Fuller
was his mentor. Later he developed interest in General Relativity and encouraged by Fuller, transferred to University of Maryland
to work with Charles W. Misner
. He received his AM degree from Columbia University. Working on the Stability of the Schwarzschild Black Hole under Misner, he obtained his PhD from the University of Maryland. He subsequently served on the faculties of New York University
, Boston University
, and University of Pittsburgh
. After his return to his hometown of Bangalore, India, he was a senior professor at the Raman Research Institute
and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics
. Vishveshwara has also held the position of Visiting Professor at several universities including University of Pennsylvania
, University of Maryland
, Boston University
, University of London
, and Universidad del Pais Vasco.
His book "Einstein's Enigma or Black Holes in My Bubble Bath" is widely acclaimed with highly complimentary comments from Roger Penrose
, Nobel laureate Anthony James Leggett
, Charles Misner and other readers worldwide. It has also been translated to Italian.
"Black Holes, Gravitational Radiation and the Universe: Essays in Honour of C.V.Vishveshwara,- Bala R. Iyer and Biplab Bhawal(eds)", (Kluwer Academic Publishers (1999)) was published in his honor for one of his birthdays to which leading personalities in the field like Roger Penrose
, Jacob Bekenstein
, Abhay Ashtekar
, Ashoke Sen
etc., have contributed essays.
To promote research as a part of education he started "Research Education Advancement Program".As a part of it, undergraduate students are taught in fundamentals of Physics or Biology by practicing scientists in the field and selected students are involved in research projects at institutes like Indian Institute of Science
, Raman Research Institute
, Indian Institute of Astrophysics
, The National Centre for Biological Sciences
. The students of the program are extremely benefited from it and has helped them in pursuing careers in science in various universities of the world.
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
physics. Specializing in Einstein's General Relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
, he has worked extensively on the theory of black holes and made major contributions to this field of research since its very beginning.
Academic Training and University Positions
With initial interest in particle physics Vishveshwara joined Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
,where Robert W. Fuller
Robert W. Fuller
Robert W. Fuller earned his Ph.D. in physics at Princeton University in 1961, and taught at Columbia University where he co-authored the book Mathematics of Classical and Quantum Physics...
was his mentor. Later he developed interest in General Relativity and encouraged by Fuller, transferred to University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
to work with Charles W. Misner
Charles W. Misner
Charles W. Misner is an American physicist and one of the authors of Gravitation. His specialties include general relativity and cosmology. His work has also provided early foundations for studies of quantum gravity and numerical relativity....
. He received his AM degree from Columbia University. Working on the Stability of the Schwarzschild Black Hole under Misner, he obtained his PhD from the University of Maryland. He subsequently served on the faculties of New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, and University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. After his return to his hometown of Bangalore, India, he was a senior professor at the Raman Research Institute
Raman Research Institute
Raman Research Institute is a research institute in Bangalore, India. It was started by Nobel laureate Sir C. V. Raman.The main areas of research are:*Astronomy and Astrophysics*Liquid Crystals*Theoretical Physics*Optics...
and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics
Indian Institute of Astrophysics
The Indian Institute of Astrophysics , with its headquarters in Bangalore , India, is a premier national institute of India for the study of and research into topics pertaining to astronomy, astrophysics and related subjects....
. Vishveshwara has also held the position of Visiting Professor at several universities including University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
, Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, and Universidad del Pais Vasco.
Research
Vishveshwara was one of the first to analyze the structure of black holes employing spacetime symmetries thereby demonstrating the existence of the ergosphere. He proved the stability of the non-rotating Schwarzschild black hole, a crucial factor that ensures its continued existence after formation. Further, he discovered the quasinormal modes of black holes. These modes of black hole vibrations are one of the main targets of observation using the gravitational wave detectors. In later years, he investigated black holes in cosmological backgrounds, an important aspect of black hole physics that had hardly been explored. Vishveshwara has also made significant contributions to other areas of general relativity such as the exact solutions of Einstein's field equations, gravitational collapse, compact stellar objects, inertial forces, and spacetime perturbations.Books and other publications
In addition to authoring a number of technical papers, Vishveshwara has co-edited ten volumes on relativity, astrophysics and cosmology that have been brought out by leading publishers such as Cambridge University Press and Kluwer Academic Publishers. He has contributed articles to these volumes and illustrated two of the volumes with his cartoons, which have been highly appreciated. Further, he has written a number of popular articles on various topics in science.His book "Einstein's Enigma or Black Holes in My Bubble Bath" is widely acclaimed with highly complimentary comments from Roger Penrose
Roger Penrose
Sir Roger Penrose OM FRS is an English mathematical physicist and Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford and Emeritus Fellow of Wadham College...
, Nobel laureate Anthony James Leggett
Anthony James Leggett
Sir Anthony James Leggett, KBE, FRS , aka Tony Leggett, has been a Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 1983....
, Charles Misner and other readers worldwide. It has also been translated to Italian.
"Black Holes, Gravitational Radiation and the Universe: Essays in Honour of C.V.Vishveshwara,- Bala R. Iyer and Biplab Bhawal(eds)", (Kluwer Academic Publishers (1999)) was published in his honor for one of his birthdays to which leading personalities in the field like Roger Penrose
Roger Penrose
Sir Roger Penrose OM FRS is an English mathematical physicist and Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford and Emeritus Fellow of Wadham College...
, Jacob Bekenstein
Jacob Bekenstein
Jacob David Bekenstein is an Israeli theoretical physicist who has contributed to the foundation of black hole thermodynamics and to other aspects of the connections between information and gravitation.-Biography:...
, Abhay Ashtekar
Abhay Ashtekar
Abhay Vasant Ashtekar is an Indian theoretical physicist. He is the Eberly Professor of Physics and the Director of the Institute for Gravitational Physics and Geometry at Pennsylvania State University. As the creator of Ashtekar variables, he is one of the founders of loop quantum gravity and its...
, Ashoke Sen
Ashoke Sen
Ashoke Sen , FRS, is an Indian theoretical physicist. He has made a number of major original contributions to the subject of string theory, including his landmark paper on strong-weak coupling duality or S-duality, which was influential in changing the course of research in the field...
etc., have contributed essays.
Planetarium and Promotion of Science
As founder-director of the Planetarium in Bangalore, he has written the scripts of several planetarium programmes and directed them. These have proved to be exceedingly popular because of the simple and attractive manner in which difficult concepts have been presented. Vishveshwara has also produced two short science films.To promote research as a part of education he started "Research Education Advancement Program".As a part of it, undergraduate students are taught in fundamentals of Physics or Biology by practicing scientists in the field and selected students are involved in research projects at institutes like Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...
, Raman Research Institute
Raman Research Institute
Raman Research Institute is a research institute in Bangalore, India. It was started by Nobel laureate Sir C. V. Raman.The main areas of research are:*Astronomy and Astrophysics*Liquid Crystals*Theoretical Physics*Optics...
, Indian Institute of Astrophysics
Indian Institute of Astrophysics
The Indian Institute of Astrophysics , with its headquarters in Bangalore , India, is a premier national institute of India for the study of and research into topics pertaining to astronomy, astrophysics and related subjects....
, The National Centre for Biological Sciences
The National Centre for Biological Sciences
National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore, Karnataka, is a research centre specialising in biological research. It is a part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research under the Department of Atomic Energy of the Government of India. The mandate of NCBS is basic research in the...
. The students of the program are extremely benefited from it and has helped them in pursuing careers in science in various universities of the world.
See also
- Charles W. MisnerCharles W. MisnerCharles W. Misner is an American physicist and one of the authors of Gravitation. His specialties include general relativity and cosmology. His work has also provided early foundations for studies of quantum gravity and numerical relativity....
- Quasinormal Modes
- Subrahmanyan ChandrasekharSubrahmanyan ChandrasekharSubrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, FRS ) was an Indian origin American astrophysicist who, with William A. Fowler, won the 1983 Nobel Prize for Physics for key discoveries that led to the currently accepted theory on the later evolutionary stages of massive stars...
- Engelbert SchückingEngelbert SchückingEngelbert Schücking is a physics professor at New York University in New York City. His research interests are theoretical astrophysics, general relativity and cosmology...
- Golden age of general relativityGolden age of general relativityThe golden age of general relativity is the period roughly from 1960 to 1975 during which the study of general relativity, which had previously been regarded as something of a curiosity, entered the mainstream of theoretical physics...
External links
- Leaves from an unwritten diary: http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/apr252000/generalia.pdf
- The Engelbert Experience-Pathways from the Past: http://prints.iiap.res.in/bitstream/2248/4915/3/The%20Engelbert%20experience%20pathways%20from%20the%20past