Satyendra Nath Bose Image

Satyendra Nath Bose was born on January 1, 1894, in Calcutta. A brilliant student from a young age, he attended the Hindu School before joining Presidency College in Calcutta. At Presidency, he studied alongside Meghnad Saha and was taught by eminent scholars like Prafulla Chandra Ray and Jagadish Chandra Bose. He earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in mixed mathematics from Presidency College, both with top honors.

In 1916, Bose began his career as a lecturer at the University College of Science. In 1919, he and Saha published English translations of Albert Einstein’s papers on special and general relativity. In 1921, he moved to the newly established Dacca University as a Reader in Physics. Dedicated to his postgraduate students, he prepared his lectures meticulously.

Bose was dissatisfied with the existing statistics in Max Planck’s quantum theory. He developed his own equations, but no science journal would publish them. In 1924, at the age of 30, Bose sent his paper to Albert Einstein for feedback. Recognizing its value, Einstein translated Bose’s work into German and got it published in Zeitschrift für Physik. Bose’s paper is now regarded as a foundational work in quantum theory. Einstein extended Bose’s ideas, leading to the concept of the Bose-Einstein Condensate. Subatomic particles obeying these principles are called bosons, named after Bose.

After the publication, Bose spent two years in Europe, collaborating with top scientists in France and Germany. Upon returning to India, he became the Head of the Physics Department at Dacca University. In 1945, he returned to Calcutta, continuing his teaching and research.

Bose was passionate about popularizing science and was a strong supporter of the Indian independence movement, believing that education and enlightenment were crucial for India’s future. In 1954, the Indian government honored him with the Padma Vibhushan, and he was later appointed as National Professor. In 1958, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Trivia : While several scientists have received the Nobel Prize for research related to bosons and the Bose-Einstein Condensate, S. N. Bose himself never received it.

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