C. V. Raman
Indian physicist who discovered the Raman effect.
Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was born on 7 November 1888 in Tiruchirappalli, India, the second of eight children. His father, a teacher earning a modest salary, moved the family to Visakhapatnam in 1892 to join the faculty of physics at a local college. Raman proved exceptionally precocious, passing his matriculation at age 11 and his intermediate examination with a scholarship at 13, securing first place in both. He joined Presidency College in Madras in 1902, where his father had been transferred, and earned a bachelor’s degree with gold medals in physics and English in 1904. While still a graduate student, he published his first scientific paper on diffraction of light in the *Philosophical Magazine* in 1906. He obtained a master’s degree with highest distinction in 1907. Although his physics teacher urged him to pursue research in England, a medical examination deemed him too frail to withstand the climate.
Unable to go abroad, Raman qualified for the Indian Finance Service, placing first in the entrance exam, and was posted to Calcutta as Assistant Accountant General in 1907. There he connected with the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, the country’s first research institute, and gained permission to conduct independent research in his spare time. His first paper from the institute, on Newton’s rings in polarised light, appeared in *Nature* in 1907. In 1917, he became the first Palit Professor of Physics at the University of Calcutta. On his first trip to Europe, observing the Mediterranean Sea led him to reject the prevailing theory that its blue colour came from reflected sky light. He founded the *Indian Journal of Physics* in 1926. On 28 February 1928, using a spectrograph he developed, Raman and his student K. S. Krishnan discovered that light passing through a transparent material changes wavelength upon scattering—a phenomenon they called modified scattering, later known as the Raman effect. This discovery earned him the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics, making him the first Asian and non-White recipient in that field. He moved to Bengaluru in 1933 to become the first Indian director of the Indian Institute of Science, founded the Indian Academy of Sciences that year, and established the Raman Research Institute in 1948, where he worked until his death on 21 November 1970.
- born
- 1888
- died
- 1970
- field
- Physics
- nationality
- Indian
- known_for
- Discovery of the Raman effect (Raman scattering)
Verified Timeline
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman
- Birth Date
- 1888-11-07
- Birth Place
- Tiruchirapalli, Madras Presidency, British Raj
- Death Date
- 1970-11-21
- Death Place
- Bangalore, Mysore State, India
- Education
- Presidency College / (grad. · graduated 1904, 1907)
- Known For
- Raman scattering
- Spouse
- Lokasundari Ammal · 1907
- Children
- 2, including Radhakrishnan
- Family
- Chandrasekhar
- Awards
- Matteucci Medal (1928) / Nobel Prize in Physics (1930) / Hughes Medal (1930) / Bharat Ratna (1954) / Lenin Peace Prize (1958)
- Fields
- Physics
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was an Indian physicist whose defining characteristic was his discovery of a novel type of light scattering, now known as the Raman effect. Using a spectrograph he developed, Raman and his student K. S. Krishnan observed that when light passes through a transparent material, some of the deflected light changes its wavelength, a phenomenon they initially called modified scattering. This work earned him the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics, making him the first Asian and first non-White recipient of that prize. Born in Tamil Nadu, Raman was a precocious student, completing secondary education by age 11 and higher secondary by 13. He earned a bachelor’s degree with honours in physics from Presidency College, Madras, at 16, and published his first research paper on light diffraction while still a graduate student. After joining the Indian Finance Service in Calcutta, he conducted independent research at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, where he made major contributions in acoustics and optics. He later became the first Palit Professor of Physics at the University of Calcutta and, in 1933, the first Indian director of the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. He founded the Indian Journal of Physics and the Indian Academy of Sciences, and in 1948 established the Raman Research Institute, where he worked until his death. The Raman effect was discovered on 28 February 1928, a date now celebrated annually in India as National Science Day.
Reader's Guide
Raman’s discovery of modified scattering, later called the Raman effect, emerged from experiments using a spectrograph he had built. Working with his student K. S. Krishnan, he found that when light passes through a transparent material, some of the deflected light changes its wavelength, a phenomenon distinct from ordinary scattering. This work, for which he received the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics, made him the first Asian and non-White Nobel laureate in physics. The effect underpins Raman spectroscopy, a technique for identifying molecular structures, and Raman amplification, which is used in optical fibre communications. His research on light scattering also led him to challenge the then-prevailing explanation for the blue colour of the sea, which he attributed to reflected Rayleigh-scattered light from the sky; his observations during a voyage across the Mediterranean Sea motivated him to correct this view. Beyond this central discovery, Raman made early contributions to acoustics and optics while working at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in Calcutta, where he conducted independent research after hours despite his civil service job. He later founded the *Indian Journal of Physics* and established the Indian Academy of Sciences, and in 1948 he set up the Raman Research Institute, where he continued his work until his death. His career thus shaped the study of light-matter interactions in India and globally.
Did You Know?
- C. V. Raman won the 1930 Nobel Prize for Physics for discovering Raman scattering.
- Raman scattering is also known as the Raman effect.
- Raman spectroscopy is a technique that relies on Raman scattering.
- Raman amplification is used in optical fibres.
- The source lists C. V. Raman's full name as Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is C. V. Raman?
Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was an Indian physicist born on 7 November 1888 who made groundbreaking contributions to the study of light scattering. He is best remembered for identifying a phenomenon that bears his name and for becoming a landmark figure in twentieth-century science.
What is the Raman effect?
The Raman effect describes how light changes its wavelength when it passes through and scatters off a transparent substance. Raman identified this deflection behavior, and it later became a foundational tool in spectroscopy and materials analysis.
What Nobel Prize did C. V. Raman receive?
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for his discovery of the Raman effect. This made him the first person from Asia and the first non-White scientist to claim a Nobel in the physical sciences.
Why is C. V. Raman considered so important in the history of science?
Beyond the Raman effect itself, his achievement broke a major barrier by being the first Asian recipient of a Nobel Prize in Physics. His work also opened up an entire field of spectroscopic research that scientists still rely on today.
When did C. V. Raman live?
Raman was born on 7 November 1888 in India and passed away on 21 November 1970. His life spanned over eight decades of significant scientific and cultural development in the Indian subcontinent.
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