Thanu Padmanabhan
Thanu Padmanabhan (born March 10, 1957 in Trivandrum , Kerala , † September 17, 2021 in Pune ) was an Indian physicist who dealt with astrophysics and gravitational physics.
Life
Padmanabhan studied from 1974 at the University of Kerala , where he obtained his diploma (master's degree) in 1979, where he won the gold medal of the university. In 1983 he received his PhD from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Bombay . He stayed at the Tata Institute from 1980 to 1992. In 1986/7 he was a postdoc at the Institute for Astronomy (IOA) at Cambridge University . He was Professor and Dean at the Inter University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune . Among other things, he was a visiting scientist at the IOA (several times, including Sackler Distinguished Astronomer 2002, 2003, 2009), at Caltech (1996 to 1998), at thePennsylvania State University (1995) and Princeton University (1994).
Padmanabhan dealt with cosmology (for example structure formation in the early universe) and quantum gravity , in which he recently (2000s) represented a view of gravity as an emergent theory, as a limit value in the sense of the statistical mechanics of space-time atoms (based on Ideas from Ted Jacobson 1995). He also wrote popular science books and magazine articles, including the 1985-1992 entertainment math column Playthemes in Science Today magazine.
In 1991 he received the Birla Science Prize, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in 1996 and the Padma Shri in 2007 . In 2008 he received first prize in the essay competition of the Gravity Research Foundation. From 2009 to 2011 he was President of the Cosmology Section in the International Astronomical Union . He was a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences (1992), the National Academy of Sciences (1993) and the Indian National Science Academy .
On September 17, 2021, he suffered a heart attack at his home in Pune . Although he was immediately taken to the hospital, he could not be saved. He leaves behind his wife, Vasanthi Padmanabhan, and his daughter.
Fonts
- with Narlikar : Gravity, Gauge theories and quantum cosmology , Reidel, 1986
- Structure formation in the Universe , Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1993
- After the first three minutes - the story of our universe , CUP 1998
- Cosmology and Astrophysics through Problems , CUP 1996
- Theoretical Astrophysics , Vol. 1 to 3, CUP 1998, 2000, 2001 (Volume 1: Physical Processes, Vol. 2 Stars and Stellar Systems, Vol. 3 Galaxies and Cosmology)
- An invitation to Astrophysics , World Scientific 2006
- Quantum Themes: The charms of the Microworld , World Scientific 2009
- Gravitation: Foundations and Frontiers , CUP 2010
- Sleeping Beauties in Theoretical Physics , Springer, 2015
- Statistical Mechanics of Gravitating Systems , Physics Reports, Volume 188, 1990, pp. 285-362
- Cosmological Constant - the Weight of the Vacuum , Physics Reports, Volume 380, 2003, pp. 235-320 (2003)
- Physical significance of Planck length , Annals of Physics, Volume 165, 1985, p. 38
- Gravity and the Thermodynamics of Horizons , Physics Reports, Volume 406, 2005, p. 49
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Prof. Thanu Padmanabhan. Indian Academy of Sciences, accessed September 18, 2021 .
- ↑ World-famous physicist Thanu Padmanabhan dies of a heart attack in Pune. In: newindianexpress.com. The New Indian Express, September 17, 2021, accessed September 17, 2021 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Padmanabhan, Thanu |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Indian astrophysicist |
| BIRTH DATE | March 10, 1957 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Trivandrum |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 17, 2021 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Pune |