Satyendra Nath Bose was an outstanding scientist who gave his name to the ‘Bosons,’ one of quantum mechanics’ two classes of particles. He was a self-taught scholar who rose to notoriety in the 1920s for his work on quantum mechanics and later collaborated with Albert Einstein, a prominent German physicist. He studied physics at Calcutta’s Presidency College, where he was tutored by prominent professors such as Jagadish Chandra Bose and Prafulla Chandra Ray. He became a research scholar at a period when significant discoveries in the field of physics were being made. In the scientific community, quantum theory and associated concepts were causing a stir, and Bose contributed significantly to this field, particularly on Planck’s black body radiation law. He forwarded his findings to Albert Einstein, who immediately realized the significance of the Indian scientist’s findings and began working with him on a number of key concepts that became the foundation for Bose–Einstein statistics. Bose was a polyglot with a wide range of interests, including philosophy, the arts, and music.
Childhood and Adolescence
Satyendra Bose was the eldest son of Surendranath Bose, a former East Indian Railways accountant. He was the eldest of six sisters.
Before going to the Hindu school, he attended the New Indian School. He showed a strong interest in mathematics and science from an early age.
He went to Presidency College in Calcutta to study intermediate science after finishing school. He was taught by prominent professors such as Jagadish Chandra Bose and Prafulla Chandra Ray.
In 1913, he earned his BSc in mixed mathematics and his MSc in 1915. He had an outstanding academic record and set a new record in his MSc exams, which has yet to be broken.
In 1916, he became a research scholar at the University of Calcutta. New discoveries were being discovered at this time in science’s history, and it was a tremendously exciting moment.
The Career of Satyendra
From 1916 until 1921, he was a lecturer at the University of Calcutta’s physics department. In 1919, he released the English translations of Albert Einstein’s original articles on special and general relativity alongside a former student, future scientist Meghnad Saha.
In 1921, he was offered a position as a Reader in the University of Dhaka’s physics department. There, he assisted in the establishment of new facilities for the teaching of advanced science courses.
For several years, he had collaborated with Saha on quantum physics and relativity theory. In 1924, he published a paper on deriving Planck’s quantum radiation law, which proposed a hitherto unimagined solution.
He submitted it to Albert Einstein, who understood the importance of Bose’s research and had it translated into German. Even though it was only four pages long, this paper was pivotal in the field of physics’ new findings.
In 1924-25, Bose and Einstein predicted a state of matter consisting of a dilute gas of bosons and their complicated interactions, which became known as the Bose-Einstein condensate.
When Einstein championed Bose’s results, he was given the opportunity to work for two years in European X-ray and crystallography laboratories, and he received international prominence. During this time, Bose met Louis de Broglie and Marie Curie for the first time.
In 1926, he returned to Dhaka and applied for a position as a University Professor. He was not qualified for the position because he lacked a doctorate. On Einstein’s recommendation, he was appointed Head of the Department of Physics.
Bose continued his research by designing the apparatus for an X-ray crystallography laboratory. Until 1945, he was the Dean of Dhaka University’s Faculty of Science.
He returned to Calcutta, where he held the Khaira Chair, at the time of partition. Until 1956, he was a professor at the University of Calcutta, where he encouraged students to design their own equipment.
He continued to work on nuclear physics studies even after he retired. He studied organic chemistry, geology, engineering, and other subjects in addition to physics.
Satyendra’s Major Projects
Satyendra Nath Bose is most known for inventing the term ‘Boson,’ which refers to one of the two-particle classes. Albert Einstein expanded on his work in quantum physics, laying the groundwork for Bose-Einstein statistics and the theory of the Bose-Einstein condensate.
Achievements & Awards
In 1954, the Indian government awarded this famous physicist the Padma Vibhushan award for his contributions to science and research.
In 1986, the government built the S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences in Calcutta.
Personal History and Legacy
When he was 20 years old, he married Ushabti. The marriage had nine children, two of whom died as children.
In 1974, he died at the age of 80. At the time of his death, he was survived by his 60-year-old wife and seven children.
‘Visva–Parichay,’ Rabindranath Tagore’s only book on science, was dedicated to this distinguished scientist.
Estimated Net worth
Satyendra Nath Bose’s net worth is estimated to be $ USD 8 million, with a primary source of income as a university instructor, politician, mathematician, and physicist.