President Ram Nath Kovind remembered Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha on his birth anniversary today. In a tweet, Mr Kovind said, the Father of India's nuclear programme and a stalwart of scientific research in India, Dr Bhabha, laid the foundation of several iconic institutions. He said, the country cherishes his legacy.
Dr Bhabha, who is credited for setting the path for India's nuclear strength, was also remembered by several people on social media.
Born on this day in 1909, Bhabha was a nuclear physicist, founding director, and professor of physics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). Colloquially known as 'father of the Indian nuclear programme', he was the founding director of the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET) which is now named the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in his honor.
TIFR and AEET were the cornerstone of Indian development of nuclear weapons which Bhabha also supervised as director.
Bhabha’s first paper 'The Absorption of Cosmic radiation' in 1933 earned him a three year Isaac Newton Studentship in 1934.
He worked alongside Neil Bohr in Copenhagen in addition to his research work at Cambridge. Bhabha published a paper in 1935, performing the first calculation to determine the cross section of electron-positron scattering.
Bhabha conducted research with Walter Heitler and in 1936 they made a breakthrough in the cosmic radiation’s understanding by working on the cascade theory of electron showers. Their theory described how primary cosmic rays from outer space interact with the upper atmosphere producing observable particles at the ground level, making estimations of the number of electrons in the cascade process at different altitudes for different electron initiation energies.
He become the first chairperson of India’s Atomic Energy Commission in 1948.
It was under his direction that the scientists of India made their way into making an atomic bomb ant the first atomic reactant was operated in Mumbai in 1956.
Bhabha also led the first UN Conference held for the purpose of Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in Geneva, 1955.
He received many rewards and award from Indian as well as foreign universities and he was an associate of various societies of science including the American National Academy of Sciences. He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1954, the third-highest civilian award in India.
Bhabha died when Air India Flight 101 crashed near Mont Blanc on January 24,1966.
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