Anyone who has majored in physics, or has even an inclination towards physics would be well aware of the Boson particle. The terms Bose-Einstein condensate and Bose-Einstein statistics would also resonate with enthusiasts of the subject. These terms were introduced to the world of statistical physics and quantum mechanics by Indian physicist, Satyendra Nath Bose, also known as the the father of God particle. Today, on his death anniversary, we pay a tribute to him and look at all his massive contributions to Physics.

Bose’s Contributions To Quantum Physics

Bose owns the credit of bringing recognition to a new class of particles to the world. Apart from Physics, his interests ranged from Mathematics to Chemistry, Biology, Mineralogy, Philosophy, and even arts.

He derived Max Planck’s quantum radiation law using a novel way of counting states with identical particles, with zero reference to classical physics, something that no one had attempted before. This paper later contributed to the invention of a very major field of quantum statistics and so he contributed to forming a foundation of the subject. Since the paper was not accepted at once, he sent the paper directly to Albert Einstein , after which Einstein translated it to German himself and submitted to a reputed journal in Germany.

He had worked with the world famous Louis de Broglie, Marie Curie, and Einstein and his work qualifies as being a way to transition between Plank, Bohr and Einstein’s ‘old quantum theory’ to Schrodinger, Heisenberg, Dirac and Born’s ‘new quantum mechanics’, and gave a headway to many scientific discoveries.

Impact Of His Contributions

Einstein used the idea of Bose condensate and extended it to atoms. This led to the prediction of the existence of phenomena which became known as Bose–Einstein condensate. But after Einstein’s second paper using Bose’s method in which Einstein predicted the Bose–Einstein condensate, he started to realize just how radical it was, and put forward that some particles didn’t behave exactly like particles, after comparing it with the wave-particle duality.

Bose’s work on Bose-Einstein statistics in today’s world of Physics has a profound importance in the classification of fundamental particles, and also has contributions in the field of nuclear physics. He is the great Indian physicist, whom half the particles in physics obey. He had once said,”I really wanted to do research. That has never changed.” which shows is conviction and passion to research. He was awarded India’s second largest civilian award of Padma Vibhushan. He was also nominated for a Nobel Prize for his contribution to the Bose-Einstein Statistics.

Astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar, in his book called The Scientific Edge, he had written about Bose’s contribution. It said, “SN Bose’s work on particle statistics, which clarified the behaviour of photons and opened the door to new ideas on statistics of Microsystems that obey the rules of quantum theory, was one of the top ten achievements of 20th century Indian science and could be considered in the Nobel Prize class”.

The legacy that Bose left after him will forever stay and physicists will always remember him for his contributions.