S Chandrasekhar

Part of the reissued Oxford Classic Texts in the Physical Sciences series, this book was first published in 1983, and has swiftly become one of the great modern classics of relativity theory. It represents a personal testament to the work of the author, who spent several years writing and working-out the entire subject matter. The theory of black holes is the most simple and beautiful consequence of Einstein's relativity theory. At the time of writing there was no physical evidence for the existence of these objects, therefore all that Professor Chandrasekhar used for their construction were modern mathematical concepts of space and time. Since that time a growing body of evidence has pointed to the truth of Professor Chandrasekhar's findings, and the wisdom contained in this book has become fully evident.

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar — known simply as Chandra throughout the scientific world — has become a legendary figure for his prolific contributions to physics, astrophysics, and applied mathematics. Before his death in 1995, Chandra had forbidden a memorial of the conventional sort, celebrating his life. This book, which contains some thirty articles by his former students, his associates, and his colleagues, is in a sense a memorial volume. It says little about Chandra's great scientific achievements, but shows his human side and the various facets of his brilliant personality, his incredible memory, his wit, and the breadth of his knowledge of art, music, literature, and the humanities in general. The contributors to this highly interesting book are among the few who broke the seemingly forbidden barrier surrounding the very private Chandra and came to know him well in one context or another. They include Lalitha Chandrasekhar, Roger Penrose, Richard H Dalitz, J W Cronin, Robert G Sachs, Abhay Ashtekar, and Robert Wald. Contents:“My Everlasting Flame” (L Chandrasekhar)S Chandrasekhar: A Personal Portrait (A Ashtekar)Exploring General Relativity with Chandra (V Ferrari)Chandrasekhar and the End of Time (R Penrose)Some Memories of Chandra (R M Wald)Chandra in Focus (S Kumar)Reminiscences of Chandra (J W Cronin)Some Personal Recollections of S Chandrasekhar at Chicago and Oxford (R H Dalitz)A Towering Figure: Reminiscences and Reflections (L Mestel)Reminiscences About Chandra (R G Sachs)and other papers Readership: General. Reviews:“Not a biography, this, but an album of verbal portraits of an austere, proud, cultured and deeply humane astrophysicist.”New Scientist “The present effort is a fine one, and I recommend the book with enthusiasm.”Physics World

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Nobel Laureate in Physics, was a towering figure in 20th century physics, but remained a highly private man. The many letters and correspondence in this book reveal in Chandrasekhar's own words the depth of his pursuit of science as well as his personal struggles. This book is an important addition to the three previous volumes by Kameshwar C. Wali, including Chandra, A Biography of S. Chandrasekhar, S. Chandrasekhar: The Man Behind the Legend, and A Quest for Perspectives: Selected Works of S. Chandrasekhar (With Commentary), Volumes 1 & 2.Included in the correspondence are Chandra's thoughts and feelings about his student days in India and Cambridge, his trials and tribulations in the competitive world of British academia, his travels to Russia and Germany, and his unexpected and historic encounter with Sir Arthur Eddington. The book also includes rare correspondence and conversations with Lalitha, Chandrasekhar's wife of over sixty years. The letters and conversations with her reflect her own views of their life. She, a student of physics herself, eventually gave up her own work in science to become an integral part of Chandra's life. As Chandra wrote, 'The full measure of [of my indebtedness] cannot really be recorded; it is too deep and too all persuasive. Let me then record simply that Lalitha was the motivating source and strength of my life.'This new book adds a significant personal dimension to an extraordinary scientist and will give the public a deeper understanding of the man behind the legend.

This unique book contains a biographical portrait, accounts of Chandrasekhar's role and impact on modern science, historical perspectives and personal reminiscences, several of which appeared in Physics Today, and reviews by leading experts in areas which Prof. Chandrasekhar pioneered. The reviews, which appeared in the Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India, are either based on papers presented by scholars in the Chandrasekhar Centennial Symposium at the University of Chicago during 15-17 October 2010, or were additional reviews covering topics not represented at the conference by other distinguished astrophysicists. It provides a glimpse of some of the most exciting areas of modern astrophysics as a tribute to Prof Chandrasekhar on his birth centenary.

This invaluable book presents selected papers of S Chandrasekhar, co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1983 and a scientific giant well known for his prolific and monumental contributions to astrophysics, physics and applied mathematics. The reader will find here most of Chandrasekhar's articles that led to major developments in various areas of physics and astrophysics. There are also articles of a popular and historical nature, as well as some hitherto unpublished material based on Chandrasekhar's talks at conferences. Each section of the book contains annotations by the editor.

'A must read for those interested in the great man'-The Times of India 'I discovered what true mathematical elegance is from Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar' - Carl Sagan, who studied under Professor Chandrasekhar at the University of Chicago The world knows S. Chandrasekhar as a Nobel laureate and an outstanding astrophysicist. But he was, at the same time, a caring uncle, a devoted husband and a compassionate brother, who made it a point to reach out to everyone around him despite his legendary status. This compilation brings out the various facets of the man and the scientist. It includes some of his more general essays and lectures in which he lucidly presents his thoughts on the pursuit of science, creativity, his work, and his abiding love for his motherland. There are also reminiscences by family members who interacted with him and grew to adore the man who, they remember, had as beautiful a heart as his handwriting. This collection strives to bring to the fore the person that was Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and the life he led: from his engagement with science to the little anecdotes that illuminated the lives of those around him.

Excerpts from Chandra-father correspondence: 1928-1933 -- Excerpts from Chandra-father correspondence: 1934-1936 -- Excerpts from K.S. Krishnan correspondence: 1934-1938 -- Miscellaneous letters -- Chandra and Eddington correspondence from 1933-1943 -- Rosenfeld correspondence: January and February 1935 -- Selected correspondence between Lalitha and Chandra 1930-1934 -- Selected correspondence from Lalitha 1935.

S. Chandrasekhar, popularly known as Chandra, was one of the foremost scientists of the 20th century. The year 2010 marks the birth centenary of Chandra. His unique style of research, inward bound, seeking a personal perspective to master a particular field, and then pass on to another was so unique that it will draw considerable interest and attention among scholars. As Chandra elucidates in the preface, "The various installments describe in detail the evolution of my scientific work during the past forty years and records each investigation, describing the doubts and the successes, the trials and the tribulations. And the parts my various associates and assistants played in the completion of the different investigations are detailed." It is indeed a remarkable and rare document, fascinating to read and experience the joys, frustrations and struggles of a creative mind. In addition, a compilation of selected correspondence, which includes his correspondence with his father, some family members and other well-known scientists of the 20th century, will provide an interesting insight into the life of an extraordinary scientist.