S Chandrasekhar The Man Behind The Legend

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

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.

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.

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.

Beginning with the serpent in the Garden of Eden and ending with O.J. Simpson, author George Anastaplo offers an exploration of justice and the rule of law through well-known trials both ancient and modern, real and fictional. On Trial is a detailed and fascinating discussion of legal reason, moral judgment, political life, and the events that give them meaning.

This collection of over 400 biographies of eminent ethnic Americans celebrates a wide array of inspiring individuals and their contributions to U.S. history. The stories of these 400 eminent ethnic Americans are a testimony to the enduring power of the American dream. These men and women, from 90 different ethnic groups, certainly faced unequal access to opportunities. Yet they all became renowned artists, writers, political and religious leaders, scientists, and athletes. Kahlil Gibran, Daniel Inouye, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Thurgood Marshall, Madeleine Albright, and many others are living proof that the land of opportunity sometimes lives up to its name. Alongside these success stories, as historian Elliot R. Barkan notes in his introduction to this volume, there have been many failures and many immigrants who did not stay in the United States. Nevertheless, the stories of these trailblazers, visionaries, and champions portray the breadth of possibilities, from organizing a nascent community to winning the Nobel prize. They also provide irrefutable evidence that no single generation and no single cultural heritage can claim credit for what America is.

A history of the idea of "black holes" explores the tumultuous debate over the existence of this now well-accepted phenomenon, focusing particular attention on Indian scientist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.

Gathered in this one volume, But Not Philosophy provides useful and thought-provoking introductions to seven major 'schools' of non-Western thought: Mesopotamian, ancient African, Hindu, Confucian, Buddhist, Islamic, and North American Indian. Anastaplo studies ancient literary epics and legal codes and examines religious traditions and systems of thought, providing detailed references to authoritative histories and commentators.