HOMI JEHANGIR BHABHA-Father of nuclear science in india

A PRESENTATION BY –ANZAR HASSANB.Sc.B.Ed. (4TH SEMESTER)CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF BIHAR

He was born on 30th October 1909, in a very wealthy and prominent industrial Parsi family, in Bombay.

His father was Jehangir Hormusji Bhabha, a well known lawyer and his mother was Meheren .

ABOUT THE LIFE OF BHABHA

He received his early education at Cathedral and John Connon School of Bombay.

He attended Elphinstone College at the age of 15 for higher education.

He joined Royal Institute of Science , Bombay for graduate studies.

In 1927, he was sent to Caius College of Cambridge University to obtain mechanical engineering.

His father wanted him to become an engineer and to join Tata Steel Mills , Jamshedpur as a metallurgist.

Bhabha was interested in higher research in the field of Physics.

I seriously say to you that business or job as an engineer is not the thing for me.it is totally foreign to my nature and radically opposed to my temperament, and opinions. Physics is my line. I know I shall do great things here. For, each man can do best and excel in only one thing of which he is passionately fond, in which he believes, as I do, and that he has the ability to do it, that he is in fact born and destined to do it. Besides, India is not a land where science cannot be carried on………………….

I am burning with a desire to do physics. I will and must do it some time. It is my only ambition. I have no desire to be a successful man or the head of a big firm

EXCERPT FROM BHABHA’S LETTER TO HIS PARENTS

CONTRIBUTION TO SCIENCEBhabha investigated positron interactions in a number

of his papers using Dirac’s hole theory.

He wrote a paper on “Annihilation of Fast Positrons by Electrons in the k-shell” which was received by Royal Society on May 4,1934.

The work on this paper was begun at Cambridge and finished at Institute of physics in Rome.

The crowning achievement of this group of papers on positron interactions was Bhabha’s investigation of electron-positron scattering, a process now known as “Bhabha Scattering”.

BHABHA SCATTERINGThe title of the paper was “The Scattering of Positrons by

Electrons with Exchange on Dirac’s theory of positron”.

This paper was received by Royal Society on October, 20, 1935.

Moller has already discovered the phenomenon of electron-electron scattering also known as Moller Scattering.

Moller scattering is the process of mutual conversion of electron-electron pair into electromagnetic radiation.

Bhabha explained the process for electron and positron pair.

BHABHA SCATTERING

Mutual conversion of particle-particle pair into electromagnetic radiation.

CONTRIBUTION TO THE NATIONBhabha came to India in 1939 and

could not get back to England due to world war.

He joined the Physics Department of the IISc Bangalore as a special Reader, at that time headed by Sir C.V. Raman.

He started the research on the cosmic rays there.

He founded the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), in June 1945 at the campus of IISc Bangalore, with the help of Sir Dorabji Tata.

Later it was shifted to Bombay.

The main areas of research of TIFR were- cosmic ray physics, theoretical physics and pure mathematics.

It quickly gained international recognition in the field above areas.

The TIFR also served as a cradle to the highly successful nuclear programme in India.

TATA INSTITUTE OF FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH

He wanted to bring the country in the elite club of nations possessing advanced nuclear technology.

He started working with the goal of achieving self reliance in the field of nuclear science.

Atomic Energy Commission was constituted on August 10, 1948 in order to intensify studies related to exploitation of nuclear energy for benefit of the nation.

In 1954, it was brought under Department of Atomic Energy of India and Bhabha became the secretary of Atomic Energy Commission.

Department of Atomic Energy functioned under the direct control of the Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET)was started by the AEC in January 3, 1954.

Later, it was renamed by Indira Gandhi as Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC).

All scientists and engineers engaged in the fields of reactor design and development, instrumentation, metallurgy and material science etc were transferred along with their respective programme from TIFR to AEET to become an integral part of the newly created AEET. 

BARC provides a broad spectrum of scientific and technological activities extending from basic laboratory bench scale research to scaled up plant level.

BHABHA ATOMIC RESEARCH CENTER Bhabha Atomic Research

Center has already made its impressions in the world of science as one of the unique nuclear research institution where high quality research and development is taking place in the areas of nuclear reactor design and installation, fuel fabrication, chemical processing of depleted fuel and also acquired sufficient expertise in the development of radioisotope application techniques in medicine, agriculture and industries.

He represented India in International Atomic Energy Forums, on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, in Geneva, Switzerland in 1955.

Bhabha was a member of Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which aims at peaceful use of atomic energy.

He played a decisive role in shaping the laws of IAEA.

NUCLEAR FISSION

CRITICAL NUCLEAR FISSION

THE NUCLEAR REACTOR IS A KIND OF FURNANCE FOR CARRYING OUT THE CONTROLLED FISSION OF A RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL LIKE U-235 FOR PRODUCING POWER.

NUCLEAR REACTOR

• Fuel• Coolant• Moderator• Control system (rods)

COMPONENTS OF NUCLEAR REACTOR

WORKING OF A NUCLEAR REACTOR

TYPES OF NUCLEAR REACTOR

FAST BREEDER REACTOR

The first stage comprises of Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors fuelled by Uranium-235, transmutation of Uranium-238 to Plutonium-239.

The second stage employs fast breeder reactors that will use Plutonium-239 from the first stage to produce energy and transmutation of U-238 to P-239.

Finally, the third phase aims at using thorium, since India has abundant thorium reserves in the beach sands of Kerala and Orrisa and development of Advanced Heavy Water Reactor.

THREE-STAGE NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAMME

STRUCTURE OF THREE-STAGE NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAMME

He died when Air India Flight 101 crashed near Mont Blanc on 24 January 1966.

Bhabha was the founder of the nuclear programme in India.

Bhabha is also called the father of Indian nuclear science.

References- www.tifr.res.in/~hbbccc/download/dlal.pdf www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/homibhabha.pdf www.cat.gov.in/happenings/fday09CGuest.pdf www.barc.gov.in/

Thank You