Prof R Rajaraman obit: Celebrated physicist and tireless voice for nuclear disarmament
Rajaraman was widely known for his strong stance against nuclear weapons and openly opposed India’s nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998
Prof Ramamurti Rajaraman, a renowned theoretical physicist and Emeritus Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), passed away on July 12 at the age of 86.
He was a great theoretical physicist who contributed enormously to our understanding of nonlinear phenomena in quantum field theory and gauge theories. He was also a great teacher. He preferred to be called a ‘teacher’ instead of ‘professor’ in conferences. He was affectionately known as ‘Douggy’ to his friends, and he even used this as his user ID in emails.
The scientist
Prof Rajaraman was born on March 11, 1939, studied at Stephen’s College, Delhi, and went to Cornell for his PhD under the Nobel laureate Hans Bethe.
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His work on the three-nucleon problem in nuclear forces with his advisor was well recognised. He continued on elementary particle physics, quantum field theory, gauge theories, and soliton physics. His exact results on soliton solutions using topological features and quantisation of the same proved to be fruitful as a general methodology.
His book on ‘An Introduction to Solitons and Instantons in Quantum Field Theory’ has become a bible to graduate students studying such phenomena. He studied, along with John Bell (of Bell inequality fame), the fractional fermion numbers in certain circumstances, which were confirmed in Polyacetylene. He spent sabbaticals in all the great places for theoretical physics like Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford and CERN. He studied along with S L Sondhi of Princeton on the Quantum Hall effect and constructed composite field operators.
Career & recognitions
Prof Rajaraman made significant contributions to physics and was recognised with the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar prize in 1983.
He worked at Delhi University, the Indian Institute of Science, and later moved to JNU in 1993, where he served till retirement. Subsequently, he became Emeritus Professor. He was a fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences (IASc) and Indian National Science Academy (INSA) and served as the Editor of the Pramana, the research journal of the IASc.
He received the ‘Leo Szilard Lectureship’ from the American Physical Society for his efforts to promote peace and nuclear security in South Asia. INSA also decorated him with the GP Chatterjee Memorial Award.
The teacher
Prof Rajaraman was known for his teaching skills among his students. His down-to-earth teaching methods from first principles in any subject attracted a lot of students to him.
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He has contributed at several levels from the undergraduates to research students with his courses on quantum theory, statistical mechanics and gauge theories. He has given several mini courses in winter and summer schools on all the theoretical physics areas. His book and monographs written in the 1980s are used by students even now.
Staunch pacifist
Rajaraman was widely known for his strong stance against nuclear weapons and argued against the 1974 and 1998 nuclear tests conducted by India.
Even after the tests, he was deeply involved with strategic advisors to contain nuclear expansion and threat perception. He contributed through articles and analysis at various fora on the nuclear question and against proliferation.
He argued for capping the weapons program in India and Pakistan with minimum deterrence. He analysed the data for fissile material stock in India and argued for the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT). He was the founding member and co-chair of the International Panel on Fissile Materials as well as the Council of the Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs.
He held a leadership position in the Asia Pacific Network for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. He also contributed as a member of the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. He even organised a program and edited a book on the Indian nuclear energy program, arguing for transparency and safety with both Department of Atomic Energy stalwarts and anti-nuclear energy activists.
Great loss
He delivered lectures on his ideas about the FMCT and nuclear proliferation across the globe and at various institutions throughout India. I had the privilege of getting him to speak twice in meetings a few years back, co-organised by the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Tamil Nadu Science Forum. He spoke on Iran’s enrichment program and declared it was within the ambit of IAEA prescriptions.
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His passing away is a great loss for the physics community, as well as activists against weaponisation programs of the world. It was a personal loss for me as I would consult him to get his opinions on several issues related to physics and nuclear arms proliferation.
He is survived by his wife, Indira Rajaraman, an eminent economist, who held the RBI chair at the National Institute for Public Finance till her retirement. She was also a member of the 13th Finance Commission.
