India-based Neutrino Observatory - Facts and Fiction - Lakshmi Raman Memorial Lecture
ABSTRACT :
The proposed India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) has been in the news and not often for the right reasons. In this talk, I try to show why there is global interest in studying neutrinos and include brief highlights on some physics that can be probed at INO and the current status of the experiment. If time permits I will address the misleading statements being made on INO. The talk assumes some basic knowledge of quantum mechanics.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Indumathi did her masters in Physics from Madras Christian College, Chennai. After a short stint working on experimental nuclear physics as a PhD student at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, she completed her PhD on theoretical particle physics from IMSc, Chennai. She worked on the spin structure of the proton while also writing a short paper on the neutrinos from the supernova SN1987A that occurred when she was a student. Later, after post-docs at PRL, Ahmedabad, and Univ of Dortmund, Germany, and a brief sojourn at IISc, Bangalore, she joined Harish Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad as a faculty member. During this time, she worked on particle physics phenomenology including strong interactions, finite temperature field theory, and nuclear modifications of strong interaction processes, before moving back to IMSc, Chennai in 1998, when she resumed her work on neutrinos. She is a part of the India based Neutrino Observatory collaboration, which is trying hard to construct a neutrino lab in India. She is interested in science popularisation and is editor of a childrens science magazine called Jantar Mantar.
Dr Lakshmi Raman was eduacated at Lady Sivaswamy Iyer Girls high school, Mylapore and Queen Marys college, Chennai, before undertaking a PhD in crystal dynamics in the Dept. of Physics, IITM. She did post-doctoral research at MPI, Stuttgart, ETH, Zurich and the University of Texas, Austin. Dr Raman then moved to the private sector. She had a long association with BellCore (a.k.a. Bell Labs) where she worked in the sphere of telecommunications particularly in the area of network management. She was an internationally recognized expert regarding standards in telecommunication. She was the author and coauthor of books and network management. Throughout her life she had a keen interest in the higher education of women and volunteer teaching of high-school students.