Latest news with #RRI
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
RRI team find new code for detecting hidden properties of exotic materials
A team from the Raman Research Institute (RRI) found a new code for detecting hidden properties of exotic materials. According to the Department of Science and Technology, scientists have found a new way of spotting a property of topological space called 'topological invariant' in quantum materials, which remains unchanged under continuous deformations or transformations. Topological materials are at the forefront of next-gen technology — quantum computing, fault-tolerant electronics, and energy-efficient systems. 'But detecting their exotic properties has always been tricky. Topological invariance implies that if you can deform one shape into another without cutting or gluing, any topological invariant will be the same for both shapes,' department said. It added that in certain materials like topological insulators and superconductors, strange things happen. 'Electrons behave differently depending on how the material is 'shaped' at the quantum level. These shapes are defined not by their appearance, but by something deeper—topological invariants, such as winding numbers (in 1D systems) and Chern numbers (in 2D systems). These numbers are like hidden codes that determine how particles move through a material,' it added. Spectral function The RRI team found a new way to detect this hidden code using a property called the spectral function. Professor Dibyendu Roy and PhD researcher Kiran Babasaheb Estake have carried this out by analyzing the momentum-space spectral function (SPSF). Traditionally, scientists used techniques like ARPES (Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy) to study electron behaviour. The new research published in Physical Review B. showed that the same spectral function holds clues to the material's hidden topology—a revolutionary way to see the structure without directly observing it. 'The spectral function has been used for many years as an experimental tool to probe the physical quantities such as density of states and the dispersion relation of electrons in a system through ARPES. It was not seen as a tool to probe topology or topological aspects of an electronic system.' said Kiran Babasaheb Estake, PhD student in theoretical Physics at RRI and the lead author. Universal tool The study potentially offers a universal tool to explore and classify topological materials, that could pave the way for new discoveries in condensed matter physics that could be useful for quantum computers, next generation electronics, and facilitate energy-efficiency.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Chandrayaan's success owes much to Kasturirangan's 'opinion swell', says ex-ISRO chief
The success that Chandrayaan enjoys today is possible only because of the " opinion swell " created in its favour by K Kasturirangan, former chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said A S Kiran Kumar , who headed ISRO between 2015 and 2018. A former colleague of Kasturirangan, Kumar, who said he had known him for more than 50 years, pointed out that it was not easy to convince the government about space missions in those days. "It required a lot of, one can say, 'opinion swell' among the scientific and technical organisations. And he deftly created scenarios and situations where people came together and talked about it," added Kumar on Wednesday, recalling his days with Kasturirangan. Play Video Play Skip Backward Skip Forward Mute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Seniorinnen aus Wien lieben diesen Sommerschuh Sandalentrend Undo Kumar also recalled how Kasturirangan could think long-term. While India was moving ahead in technological aspects, scientists were often working in isolation, he said. "Kasturirangan possessed the knack to bring them together and make them work towards a common goal. This is no trivial task. We are now seeing the fruits of his tremendous capabilities. He was not only able to seed an idea but also make it work and bring it to fruition," said Kumar. Live Events A remembrance event honouring Kasturirangan was held at the Raman Research Institute (RRI), jointly organised by the RRI Trust and the Indian Academy of Sciences. More than 20 eminent speakers from Indian academia, science, education, and policymaking, including Kumar, paid tribute and shared their memories during the event. Among the speakers were Tarun Souradeep, Director of RRI, and Raghavan Varadarajan, President of the Indian Academy of Sciences. Ganesh Pillai, the newly appointed Scientific Secretary of ISRO, gave an overview of Kasturirangan's achievements that extend beyond his days at ISRO. He called Kasturirangan "a man with the Midas touch-whatever he touched flourished." Prof P Balaram, former Director of the Indian Institute of Science, and Prof V S Ramamurthy, former Secretary of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, also spoke about their long association with the scientist. The heartfelt reflections were moderated by Jyotsna Dhawan, Chair of the RRI Trust, who also shared her personal memories of him. Brinda Nagarajan, personal secretary to Kasturirangan, spoke on behalf of his family. RRI is a premier research institution pursuing cutting-edge fundamental research in select frontier areas of physics under contemporary research themes. It was founded by Indian science Nobel Laureate Sir C V Raman in 1948.
Zawya
20-05-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Principal Secretary (PS) Oluga Calls for Action-Oriented Approach at Global Financing Facility Meeting
On the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, PS for Medical Services Dr. Ouma Oluga joined the Global Financing Facility in a breakfast meeting where he underscored the vital role the organization plays in the medical space, particularly in strengthening the health workforce, commodity visibility, and reducing women and child mortalities by boosting blood reserves. He outlined Kenya's advancement in the digitization of health records to enhance data use and noted that Kenya was proud to be part of the Global Financing Facility, which has worked quite well so far. He, however, challenged the institution to re-engineer some of its processes to enhance stakeholder cohesiveness and become more action-oriented in implementing decisions. To fast-track actions, the PS called for the initiation of a Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) framework. He also urged for the swift translation of policies to support devolved units in aligning their goals with national priorities. He further observed that the global financing landscape has shifted fundamentally and called for a rethinking of strategies and the adoption of scalable innovations to keep up with the changes. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Kenya.
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Jayant Narlikar: The Indian astrophysicist and sci-fi writer who challenged ‘Big Bang'
Dr. Jayant Narlikar, one of India's most distinguished astrophysicists who combined profound theoretical insight into cosmology with a lifelong commitment to science communication, passed away at his residence in Pune on Tuesday (May 20. 2025). He was 86. Describing what made Dr. Narlikar one of the 'greats', Dr. Tarun Souradeep, Director of the Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru, told The Hindu that it was his 'sense of justice and equality,' and his 'unwavering commitment' to popularising science and combating 'non-science-based superstition and astrology,' that set him apart. As a gifted institution-builder, Dr. Narlikar played a pioneering role in establishing the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, where he served as Founder-Director. Under his stewardship, IUCAA emerged as a globally recognised centre for theoretical physics, cosmology, and astrophysics. 'He spawned a number of leading scientists who set new directions and schools: Thanu Padmanabhan (Cosmology, Gravitation and Quantum Gravity); Sanjeev Dhurandhar (Gravitational Waves); Ajit Kembhavi (Data-driven observational astronomy), to name a few,' Dr. Souradeep, who completed his doctoral research under Dr. Narlikar's guidance, said. A prolific writer and science populariser, Dr. Narlikar once recalled in a blog post 'playing table tennis with Stephen Hawking (prior to his muscular atrophy)' when they were both students at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Narlikar first gained international recognition when, alongside the British astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle, he proposed the 'steady state' model of the universe - a theory positing a timeless cosmos in which matter is continuously created. This stood in contrast to the dominant 'Big Bang' model, a term ironically coined by Hoyle to disparage it, which posits that the universe began at a single point in time. Although subsequent observational evidence has since firmly supported the Big Bang theory, Dr. Narlikar remained a persistent and vocal critic of it, adapting and refining the steady state view throughout his career. 'He wore his remarkable learning in various disciplines very lightly and he combined to an unusual degree formidable scholarship with humility. He was well and truly a most luminous star of Indian science, who reflected the noblest of our civilisational traditions,' Congress communications in-charge and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh tweeted. He also shared an excerpt from the 1964 edition of Yojana - a Planning Commission publication - which debated whether India should lure the young Narlikar back from Cambridge. In a rare feat, Dr. Narlikar was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1965, even before formally beginning his career in India at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai. He later received the Padma Vibhushan in 2004. Among his many accolades were the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the popularisation of science in 1996 and the prestigious Prix Jules Janssen from the French Astronomical Society in 2004. Dr. Narlikar was also widely admired for his literary contributions. His science-fiction story Dhoomaketu (The Comet) was adapted into a film, while his autobiography Chaar Nagarantale Maze Vishwa (My Tale of Four Cities) was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Prize. His writing - marked by clarity, an avoidance of jargon, and philosophical depth - explored themes ranging from alien encounters to the moral quandaries arising from rapid technological progress. He was frequently featured in science programmes on television in the 1990s and credited Carl Sagan's outreach work, as well as the fiction of Sir Hoyle, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Ray Bradbury, as key influences in his approach to communicating science. Born to eminent parents - Vishnu Vasudev Narlikar, a mathematician at Benares Hindu University (now IIT-BHU), and Sumati Narlikar, a Sanskrit scholar - Dr. Narlikar received his early education in Varanasi before moving to the University of Cambridge, where he completed his Ph.D. under Sir Hoyle's mentorship.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PJM selects 51 fast-track power projects under Reliability Resource Initiative
US-based energy distribution company PJM Interconnection (PJM), under its Reliability Resource Initiative (RRI), has selected 51 projects that can come online quickly and are capable of providing more than 9.3GW of capacity. The initiative prioritises shovel-ready resources with short lead times to construction and operation, aiming to enhance reliability and swift addition of energy to the grid. The projects comprise 39 uprates to existing resources such as natural gas, nuclear, coal, and onshore wind, alongside 12 new construction proposals. The uprates will provide 2.11GW of unforced capacity (UCAP), while the new projects are projected to contribute an additional 7.25GW of UCAP, culminating in a total of 9.36GW. Approximately 90% of these projects are anticipated to be operational by 2030, with the remainder expected by 2031. The selection process involved 94 applicants and was based on a weighting system that prioritised UCAP and in-service dates, followed by Effective Load Carrying Capability and location in zones with a high need for generation. Although the initiative originally intended to select 50 projects, a tie in the scoring system allowed for 51 projects to be chosen. In 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved PJM's reforms to the interconnection process, shifting from a "first-come, first-served" to a "first-ready, first-served" approach. Besides RRI projects, PJM will also process approximately 62GW of projects in 2025 and 2026. PJM has implemented several measures to address the increasing electricity demand and the retirement of generators. These include enhanced automation and staffing, which has reduced the backlog by 60%, and a collaboration with Google and Tapestry to deploy AI tools for streamlining the planning process for linking new generation resources to the grid. PJM has received approval from FERC to simplify the process for utilising the unused capacity of interconnection services for facilities that are unable to operate continuously, 24/7, throughout the year. A reform package, supported by PJM stakeholders and currently under review by FERC, aims to streamline the interconnection process for replacement resources that intend to utilise the capacity interconnection rights of retiring resources. "PJM selects 51 fast-track power projects under Reliability Resource Initiative" was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
