Tarun Souradeep
Tarun Souradeep | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1967 (age 58–59) |
| Alma mater | Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (B.Tech) Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (PhD) |
| Known for | Cosmic microwave background, LIGO-India |
Tarun Souradeep is an Indian astrophysicist and cosmologist. He is the Director of the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru.[1] His research includes work on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and participation in efforts to develop gravitational-wave astronomy in India, particularly through the LIGO-India project.[2][3]
Early life and education
Tarun Souradeep was born in 1967. He earned a B.Tech. degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) in 1988. After working briefly in automobile design at the Eicher Research Center near Delhi, he shifted his focus to physics. In 1989, he joined the first graduate cohort at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune. During his doctoral studies, he obtained an M.Sc. in physics from the then University of Pune in 1994 and completed his Ph.D. in gravitation and cosmology at IUCAA, affiliated with the University of Pune.[4]
Career
After completing his doctoral studies, Tarun Souradeep held postdoctoral positions at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) at the University of Toronto and Kansas State University.[5] He returned to India in 2000 to join the faculty at IUCAA,[6] where he eventually became a Senior Professor.[5][7] In 2019, he joined the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune (IISER Pune) as a professor and served as Chair of the Physics Department until 2022. In January 2022, he took over as Director of the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru.[1]
Tarun coordinated the national site selection and the establishment of the gravitational wave data center at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA). He was also a co-author of the 2016 publication reporting the first direct observation of gravitational waves, which was recognized with the Noble Prize awarded to the international research team.[8][9]
Scientific contributions
Tarun Souradeep's research encompasses gravitation, quantum cosmology, and observational astrophysics. His work mainly involves the study of the early universe through the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the advancement of gravitational wave (GW) astronomy.
Cosmic Microwave Background research
Tarun Souradeep developed the Bipolar Spherical Harmonic (BipoSH) formalism, a method for detecting deviations from statistical isotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). He was part of the Indian team involved in the international core group of the Planck mission.[10][11][12]
Gravitational Wave astronomy
He was a member of the LIGO consortium involved in the first direct detection of gravitational waves.[13] He is a founding member of the Indian Initiative in Gravitational-wave Observations (IndIGO) consortium and has served as its spokesperson. He was one of the lead authors of the proposal for LIGO-India, an advanced LIGO detector planned for India.[14] He also coordinated the site selection of LIGO-India and the proposal to establish a Gravitational Wave Data Centre at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).[15]
CMB-Bhārat
Tarun is the lead proposer of CMB-Bhārat, also known as Exploring Cosmic History and Origins (ECHO), a proposed next-generation space-based cosmology mission submitted to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The mission aims to detect B-mode polarization signatures of primordial gravitational waves and involves a multinational collaboration led by an Indian consortium of scientists.[16][17]
Awards and recognition
- Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2016): Awarded to the international LIGO Scientific Collaboration for the discovery of gravitational waves.[18]
- Gruber Prize in Cosmology (2016): Awarded to the international LIGO discovery team.[19]
- Elected a fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences in 2013.[20]
- Elected a fellow of the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation in 2013.[21]
References
- 1 2 "Cosmologist Tarun Souradeep takes charge as RRI director". The Indian Express. 22 January 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ "Director | Prof. Tarun Souradeep". Raman Research Institute. Archived from the original on 10 May 2026.
- ↑ "Interview: LIGO's Role in Founding a New Ethic Among Indian Scientists – The Wire Science". science.thewire.in. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ drcripptic (18 April 2012). "Tarun Souradeep". Cosmology at AIMS. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Noted astrophysicist Tarun Souradeep takes over as director of Raman Research Institute". The Hindu. 21 January 2022. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022.
- ↑ "Tarun Souradeep - IUCAA". www.iucaa.in. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ "Department of Physics – Faculty, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune". iiserpune.ac.in.
- ↑ "Gravitational Waves Detected 100 Years After Einstein's Prediction". LIGO-India. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ "Nobel Prize in Physics 2017: The Indian Connection". Press Information Bureau. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ "Indian astrophysicists in ESA's 'Big Bang' relic study". Nature India. 21 March 2013. doi:10.1038/nindia.2013.39.
- ↑ Souradeep, Tarun; Hajian, Amir (3 July 2004). "Statistical isotropy of the Cosmic Microwave Background". Pramana. 62 (3): 793–796. arXiv:astro-ph/0308002. doi:10.1007/BF02705372. ISSN 0304-4289.
- ↑ Ade, P. a. R.; Aghanim, N.; Alves, M. I. R.; Armitage-Caplan, C.; Arnaud, M.; Ashdown, M.; Atrio-Barandela, F.; Aumont, J.; Aussel, H.; Baccigalupi, C.; Banday, A. J.; Barreiro, R. B.; Barrena, R.; Bartelmann, M.; Bartlett, J. G. (1 November 2014). "Planck 2013 results. I. Overview of products and scientific results". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 571: A1. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201321529. hdl:10481/62525. ISSN 0004-6361.
- ↑ "Tarun Souradeep". LIGO-India. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ Sharmila Kuthunur (13 April 2023). "India will start building new gravitational wave observatory". Space. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ "LIGO-India: Mega observatory set to put India on world's astronomy radar". The Times of India. 8 April 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ "Indian Cosmologists Propose New Space Experiment to Gaze at Universe's Dawn". The Wire. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ Desikan, Shubashree (25 January 2019). "With CMB-Bharat, India can take lead in listening to faintest murmurs of early universe". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ "Special Breakthrough Prize In Fundamental Physics Awarded For Detection Of Gravitational Waves 100 Years After Albert Einstein Predicted Their Existence". Breakthrough Prize (Press release). 2 May 2016. Archived from the original on 10 June 2026.
- ↑ "2016 Gruber Cosmology Prize". Gruber Foundation. Archived from the original on 10 June 2026.
- ↑ "Fellows' portal | Prof. Tarun Souradeep". Indian Academy of Sciences. Archived from the original on 16 June 2026.
- ↑ "Fellows of the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation". International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
Selected in 2013 ... Prof. Tarun Souradeep ... For his contributions to the forefront of contemporary cosmology and his leadership in developing gravitational wave astronomy in India.
