At this talk, step into the fascinating world of cosmic rays prachi sibal prachi. sibal@ mid- day. com A group of scientists at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research ( TIFR) were excited about the work they do and wanted to share this excitement with the world. This is how Chai and Why came into being 12 years ago. The name isnu2019t intimidating and professor Arnab Bhattacharya, founder of Chai and Why and chair, TIFR Public Outreach, assures us the content isnu2019t either.
At this talk, Cosmic Rays: Messengers across the universe, Sunil Gupta of TIFR will talk about these fascinating particles. u201c The earth is bombarded by very high energy particles, a million times more energetic than ones created at CERN. We donu2019t know where they come from.
When they hit the earthu2019s upper atmosphere they create a shower of particles,u201d says Bhattacharya breaking it down for us. He will talk about the instituteu2019s ongoing research project in Ooty and its significance in everyday life. u201c You would think that these particles are telling us about high- energy events in the galaxy but the interesting thing is they actually tell us a lot about local weather.
Much of what we detect are meon particles. They are cousins of electrons but a thousand times heavier. During a thunderstorm, the number of meons decreases. And by tracking the decrease we find the voltage of the clouds. They also become instrumental in predicting solar storms,u201d he adds.
The detection of cosmic rays is a project by TIFR that dates back to the 1950s and is among the oldest at the institute. Gupta is regarded as one of the pioneers in the field and will present a 40- minute talk followed by an 80- minute discussion and take questions from the audience. This falls in line with the format of the bi- monthly Chai and Why sessions.
u201c There are few opportunities in Mumbai to meet a scientist and ask them questions,u201d says Bhattacharya.
About making it palatable for a general audience, Bhattacharya believes, the trick is to connect it to something we can relate to in everyday life. u201c Besides, I think anyone who is waking up on a Sunday morning for this is definitely curious already,u201d he says. u201c After all, science isnu2019t just something you study in text books and forget but an exploration of the world around us,u201d he summarises.
ON February 2, 11 am to 1 pm AT Prithvi Theatre, 20, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu. CALL 26149546 LOG ON TO www. facebook.
com/ chaiandwhy Talk Particles of wonder ( Top and above) the project site in Ooty
