Discovery of the Raman Effect
Next: February 28, 2027
Light that changes colour.
The story
Where it comes from
This Story marks the anniversary of 28 February 1928, when the Indian physicist C. V. Raman announced the discovery of the effect that now bears his name. Working in Calcutta, he found that when light is scattered by molecules, a small part of it comes out with a different wavelength, because some of the light's energy passes to the molecules. In 1930 Raman alone was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 'for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the effect named after him'.
How it's celebrated
In 1986 the Government of India made 28 February National Science Day, and schools, colleges and science institutions across the country hold talks, exhibitions and activities around a science theme. Anywhere else, it is a good day to look at how light behaves: a prism, a soap bubble or a glass of water on a sunny windowsill is a fine place to start.
Did you know
- Raman was born in Tiruchirappalli, in today's Tamil Nadu, on 7 November 1888.
- He was at Calcutta University when he was awarded the Nobel Prize.
- The Raman effect is used today to analyse many different kinds of material.
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