physics

Nissim Kanekar

Nissim Kanekar is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nissim Kanekar rather than just read about it. In short: Nissim Kanekar (born 11 September 1973) is an Indian astrophysicist, cosmologist and a professor at National Centre for Radio Astrophysics of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Known for his research on the evolution of the electron proton mass ratio, Kanekar is a member of the International Astronomical Union and a recipient of Swarna Jayathi Fellowship of the Department of Science and Technology.

Key takeaways

Nissim Kanekar belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
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Reference excerpt

Nissim Kanekar (born 11 September 1973) is an Indian astrophysicist, cosmologist and a professor at National Centre for Radio Astrophysics of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Known for his research on the evolution of the electron proton mass ratio, Kanekar is a member of the International Astronomical Union and a recipient of Swarna Jayathi Fellowship of the Department of Science and Technology. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to physical sciences in 2017.

Biography

Nissim Kanekar, born on 11 September 1973 in Mumbai in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, did his undergraduate studies at Ramnarain Ruia College of Mumbai University and, after earning a graduate degree (BSc) in physics in 1991, moved to Savitribai Phule Pune University for his master's studies to obtain an MSc in 1995. He enrolled for his doctoral studies at the same institution and carrying out his research at National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, a research institute managed by Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, he secured a PhD in 2000. His post-doctoral work was at NCRA during 2000–01, at Kapteyn Institute of University of Groningen during 2002–04 under a NOVA fellowship and at the Socorro center of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory during 2004–08 holding Jansky and Max-Planck fellowships. In 2009, he joined NCRA as a reader in 2009 and has served as an associate professor since 2012.

Legacy and honours

One of the principal contributions of Kanekar was the establishment of observational bounds for the study of the evolution of the electron proton mass ratio. He has also done reportedly notable work on the fine structure constant over cosmological time scales. He was one among the group of astronomers who observed a pair of distant Milky Way-like galaxies in early 2017 which has since been detailed in a paper published by the scientists. His studies have been documented by way of a number of articles and ResearchGate, an online article repository of scientific articles, has listed 115 of them. He has also delivered several lectures on astronomy which include a series of lectures delivered at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali in 2014. Kanekar received the URSI Young Scientist Award of the International Union of Radio Science in 2005 which he declined. Three years later, the Astronomical Society of India chose him, along with Niayesh Afshordi, for the 2008 Vainu Bappu Gold Medal and he became a Ramanujan Fellow of the Department of Science and Technology in 2009, the tenure of the fellowship running until 2014. In 2015, he shared the bi-annual Hari Om Prerit Vikram Sarabhai Award of the Physical Research Laboratory with Dibyendu Chakraborty; the same year, he was selected for the Swarna Jayanthi fellowship of the Department of Science and Technology. He has held various research fellowships, including Max Planck Fellowship (2007–09), Jansky Fellowship (2004–08), and NOVA Fellowship (2002–04) and he declined the Bolton Fellowship twice and ASTRON Fellowship once. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded Kanekar the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards in 2017. The lectureships held by him include the Delta Lecturership Award (2014) of the National Central University, Distinguished Visitorship (2005–06) of Australia Telescope National Facility and ESO Visiting Fellowship (2005) of the European Southern Observatory. He is also a member of the International Astronomical Union. In 2018 and 2023, he was a laureate of the Asian Scientist 100 by the Asian Scientist. In 2022, he was awarded the Infosys Prize in Physical Sciences for his study of galaxies in an era, the so-called “high noon” period, in which stars were being formed at a maximum rate. Separately, his careful astronomical investigations have placed the strongest limit on possible secular variation of the fine structure constant and the electron-to-proton mass ratio.

Selected bibliography Nissim Kanekar (2011). "Constraining changes in the proton-electron mass ratio with inversion and rotational lines". Astrophysical Journal Letters. 728 (1): L12. arXiv:1101.4029. Bibcode:2011ApJ...728L..12K. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/728/1/L12. S2CID 119230502. Nirupam Roy, N. Kanekar, Robert Braun, Jayaram N. Chengalur (2013). "The temperature of the diffuse HI in the Milky Way I: High resolution HI 21 cm absorption studies". MNRAS. 436 (3): 2352–2365. arXiv:1309.4098. Bibcode:2013MNRAS.436.2352R. doi:10.1093/mnras/stt1743. S2CID 119222770.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Nissim Kanekar (2016). "First Connection between Cold Gas in Emission and Absorption: CO Emission from a Galaxy-Quasar Pair". Astrophysical Journal Letters. 820 (2): L39. arXiv:1604.05720. Bibcode:2016ApJ...820L..39N. doi:10.3847/2041-8205/820/2/L39. S2CID 119075508.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nissim Kanekar

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nissim Kanekar claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nissim Kanekar before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nissim Kanekar ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nissim Kanekar

In research: Nissim Kanekar appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nissim Kanekar in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nissim Kanekar is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1973 births, 21st-century Indian physicists, Academic staff of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nissim Kanekar outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nissim Kanekar in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nissim Kanekar means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nissim Kanekar out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nissim Kanekar in simple terms?

Why does Nissim Kanekar matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nissim Kanekar?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nissim Kanekar.