Particles of wonder

The project site in Ooty

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 isn't intimidating and professor Arnab Bhattacharya, founder of Chai and Why and chair, TIFR Public Outreach, assures us the content isn't either.

At this talk, Cosmic Rays: Messengers across the universe, Sunil Gupta of TIFR will talk about these fascinating particles. "The earth is bombarded by very high energy particles, a million times more energetic than ones created at CERN. We don't know where they come from. When they hit the earth's upper atmosphere they create a shower of particles," says Bhattacharya breaking it down for us. He will talk about the institute's ongoing research project in Ooty and its significance in everyday life. " 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," 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. "There are few opportunities in Mumbai to meet a scientist and ask them questions," 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. "Besides, I think anyone who is waking up on a Sunday morning for this is definitely curious already," he says. "After all, science isn't just something you study in text books and forget but an exploration of the world around us," 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
Free

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