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Hundred years of the Saha equation and astrophysics

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Abstract

Saha ionization equation, discovered 100 years ago, is widely acknowledged to transform astrophysics from a qualitative to a quantitative science. It helped in clarifying the confusion prevailing in the first 2 decades of the twentieth century with regard to the physical conditions present in the stellar atmospheres and the abundance of elements in stars. Saha equation continues to be useful in areas far removed from the physical conditions in stellar atmospheres for which it was developed.

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Reprinted from Ref. [59] with kind permission form European Physical Journal A

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Acknowledgements

Discussions with Kanan K. Datta and A. Kundu are gratefully acknowledged. A part of this work has been carried out with financial assistance of the UGC-DRS(II) programme of the Department of Physics, University of Calcutta.

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  1. Department of Physics, University of Calcutta, 92 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road, Calcutta, 700009, India

    Gautam Gangopadhyay

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Correspondence to Gautam Gangopadhyay.

Appendix A: Brief biography of Meghnad Saha

Appendix A: Brief biography of Meghnad Saha

figure a

Meghnad Saha (1893-1956) was born in East Bengal in British India, now a part of Bangladesh. He studied in Presidency college, Kolkata and then joined the newly formed University College of Science of the University of Calcutta as a research fellow. Working independently, he discovered the ionization equation. After a brief stint in London and Berlin, he joined the University of Calcutta in 1921 as a professor, and in 1923. shifted to The University of Allahabad. He came back to the University of Calcutta in 1938. Within the Department of Physics he started the Institute of Nuclear Physics, which later became an independent organization and now bears his name. He was instrumental in setting up the first cyclotron in Asia. Saha was involved in national planning and, after independence, was elected to the member of the Indian Parliament as an independent member.

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Gangopadhyay, G. Hundred years of the Saha equation and astrophysics. Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 230, 495–503 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-021-00005-3

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