Shrinivas Kulkarni
Encyclopedia
Shrinivas R. Kulkarni FRS is a professor of astrophysics
and planetary science
at California Institute of Technology
. He is on the Space Interferometry Mission
science team and is the director of optical observatories at California Institute of Technology
, including Palomar
and Keck.
Kulkarni
is the brother of Sudha Murthy and Jayshree Deshpande.
, India
. He obtained his MS in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 1978, and his PhD at the University of California, Berkley in 1983, and later became a professor at California Institute of Technology
. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
, London, in 2001, one of only ten living Indian born scientists to do so. He was elected to be member of National Academy of Science in 2003. He has received many awards including the NSF's Alan T. Waterman award in 1992 and the Helen B. Warner Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 1991.
is known for shifting between different fields within astronomy, using wide range of wavelength in observation. He started off his career as a radio astronomer. He studied molecular clouds and discovered four arms of milky way galaxy. He was a member of the team that discovered the first millisecond pulsar
, PSR B1937+21
. He discovered the first optical counterpart of binary pulsars, and the first Globular cluster
pulsar. He was a member of the team that showed that soft-gamma-ray repeaters are super-nova remnants. His team showed in 1997 that gamma-ray bursts came from extragalactic sources, and identified optical counterparts. This work led to the detailed studies of the sources of gamma-ray bursts. He was also a member of the team that observed first Brown dwarf
, Gliese 229
. His current work involves Palomar Transient Factory
which has succeeded in finding a new type of object .
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
and planetary science
Planetary science
Planetary science is the scientific study of planets , moons, and planetary systems, in particular those of the Solar System and the processes that form them. It studies objects ranging in size from micrometeoroids to gas giants, aiming to determine their composition, dynamics, formation,...
at California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
. He is on the Space Interferometry Mission
Space Interferometry Mission
The Space Interferometry Mission, or SIM, also known as SIM Lite , was a planned space telescope developed by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration , in conjunction with contractor Northrop Grumman...
science team and is the director of optical observatories at California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, including Palomar
Palomar Observatory
Palomar Observatory is a privately owned observatory located in San Diego County, California, southeast of Pasadena's Mount Wilson Observatory, in the Palomar Mountain Range. At approximately elevation, it is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology...
and Keck.
Kulkarni
Kulkarni
Kulkarni Marathi- Kannada- is a common family name in the Maharashtra and Karnataka states of India.The name Kulkarni is believed to be a combination of two words . Kula means the root of the family, and Karanika means one who maintains records or accounts...
is the brother of Sudha Murthy and Jayshree Deshpande.
Background
Shrinivas Ramchandra Kulkarni was born in the small town of Kurundwad on October 4, 1956 in southern Maharashtra and had his early education in Hubballi, KarnatakaKarnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He obtained his MS in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 1978, and his PhD at the University of California, Berkley in 1983, and later became a professor at California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, London, in 2001, one of only ten living Indian born scientists to do so. He was elected to be member of National Academy of Science in 2003. He has received many awards including the NSF's Alan T. Waterman award in 1992 and the Helen B. Warner Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 1991.
Notable research
KulkarniKulkarni
Kulkarni Marathi- Kannada- is a common family name in the Maharashtra and Karnataka states of India.The name Kulkarni is believed to be a combination of two words . Kula means the root of the family, and Karanika means one who maintains records or accounts...
is known for shifting between different fields within astronomy, using wide range of wavelength in observation. He started off his career as a radio astronomer. He studied molecular clouds and discovered four arms of milky way galaxy. He was a member of the team that discovered the first millisecond pulsar
Millisecond pulsar
A millisecond pulsar is a pulsar with a rotational period in the range of about 1-10 milliseconds. Millisecond pulsars have been detected in the radio, X-ray, and gamma ray portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The origin of millisecond pulsars is still unknown...
, PSR B1937+21
PSR B1937+21
PSR B1937+21 is a pulsar located in the constellation Vulpecula a few degrees in the sky away from the first discovered pulsar, PSR B1919+21. The name PSR B1937+21 is derived from the word "pulsar" and the declination and right ascension at which it is located, with the "B" indicating that the...
. He discovered the first optical counterpart of binary pulsars, and the first Globular cluster
Globular cluster
A globular cluster is a spherical collection of stars that orbits a galactic core as a satellite. Globular clusters are very tightly bound by gravity, which gives them their spherical shapes and relatively high stellar densities toward their centers. The name of this category of star cluster is...
pulsar. He was a member of the team that showed that soft-gamma-ray repeaters are super-nova remnants. His team showed in 1997 that gamma-ray bursts came from extragalactic sources, and identified optical counterparts. This work led to the detailed studies of the sources of gamma-ray bursts. He was also a member of the team that observed first Brown dwarf
Brown dwarf
Brown dwarfs are sub-stellar objects which are too low in mass to sustain hydrogen-1 fusion reactions in their cores, which is characteristic of stars on the main sequence. Brown dwarfs have fully convective surfaces and interiors, with no chemical differentiation by depth...
, Gliese 229
Gliese 229
Gliese 229 is a red dwarf star about 19 light years away in the constellation Lepus. It has 58% of the mass of the Sun, 69% of the Sun's radius, and a very low projected rotation velocity of 1 km/s at the stellar equator.The star is known to be a low activity flare star, which means it...
. His current work involves Palomar Transient Factory
Palomar Transient Factory
The Palomar Transient Factory is an astronomical wide-field survey designed to search for optical transient and variable sources. It is fully automated, including a wide-field survey camera, an automated realtime data reduction pipeline, a dedicated photometric follow up telescope, and a full...
which has succeeded in finding a new type of object .
External links
- Personal webpage
- An accomplished observer Frontline - Oct. 27 - Nov. 09, 2001
- A Star Called Kulkarni Rediff - August 19, 2003
- Nature Podcast 24 May 2007 - Nature
- Kulkarni Inducted Into The Royal Society, 2001