Science & Scientists of India

Dr. Rajagopala Chidambaram

Context: Eminent Indian physicist and nuclear scientist Dr. Rajagopala Chidambaram passed away on January 4, 2025.

Relevance of the Topic: Mains: Contributions of Dr. Rajagopala Chidambaram.

About Dr. Rajagopala Chidambaram (1936-2025):

Born in 1936, Chidambaram was an alumnus of Presidency College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu and Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru, Karnataka.
His career comprises numerous prestigious positions he held, including:
- Principal Scientific Adviser to the government of India (2001–2018)
- Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (1990-1993)
- Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission
- Secretary to the government of India, DAE (1993-2000).
He also served as chairman of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (1994–1995).
He was honoured with Padma Shri in 1975 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1999 (for his stellar contributions to making India a nuclear weapons state).
His autobiography: India Rising (highlights his leadership in designing and executing the peaceful nuclear explosion experiment at Pokhran in 1974)

Contributions of Dr. R Chidambaram:

Development of India’s Nuclear Programme:
- He was integral to the Nation's first Nuclear Test in 1974.
- He led the Department of Atomic Energy team during the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998.
- This makes him one of the rare atomic scientists who contributed to India’s both Nuclear tests:
  - Smiling Buddha (Pokhran) in 1974
  - Operation Shakti (Pokhran) in 1998.

Foundation for Modern Materials Science Research:
- His research in high-pressure physics, crystallography, and materials science significantly advanced the scientific community's understanding of these fields.
- His pioneering work laid the foundation for modern materials science research in India.

As Principal Scientific Advisor (2001-2018), he:
- set up the National Knowledge Network for high-speed connectivity to educational and research institutions.
- backed National Supercomputing Mission, Mission on Quantum Technologies, Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) India (Indian node of LIGO to probe the universe) etc.
- established programmes such as the Rural Technology Action Groups and the Society for Electronic Transactions and Security.
- established rural technology laboratories at several engineering colleges.
- pushed for the development of cleaner and more efficient thermal power plants, backed research in Ayurveda.
- funded a number of projects that looked at integrating Ayurveda with modern medicine.

Dr. Chidambaram was a firm believer in self-reliance and strongly opposed reliance on imported technology. His unparalleled contributions furthered India's nuclear prowess and strategic self-reliance and his legacy will continue to inspire generations.

How can the sky glow even after sunset?

Context: This article explains reasons for sky glow even after sunset.

Why sky glows even after sunset:

The sun may have set, but it hasn't yet from the perspective of the upper atmosphere.
The sun still shines on the atmosphere, but at a sharp angle beneath the horizon. During this time, we see the sky glow because molecules in the air scatter this sunlight in different directions, including towards us. This is also why the evening sky appears red at the horizon.
- Both this effect and the sky appearing blue during the daytime are the results of Rayleigh scattering (the scattering of sunlight by particles in the air that are much smaller than the light's wavelength).
As the sun continues to set, a smaller amount of sunlight strikes the upper atmosphere. Nightfall truly begins when the sun is at least around 18 degrees below the horizon.
The arrival of daylight happens through a similar process, in reverse. When the sun is at least 18 degrees below the horizon in the east, the sky starts to turn reddish again near the horizon. When the sun's position crosses the horizon (as seen by the observer), daylight breaks out, and the day begins.
The sky can appear to glow even after the sun has dipped 18 degrees below the horizon due to other sources of light. These include the scattering of starlight by the atmosphere and — increasingly — light pollution.

AI and issue of copyright infringement

Context: The recent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc. versus Goldsmith et al. case has added more unpredictability to the process of being exempted from copyright infringement liabilities. The judgment is set to have implications for how we regulate a powerful form of artificial intelligence.

Generative AI programs (like ChatGPT, Midjourney, DALL-E etc.) may infringe copyright in existing works, either by making copies of existing works to train the AI or by generating outputs that resemble those existing works.

Copyright law in India:

The Copyright Act in India, 1957 provides a legal framework for the protection of copyright and related rights. The Act grants copyright protection to:
- Original literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works
- Cinematograph films
- Sound recordings, and
- Computer programs
Copyright holders have exclusive rights over their works, including the right to reproduce, communicate to the public, perform, adapt, and translate the work. In contrast to patents, copyright safeguards expressions rather than ideas.
Under Section 52(1)(a) of the Copyright Act, certain acts are exempted from copyright infringement if they fall within the scope of fair dealing.
- Fair dealing allows for the use of copyrighted works for specific purposes such as private study, research, criticism, review, news reporting, or incidental use.
In addition to fair dealing, India's Copyright Act also includes a detailed list of enumerated exceptions under Section 52(1)(a), which provides specific situations where the use of copyrighted works is allowed without obtaining permission from the copyright owner.
- They include reproduction for educational purposes, certain library and archive use, performance or display of works during religious ceremonies etc.

AI and Copyright issues:

Under Indian Copyright Law, the authorship of works created by artificial intelligence (AI) is currently a topic of debate and does not have a clear legal framework. The Copyright Act, 1957, does not specifically address the issue of AI-generated works or the determination of authorship in such cases.
- Traditionally, copyright law recognizes human authors as the creators of original works, as they exercise creative judgment and skill in their creation.
- However, with the rise of AI technology and its ability to generate original works independently, questions have emerged regarding the attribution of authorship.
According to Section 2 (d) of the Copyrights Act, the "author" means the person who causes the work to be created (concerning any literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work which is computer generated). This bars the AI from owning any authorship because it is generally not regarded as a legal person.
Hence, in the absence of specific legislation or judicial precedents in India, determining authorship for AI-generated works remains uncertain.