1983 & 1984 Annual Report

Abstract

In October 1983, Professor Alladi Ramakrishnan, the Founder - Director of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, handed-over charge to Mr. T. D. Sundar Raj, I.A.S., Commissioner and Secretary to Government, Education Department, Government of Tamil Nadu and retired after having completed 60 years of age in August 1983. Prof. Alladi Ramakrishnan, served the Institute, as its Director, from its inception on January 3, 1962, for an uninterrupted period of 21 years. The spirit and ideals with which the Institute was founded continue to be the driving force for the scientists even today. In February 1984, Prof. G. Rajasekaran (Professor of Physics, University of Madras) joined the Institute as its Joint Ditector. Due to unavoidable circumstances, the Annual Report for the year 1983 could not be brought out and hence the present report incorporates the activities of the Institute, during the years 1983 and 1984. The Primary activity of the Institute - viz. Creative research in Mathematical Sciences in pursuit of the aims and objectives of the Institute - continued uninterrupted during the years 1983 and 1984, with seminars as well as series of lectures both by the faculty members of the Institute and by visiting Scientists. Prof. E. C. G. Sudarshan (Professor of physics. University of Texas at Austin, Texas, U.S.A.) took charge as the Director of the Institute in March 1984. The Twenty-first Anniversary Symposium of the Institute entitled "MAT- SCIENCE 21" was inaugurated by His Excellency Mr. S. L. Khurana, Governor of Tamil Nadu, who delivered the Anniversary address on 29th January 1983 Mr. C. Subra- maniam. Patron of the Institute, unveiled the portraits of the eminent Mathematical physicists Professor Hermann Weyl and Professor Eugene P. Wigner and spoke on his Early Memories which lead to the formation of the Institute in January 1962. The Institute conducted a conference on The Discrete and the Continuum in Physics, at the Institution of Engineers, Mysore, from March 7-12, 1983 and a conference on Probabilistic methods4 Monte Carlo techniques and Applications, at the Club House of the Hindustan Photo Films, Ootacamund, from September 15-20, 1983. The Fourth Number Theory Conference of the Institute was conducted at the Club House of the Hindustan Photo Films, Ootacamund from January 5-10, 1984. The Conference was inaugurated by the distinguished Hungarian Mathematician, Professor P. Erods, who headed a Hungarian delegation of four number theorists. Amongst the other noteworthy number theorists who participated in this conference were Prof. H. Halberstam, from the University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana, Illinois, USA and Prof H. E. Richert, from the University of Ulm, West Germany. The proceedings of this Conference edited by Dr. Krishnaswami Alladi will be published by Springer Verlag, and it is dedicated to Prof. P. Erdos on the occasion of his 70th Birthday. The Board of Governors of the Institute has been reconstituted, in October 1983, with Dr. R. Ramanna, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary to the Department of Atomic Energy, himself as a Member, with the tacit understanding and approval of the highest authorities in the country to upgrade and nurture the Institute to flourish as a National Centre of Excellence in Mathematical Sciences. Hon'ble Thiru C. Aranganayakam, Minister for Education, the Chairman of the Board and Mr. T. D. Sundar Raj, I.A.S., Commissioner and Secretary to Government, Education Department, are the representatives of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Besides the Director of the Institute, who is an Ex-Officio member of the Board, the other members are: Mr. Y. S. Das, Additional Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, as the representatives of the Government of India, and Prof. K. R. Unni as a representative of the Academic Council of the Institute. During the period (November 1983 to March 1984) when Mr. T. D. Sundar Raj, I.A.S. was the Director of the Institute, the Board of Governors met on November 24, 1983 and February 22, 1984. After Prof. E. C. G. Sudarshan took charge as the Director of the Institute, the Board met on August 13, 1984 and December 18, 1984, An allround expansion has been initiated by Prof. E. C. G. Sudarshan, from the middle of 1984, with increased aid from the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India and the Government of Tamil Nadu. Additional land (2.5 Acres) opposite to the existing premises of the Institute in the Central Institutes of Technology Campus, has been allotted for the construction of a Guest House-cum-Student Hostel Complex, by the Government of Tamil Nadu. Three identical houses in a single compound have been rented, in the interim period from August 1984, to serve as a Guest House, a student Hostel, and as a residence for the Director, in Besant Nagar, about 5 Kms. from the Institute. Professor C. S. Seshadri (professor of Mathematics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay) is at the Institute from June 1984. A search is now on to recruit new talent at the Faculty and the student levels from all parts of the country. Advertisements in all leading daily news papers were given and written and oral tests were conducted in July and October 1984, for the Junior Research Fellowships of the Institute. Of the 90 students (41 for Mathematics and 49 for Physics) who appeared for these tests, 7 students (3 for Mathematics and 4 for Physics) have been selected. The Junior Research Fellowship amount has been increased to Rs. 1000/- per month from October 1984. Among the Visiting scientists to the Institute during 1983 and 1984 were: Prof. John Thompson Fields Medalist, Cambridge University, England, who visited the Institute and gave two seminars on Finite Simple Groups, in August 1984. Prof. S. Chandrasekar, Nobel Laureate and distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, visited the Institute on November 2, 1984 and had a discussion with the academic group. Prof. T. Regge, University of Torino, Italy, visited the Institute on December 1 and gave a seminar on Group Manifold Approach. An Honorary Degree of Science (Engineering) was conferred upon Prof. E. C. G. Sudarshan by the Faculty of Engineering of the Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden, on May 25, 1984. During the years 1983 and 1984, ten faculty members and four students partici­pated in 22 International Conferences or Workshops. Participation in 11 International Conferences or Workshops was made possible with travel support from the Institute, while one faculty member obtained travel support from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, and another obtained support from the Indian National Science Academy-Royal Society of London exchange scientist programme (for 3 weeks). Also, seven faculty members and two students participated in 12 National Conferences within the Country. To this Institute devoted to theoretical studies in Mathematical Sciences, the Library is the vital organ, catering to the needs of not only the members of the Institute but also those belonging to other Institutions in the city of Madras. The Library continued to expand with the addition of books and journals and at the end of 1984, the total number of volumes in the Library is approximately 20,000. Besides the 90 International journals on Mathematics and Physical Sciences which are subscribed for by the Institute, the Library is continuing to get 55 journals and Lecture Notes from leading research centres throughout the world, in exchange to the I.M.Sc. (Institute of Mathematical Sciences) Reports. A salient and attractive feature of this library is that the books and journals are always available for reference, due to its non-lending charac­ter. A preprint collection is maintained in the Library in order to facilitate a rapid exchange of ideas with Scientists at other leading research institutions like the Institute of Physics, PRL, SINP, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Madras University, Indian Institutes of Technology, TIFR, CERN, ICTP, LBL, SLAC, NORDITA, etc. On an average about 150 preprints are received every month. Recently, subscription to a few important daily newspapers has been initiated.

Dec. 17, 1984.