Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Inspiring colours: On the 2023 Chemistry Nobel

Inspiring colours: On the 2023 Chemistry Nobel

Chemistry Nobel Prize goes to trio (तिकड़ी) that made ‘artificial atoms (कृत्रिम परमाणु)’

Travelling in a bus can be an enjoyable experience if you have your own seat, the vehicle is not crowded, and there is a nice breeze (हवा). But if the bus is packed with people, you can get irritable. Something similar happens to atoms: if they are contained in a vessel at a low density, they behave in a certain way, but if they are packed densely together, with little moving space, something new happens. The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to three people who found out what happens. Technically, they have been selected for discovering and refining quantum dots (quantum dots are particles (nanocrystals) that are a few nanometres wide. They exhibit unique optical properties due to their small physical size. Their structure and atomic composition are the same as bulk materials, but the properties of the latter don’t depend on their size. Quantum dots are semiconducting particles just one-thousandth the width of a human hair. In fact ,the properties of quantum dots can be changed by changing their size. It will absorb and re-emit that light at a different frequency (or colour) depending on its size. Smaller dots emit light of higher frequency (bluer) and vice versa. Today, one of the simplest applications of quantum dots is to light computer monitors and television screens) — small crystals a few nanometres wide. Each quantum dot has only a few thousand atoms (whereas a single droplet (छोटी बूंद) of water can have a sextillion). And because the atoms are packed so closely together in the dot, their electrons (a stable subatomic particle with a negative electrical charge) are very close to each other. In this setting, the laws of quantum mechanics (it is the field of physics that explains how extremely small objects simultaneously have the characteristics of both particles (tiny pieces of matter) and waves (a disturbance or variation that transfers energy). It is the study of matter and energy at the most fundamental level) describe the behaviour of quantum dots — so much so that (इतना है कि) an entire dot can mimic (नकल करना) the behaviour of an atom. The dots have another famous property. If you shine some light on a quantum dot, it will absorb and re-emit that light at a different frequency (or colour) depending on its size. Smaller dots emit light of higher frequency (bluer) and vice versa (विपरीतता से). So, a quantum dot made of some material would respond in one way whereas (चूँकि, जबकि) a quantum dot made of the same material but smaller would respond differently. For these reasons, quantum dots have found many applications (आवेदन) in transistors, lasers, medical imaging (Medical imaging is the process of visual representation of different tissues and organs of the human body to monitor the normal and abnormal anatomy and physiology of the body. Medical imaging encompasses technologies like ultrasonography, x-rays, mammography, computed tomography (CT scans), and nuclear medicine), and quantum computing (an area of study focused on the development of computer-based technologies centered around the principles of quantum theory. Quantum computing harnesses the phenomena of quantum mechanics to deliver a huge leap forward in computation to solve certain problems. Classical computers, which include smartphones and laptops, encode information in binary “bits” that can either be 0s or 1s. In a quantum computer, the basic unit of memory is a quantum bit or qubit). In 1981, Alexei Ekimov, then working in the Soviet Union, first synthesised (integrate, incorporate, put/join together, merge (especially chemically)) quantum dots ‘frozen’ inside glass. Two years later, Louis Brus synthesised quantum dots in a solution in the U.S., and worked out their quantum-physical (relating the branch of physics concerned with quantum theory (the study of matter and energy at the most fundamental level)) properties. Finally, Moungi Bawendi, whose work on quantum dots began as a student under Dr. Brus, found a way to make quantum dots of high quality in an easy and reliable (विश्वसनीय, भरोसेमंद) way in 1993. For their contributions, they have shared the Nobel Prize.

Some of the most fascinating (आकर्षक) scientific discoveries, for all their technical sophistication (परिष्करण, जटिलता), are actually innocuous (अहानिकर, हानि रहित) in their appeal (निवेदन). Quantum dots are one such. Understanding why they behave the way they do requires specialised knowledge of quantum mechanics, but quantum mechanics do not dictate (control, dominate, determine) their behaviour. Dr. Ekimov himself was inspired by the colours in stained glass (coloured glass; glass of different colours). While quantum dots light up LED screens and the location of a tumour that needs to be removed, it is important not to lose sight of (forget, neglect, ignore, disregard, overlook, pay no attention to, fail to consider, be lax about) the colours — the reds, the greens, and the blues — and whatever more they might inspire.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.inspiring (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रेरणादायक, उत्साहवर्द्धक
English Meaning - encouraging, exciting, heartening, exhilarating, fascinating.

2.trio (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तिकड़ी
English Meaning - a group of three people; troika.

3.artificial atoms (AAs) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कृत्रिम परमाणु
English Meaning - artificial atoms (AAs) or quantum dots (QDs) are small crystals a few nanometres wide; semiconductor nanocrystals are called artificial atoms because of their atom-like discrete electronic structure resulting from quantum confinement;

4.breeze (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हवा
English Meaning - gentle wind.

5.droplet (noun)

Hindi Meaning - छोटी बूंद
English Meaning - a very small drop of liquid.

6.so much so that (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - इतना है कि
English Meaning - to such an extent/degree/level that.

7.mimic (verb)

Hindi Meaning - नकल करना
English Meaning - imitate, simulate, replicate, emulate, copy.

8.vice versa (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - विपरीतता से
English Meaning - conversely, inversely, oppositely, the other way round.

9.whereas (conjunction)

Hindi Meaning - चूँकि, जबकि
English Meaning - in contrast or comparison with the fact that.

10.application (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आवेदन
English Meaning - practical use; relevance, significance.

11.appeal (noun)

Hindi Meaning - निवेदन
English Meaning - the quality of being attractive/interesting.

12.reliable (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - विश्वसनीय, भरोसेमंद
English Meaning - dependable, well founded, established, proven, definitive.

13.fascinating (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - आकर्षक
English Meaning - interesting, captivating, engrossing, enthralling, attractive.

14.sophistication (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिष्करण, जटिलता
English Meaning - complexity, intricacy, complication.

15.innocuous (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अहानिकर, हानि रहित
English Meaning - harmless, unharmful, non-dangerous, non-poisonous, undamaging, safe; unobjectionable, inoffensive.

16.quantum dots (QDs) (noun)

English Meaning - quantum dots are particles (nanocrystals) that are a few nanometres wide. They exhibit unique optical properties due to their small physical size. Their structure and atomic composition are the same as bulk materials, but the properties of the latter don’t depend on their size. Quantum dots are semiconducting particles just one-thousandth the width of a human hair. In fact ,the properties of quantum dots can be changed by changing their size. It will absorb and re-emit that light at a different frequency (or colour) depending on its size. Smaller dots emit light of higher frequency (bluer) and vice versa. Today, one of the simplest applications of quantum dots is to light computer monitors and television screens.

17.sextillion (noun)

English Meaning - A trillion billion: one followed by 21 zeros.

18.electron (noun)

English Meaning - a stable subatomic particle with a negative electrical charge.

19.quantum mechanics (noun)

English Meaning - it is the field of physics that explains how extremely small objects simultaneously have the characteristics of both particles (tiny pieces of matter) and waves (a disturbance or variation that transfers energy). It is the study of matter and energy at the most fundamental level.

20.shine a light (phrase)

English Meaning - to examine something more precisely in order to make it more clear.

21.medical imaging (noun)

English Meaning - Medical imaging is the process of visual representation of different tissues and organs of the human body to monitor the normal and abnormal anatomy and physiology of the body. Medical imaging encompasses technologies like ultrasonography, x-rays, mammography, computed tomography (CT scans), and nuclear medicine.

22.quantum computing (noun)

English Meaning - an area of study focused on the development of computer-based technologies centered around the principles of quantum theory. Quantum computing harnesses the phenomena of quantum mechanics to deliver a huge leap forward in computation to solve certain problems. Classical computers, which include smartphones and laptops, encode information in binary “bits” that can either be 0s or 1s. In a quantum computer, the basic unit of memory is a quantum bit or qubit.

23.quantum-physical (adjective)

English Meaning - relating the branch of physics concerned with quantum theory (the study of matter and energy at the most fundamental level).

24.dictate (verb)

English Meaning - control, dominate, determine.

25.stained glass (noun)

English Meaning - coloured glass; glass of different colours.

26.lose sight of (phrase)

English Meaning - forget, neglect, ignore, disregard, overlook, pay no attention to, fail to consider, be lax about.

27.synthesise (verb)

English Meaning - integrate, incorporate, put/join together, merge (especially chemically).