The light element Lithium (Li) with atomic number Z=3 is one of the three elements which originated in the Big Bang, the other two being Hydrogen and Helium. Since then, Li has evolved adding to the original primordial amount. In this talk, Professor Eswar Reddy will describe the cosmic Li problem and its evolution in a particular class of stars. He will describe India's involvement in the next-generation optical and infrared telescope project, the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) International Observatory. The TMT with a primary mirror of diameter 30 m poses extraordinary challenges to building and observing celestial objects close to the diffraction limit. One of the key challenges here is that it consists of 492 mirror segments, each of 1.45m, to make up for a 30m diameter and make it behave like a single monolithic mirror with a surface accuracy of a few nanometers. Professor Reddy will discuss this and similar engineering challenges.

Professor Eswar Reddy earned his PhD from Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA, Bengaluru).  He completed six years post PhD research experience at the University of Texas Austin and Valparaiso University. Since 2003, he has been a faculty member at IIA Bengaluru. His main research interests include galactic chemical evolution, nucleosynthesis in evolved stars and their evolution. He is spearheading India's participation in the Thirty Meter Telescope project as Programme Director since its inception. He is also Vice-President of the Astronomical Society of India and a Fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences.

Date: July 21, 2023
Time: 11:30 AM
Venue: Room 101, School of Arts and Sciences