Bose statistics and the boson
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Satyendra Nath Bose derived Planck's radiation law in a new way in 1924 and sent it to Einstein, who extended it. The result is Bose–Einstein statistics, and particles that obey it are called bosons.
India first (well documented)Physics & chemistry
Indian claim
S. N. Bose created the new statistics; Einstein extended it, but Bose's role has often been underplayed and he never received a Nobel Prize.
Evidence for the Indian claim
- Bose, then at Dacca University, wrote a paper deriving Planck's law by counting light quanta in a new way, and sent it to Einstein in 1924.
- Einstein translated it into German and had it published in Zeitschrift für Physik in 1924.
- Paul Dirac named particles that follow these statistics 'bosons' in Bose's honour.
Commonly credited to
The statistics are usually presented as a joint Bose–Einstein achievement, and Einstein predicted the condensate.
Evidence for the other claim
- Einstein applied Bose's method to atoms (1924–25) and predicted Bose–Einstein condensation.
- The 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics went to Cornell, Ketterle and Wieman for creating such condensates.
What historians and scientists say
Bose's 1924 paper came first and founded the new statistics. Einstein's extension was essential too. The joint name is fair, and Bose's priority is not in doubt.