Physics Nobel Prize winner acknowledges AMU Professor

Aligarh, October 13:

When Aligarh Muslim University’s Department of Physics Professor Mohammad Sajjad Athar started working with Professor Takaaki Kajita, little did he know that he is on the way to bring laurels for AMU. Prof Tabaaki was recently awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics and Prof Athar, now has the privilege to have worked with the Nobel Laureate during his visits to Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo.

Prof Athar worked with the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research in May and June 2008 and June and July 2012 with Prof Kajita as the Director of the institute. Prof Kajita, who is also associated with the Super K Lab was given Nobel for ‘the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrons have mass’.

Prof Athar and Prof Kajita have also co-authored research papers, ‘Atmospheric neutrino Flux at INO, South Pole and Pyhasalmi’, ‘Atmospheric neutrino flux calculation using the NRLMSISE-00 atmospheric model and ‘Calculation of Atmospheric Neutrino Flux with NRLMSISE-00’.

“I was invited by Prof Kajita to work with him on the predictions of atmospheric neutrino flux,” said Prof Athar.While, this work of Prof Kajita eventually led to 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics, the Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor, Lt General Zameer Uddin Shah (retd) has complimented Prof Athar. “Your work will bring laurels to AMU,” wrote the Vice Chancellor to Prof Athar in a letter of appreciation. He further wrote, “I must compliment you for your association with Prof Kajita.”

In a letter of gratitude to Prof Athar, Prof Kajita acknowledged his association. He wrote, “Prof Athar visited the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo as a guest Associate Professor. He attended the XXV International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics, held at Kyoto during June 4 and 9, 2012 where he presented two papers entitled ‘Nuclear medium effects’ and ‘Kaon Production of the Nucleon.’

Prof Kajita further stated in the letter that Prof Athar interacted with Dr Morihiro Honda and carried out work on the Atmospheric Nutrini Flux at the proposed sites for the Atmospheric Neutrino Experiment.“Prof Athar has also worked exclusively on the Atmospheric Neutrino Flux at the proposed India based Neutrino Observatory Project,” wrote Prof Kajita adding that it is hoped that Prof Athar will continue to work on this and collaborate with our group.

In the letter, Prof Kajita also acknowledged Prof Athar of delivering a seminar on the ‘Importance of cross section on predicting neutrino event mass. “We look forward to Prof Athar’s work on strange particle production which is important for the proton decay searches at Super—Kamiokhande,” wrote Prof Kajita. He ended the letter with a note that he looks forward to continue the collaboration work with Prof Athar.

Meanwhile, at least two AMU Department of Bio-Chemistry alumni, Dr Intisan Husain and Dr Sighatullah Lari, now settled in the United States of America worked as post-doctorate fellows with Prof Aziz Sancar, one of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winners. The two AMU Alumni had worked with Prof Sancar at the University of North Carolina. They have also published research papers in peer reviewed academic journals in collaboration with Prof Sancar.

 

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