Indian researchers have been honored with the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for their pivotal contributions to CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments. This prestigious award recognizes their role in advancing our understanding of the universe's fundamental particles and forces.
Key Highlights:
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Awarded Collaborations:
The Breakthrough Prize was jointly awarded to the ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, and LHCb collaborations at CERN for their groundbreaking work using LHC Run-2 data from 2015 to 2024.
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Indian Contributions:
Indian institutions such as TIFR, BARC, IISc, IITs, VECC, and NISER have been instrumental in various aspects of these experiments, including detector development, software, data analysis, and participation in the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid.
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Notable Indian Scientists:
Prominent Indian physicists like Bedangadas Mohanty (NISER), Dipanwita Dutta (BARC), and Sourabh Dube (IISER Pune) have made significant contributions to the ALICE and CMS experiments, particularly in the study of quark-gluon plasma and Higgs boson properties.
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Prize Allocation:
The $3 million prize is distributed among the four collaborations, with $500,000 allocated to ALICE and $1 million each to ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb.
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Future Endeavors:
Indian researchers continue to play a vital role in the LHC's future projects, including the development of the Forward Calorimeter for ALICE and upgrades to the CMS detector, ensuring India's ongoing contribution to global scientific advancements.
This accolade underscores India's growing influence in the field of particle physics and its commitment to international scientific collaboration.