My Life's Journey in Scince ( Mera Vigyanic Safar)
My Journey from Cosmic Rays to Elementary Particles Hardev Singh Virk Professor of Eminence, Punjabi University, Patiala [email protected]
I was fascinated by the study of Cosmic Rays after reading a B.Sc. level Text book:"Modern Physics" by J.B. Rajam, which included the image of Piara Singh Gill (PS Gill). The footnote mentioned that PS Gill is the discoverer of Latitude Effect of Cosmic Rays. I was motivated to join AMU Aligarh for my Masters degree in Physics by Gurbax Singh, our Physics teacher in Government Mahendra College, Patiala, who had once tried to register for Ph.D. in AMU with PS Gill. In July 1961, I was admitted to M.Sc. 1st year in Physics at AMU Aligarh. Just after my admission, PS Gill left for a trip to USA to carry on his research investigations on Cosmic Rays there. On his return after a year, he started teaching our class the Special Paper "High Energy Nuclear Physics", better known as Elementary Particles.
During the 1960s, research was yet in its infancy in Indian Universities, and infrastructure facilities were lacking. However, TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) in Bombay was rated among the topmost in area of Cosmic Rays due to Homi J. Bhabha, its director and future architect of Atomic Energy of India. Later on, Dr PS Gill, who was my favourite teacher in AMU Aligarh, also joined TIFR and started using balloons for study of high altitude effect of Cosmic Rays. As the saying goes: "two swords cannot stay in the same sheath", the two scientists soon separated due to personal rivalry and Gill moved to AMU Aligarh to set up his own independent research laboratory at Gulmarg in J&K state.
I met PS Gill on 21st June 1961 at his official residence in AMU and told him about my plans to join Masters in Physics under his supervision. He was reluctant to accept my proposal and told me about his forthcoming visit to USA for one year. I felt discouraged. But as luck would have it, I met Bhai Amar Singh, a philanthropist of Aligarh, who offered me to stay in his house till I get admission in AMU.
I joined AMU Physics Department in end of July, 1961. Dr Gill returned from USA and started teaching us Cosmic Rays and Particle Physics. He was using his notes mostly based on Bruno Rossi's book "High Energy Particles". The subject of Cosmic Rays was fascinating and we were delighted to find that Homi Bhabha had made some unique contribution to the study of extensive air showers through Bhabha and Heitler Cascade Theory of Cosmic Air Showers theoretically and later by study of these showers experimentally. The contributions of Calcutta University for recording tracks of Cosmic rays using Cloud Chamber and nuclear emulsion plates were also considered to be pioneer work in the area of Cosmic Rays. DM Bose and Beva Chaudhary studied the meson production in Cosmic Rays at the same time as CF Powell, who got the Nobel Prize in 1950, in Bristol.
I started my teaching career in Guru Nanak Engineering College, Ludhiana in 1963. In 1965, I joined Punjabi University, Patiala. The Physics Department was in its offing and I was assigned to teach a Special Paper "Cosmic Rays and Particle Physics". This experiment failed as there were no research facilities in the department. Punjabi University was set up to teach Science and other disciplines in Punjabi medium. To promote Science in Punjabi, I translated Arthur Beiser's "Story of Cosmic Rays" into Punjabi which was awarded the first prize of Punjabi University, Patiala under medium switch over programme.
After 5 years teaching in the University, I became eligible to go for higher studies leading to doctorate in Physics in a foreign university. I was exploring some avenues both in India and abroad. First, I contacted Prof. Swami who was deputed by TIFR to supervise research in Punjab University, Chandigarh in high energy physics. Then I met Prof. Yog Prakash of Jammu University, a former student of PS Gill from AMU, who had Post-Doctoral training in Cosmic Ray Physics from USA. Somehow, I did not feel motivated to work in India after my meetings with both Swamy and Prakash. In 1969, I was selected under Indo-Russian collaboration to study in Moscow University but this scheme was cancelled at the last moment. In 1970, I qualified for Indo- French Exchange Programme and joined Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris for my doctoral research. During the interview held in Alliance Francaise at New Delhi, I was asked about my choice of work place. I mentioned Cosmic Ray Laboratory (Laboratoire du Rayonnement Cosmique) at Pic du Midi in South of France. But, I had no letter of recommendation from its Director. Hence, my choice fell on Laboratoire du Physique Generale, where Professor Max Morand, its Director, accepted me as his Doctoral student. I was helped in my search by Dr Sham Lal Malick, a Scientist in Mari Curie University, who happened to know Max Morand.