Biography Abdus Salam

1 biography

1.1 youth , education
1.2 academic career
1.3 scientific career

biography
youth , education

abdus salam born chaudhry muhammad hussain , hajira hussain, punjabi muslim family part of ahmadiyya movement in islam. in terms of caste-affiliation, jats of rajput descent jhang on father s side while mother kakazai gurdaspur. grandfather, gul muhammad, religious scholar physician while father education officer in department of education of punjab state in poor farming district.

salam established reputation throughout punjab , later @ university of cambridge outstanding brilliance , academic achievement. @ age 14, salam scored highest marks ever recorded matriculation (entrance) examination @ punjab university. won full scholarship government college university of lahore, punjab state. salam versatile scholar, interested in urdu , english literature in excelled. picked mathematics concentration. salam s mentor , tutors wanted him become english teacher, salam decided stick mathematics fourth-year student there, published work on srinivasa ramanujan s problems in mathematics, , took b.a. in mathematics in 1944. father wanted him join indian civil service. in days, indian civil service highest aspiration young university graduates , civil servants occupied respected place in civil society. respecting father s wish, salam tried indian railways did not qualify service failed medical optical tests because had worn spectacles since age. results further concluded salam failed mechanical test required railway engineers gain commission in indian railways, , salam young compete job. therefore, indian railways rejected abdus salam s job application. while in lahore, abdus salam went on attend graduate school of government college university. received ma in mathematics government college university in 1946. same year, awarded scholarship st john s college, cambridge, completed ba degree double first-class honours in mathematics , physics in 1949. in 1950, received smith s prize cambridge university outstanding pre-doctoral contribution physics. after finishing degrees, fred hoyle advised salam spend year in cavendish laboratory research in experimental physics, salam had no patience carrying out long experiments in laboratory. salam returned jhang, punjab (now part of pakistan) , renewed scholarship , returned united kingdom doctorate.

he obtained phd degree in theoretical physics cavendish laboratory @ cambridge. doctoral thesis titled developments in quantum theory of fields contained comprehensive , fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics. time published in 1951, had gained him international reputation , adams prize. during doctoral studies, mentors challenged him solve within 1 year intractable problem had defied such great minds dirac , feynman. within 6 months, salam had found solution renormalisation of meson theory. proposed solution @ cavendish laboratory, salam had attracted attention of bethe, oppenheimer , dirac.

academic career

after receiving doctorate in 1951, salam returned lahore @ government college university professor of mathematics remained till 1954. in 1952, appointed professor , chair of department of mathematics @ neighbouring university of punjab. in latter capacity, salam sought update university curriculum, introducing course in quantum mechanics part of undergraduate curriculum. however, initiative reverted vice-chancellor, , salam decided teach evening course in quantum mechanics outside regular curriculum. while salam enjoyed mixed popularity in university, began supervise education of students particularly influenced him. result, riazuddin remained student of salam has privilege study under salam @ under-graduate , post-graduate level in lahore, , post-doctoral level in cambridge university. in 1953, salam unable establish research institute in lahore, faced strong opposition peers. in 1954, salam took fellowship , became 1 of earliest fellows of pakistan academy of sciences. result of 1953 lahore riots, salam went cambridge , joined st john s college, , took position professor of mathematics in 1954. in 1957, invited take chair @ imperial college, london, , , paul matthews went on set theoretical physics department @ imperial college. time passed, department became 1 of prestigious research departments included known physicists such steven weinberg, tom kibble, gerald guralnik, c. r. hagen, riazuddin, , john ward.

st john s college, cambridge salam studied.

in 1957, punjab university conferred salam honorary doctorate contribution in particle physics. same year mentor, salam launched scholarship programme students in pakistan. salam retained strong links pakistan, , visited country time time. @ cambridge , imperial college formed group of theoretical physicists, majority of whom pakistani students. @ age 33, salam became 1 of youngest persons elected fellow of royal society (frs) in 1959. salam took fellowship @ princeton university in 1959, met j. robert oppenheimer , whom presented research work on neutrinos. oppenheimer , salam discussed foundation of electrodynamics, problems , solution. dedicated personal assistant jean bouckley. in 1980, salam became foreign fellow of bangladesh academy of sciences.

scientific career

early in career, salam made important , significant contribution in quantum electrodynamics , quantum field theory, including extension particle , nuclear physics. in career in pakistan, salam interested in mathematical series , relation physics. salam had played influential role in advancement of nuclear physics, maintained , dedicated himself mathematics , theoretical physics , focused pakistan more research in theoretical physics. however, regarded nuclear physics (nuclear fission , nuclear power) non-pioneering part of physics had happened . in pakistan, salam leading driving force in theoretical physics in pakistan, many scientists continued influence , encourage keep work on theoretical physics.

salam had prolific research career in theoretical , high-energy physics. salam had worked on theory of neutrino – elusive particle first postulated wolfgang pauli in 1930s. salam introduced chiral symmetry in theory of neutrinos. introduction of chiral symmetry played crucial role in subsequent development of theory of electroweak interactions. salam later passed work riazuddin, made pioneering contributions in neutrinos. salam introduced massive higgs bosons theory of standard model, later predicted existence of proton decay. in 1963, salam published theoretical work on vector meson. paper introduced interaction of vector meson, photon (vector electrodynamics), , renormalisation of vector mesons known mass after interaction. in 1961, salam began work john clive ward on symmetries , electroweak unification. in 1964, salam , ward worked on gauge theory weak , electromagnetic interaction, subsequently obtaining su(2) × u(1) model. salam convinced elementary particle interactions gauge interactions. in 1968, weinberg , sheldon glashow, salam formulated mathematical concept of work. while in imperial college, salam, along glashow , jeffrey goldstone, mathematically proved goldstone s theorem, massless spin-zero object must appear in theory result of spontaneous breaking of continuous global symmetry. in 1960, salam , weinberg incorporated higgs mechanism glashow s discovery, giving modern form in electroweak theory, , theorised standard model. in 1968, weinberg , sheldon glashow, salam formulated mathematical concept of work.

abdus salam lectures on g.u.t. @ university of chicago s oriental institute.

in 1966, salam carried out pioneering work on hypothetical particle. salam showed possible electromagnetic interaction between magnetic monopole , c-violation, formulated magnetic photon.

following publication of prl symmetry breaking papers in 1964, steven weinberg , salam first apply higgs mechanism electroweak symmetry breaking. salam provided mathematical postulation interaction between higgs boson , electroweak symmetry theory.

in 1972, salam began work indian-american theoretical physicist jogesh pati. pati wrote salam several times expressing interest work under salam s direction, in response salam invited pati ictp seminar in pakistan. salam suggested pati there should deep reason why protons , electrons different , yet carry equal opposite electric charge. protons carry quarks, electroweak theory concerned electrons , neutrinos, nothing postulated quarks. if of nature s ingredients brought in 1 new symmetry, might reveal reason various features of these particles , forces feel. led development of pati–salam model in particle physics. in 1973, salam , jogesh pati first notice since quarks , leptons have similar su(2) × u(1) representation content, may have similar entities. provided simple realisation of quark-lepton symmetry postulating lepton number fourth colour, dubbed violet .

physicists had believed there 4 fundamental forces of nature: gravitational force, strong , weak nuclear forces, , electromagnetic force. salam had worked on unification of these forces 1959 glashow , weinberg. while @ imperial college london, salam showed weak nuclear forces not different electromagnetic forces, , 2 inter-convert. salam provided theory shows unification of 2 fundamental forces of nature, weak nuclear forces , electromagnetic forces, 1 another. glashow had formulated same work, , theory combined in 1966. in 1967, salam proved electroweak unification theory mathematically, , published papers. achievement, salam, glashow, , weinberg awarded nobel prize in physics in 1979. nobel prize foundation paid tribute scientists , issued statement saying: contributions theory of unified weak , electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including, inter alia, prediction of weak neutral current . in 1970s salam continued trying unify forces including strong interaction in grand unified theory.