In the vast cosmos of particle physics, one name shines brilliantly – Piyare Lal Jain. Born on December 11, 1921, in India, he carved a monumental legacy during his illustrious career, leaving an indelible mark on the scientific community. On October 28, 2019, at the age of 97, this luminary breathed his last, but his contributions to the realm of physics continue to echo through the corridors of academia.
Piyare Lal Jain: The Axion Revelation
Piyare Lal Jain’s crowning achievement was on December 6, 2006, when he announced the discovery of the long-sought axion subatomic particle. The path to this groundbreaking revelation was paved with innovation and perseverance.
While modern electronic detectors fell short in detecting axions due to their incredibly short distances and times, Jain turned to a 3-dimensional photographic medium, a technology largely abandoned by his contemporaries. Over years of meticulous experimentation, this physical medium identified approximately 1,200 axion traces, marking a turning point in particle physics.
A Journey Unfolds
Piyare Lal Jain embarked on his academic journey at Punjab University, earning his M.A. in 1948. He later pursued his Ph.D. at Michigan State University in 1954, setting the stage for a prolific career.
His early work involved nuclear magnetic resonance studies of liquid crystals and polymers, but it was his expertise in using nuclear emulsions to study energetic sub-atomic particles that defined the trajectory of his research.
Diverse Contributions to Physics
Piyare Lal Jain’s research spanned over 50 years at the University at Buffalo, covering diverse areas of physics. From studying cosmic rays on balloon flights high in the Earth’s atmosphere to exploring high-energy particle accelerators at renowned institutions like Cornell University and CERN, Jain’s curiosity knew no bounds.
His work produced significant results on various particles, elucidating their properties and interactions.
In the early 1980s, Jain’s focus shifted to the medical realm, using heavy ions on bone tissue to explore more effective cancer therapies. Subsequent funding from the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation supported his studies on heavy-ion collisions in emulsion.
Scientific Contributions and Recognition
Piyare Lal Jain’s impact extended beyond his discoveries. His research disproved the existence of hypothetical anomalous fragments, known as anomalons, and provided evidence for the formation of a quark-gluon plasma in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, aligning with Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) predictions. His studies at CERN uncovered signals for low-mass neutral particles with fleeting lifetimes.
Piyare Lal Jain’s scholarly endeavors resulted in over 175 scientific articles published in refereed journals, and his influence reverberated globally through numerous invited talks at international conferences.
As a Fulbright Fellow and a fellow of the American Physical Society, he earned accolades, including the United University Professions (UUP) Excellence Award and the prestigious Hind Rattan (Jewel of India) from the Government of India.
Also Read: Jainendra Jain: The Quantum Wonders of Condensed Matter Physics