India’s best known physicist ECG Sudarshan has passed away at the age 86 in Texas. An outstanding theoretical physicist, Sudarshan was born in Kottayam, Kerala, India, in 1931.
He completed his higher studies from CMS College and Madras Christian College and then did his post-graduation from the University of Madras. After completing his masters, he worked briefly with Homi J Bhabha – the father of the Indian nuclear programme – at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.
In 1955, he moved to United States to pursue his doctoral studies at University of Rochester. The professional career of Sudarshan spans five decades. His research interests spanned particle physics, quantum optics, quantum field theory, quantum information theory, gauge theories and classical mechanics.
He had been teaching as a professor at University of Texas for over 40 years. The maverick was nominated for Nobel prize for his invaluable contribution in Physics for multiple times. Unfortunately, he never won the coveted honour.
However, Sudarshan shot to fame when he proved wrong one of Albert Einstein’s theories that ‘nothing can move faster than light.’ He proved that superluminous particles ‘Tachyons’ can indeed travel faster than light.
Despite being in US, he never lost touch with India. In 1972, he set up the Centre for Theoretical Studies at IISc Bangalore
In 2007, the Indian government recognised and awarded the physicist with the second highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan.
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