Dr Abdus Salam’s services for Pakistan – historical overview:
Salam was at the forefront of theoretical Physics, atomic and nuclear sciences throughout his career. His name is permanently carved into the historical records of great discoveries in the 20th century. 1/
Salam was at the forefront of theoretical Physics, atomic and nuclear sciences throughout his career. His name is permanently carved into the historical records of great discoveries in the 20th century. 1/
He had a profound impact on the very fundamental areas of Theoretical Physics, in particular, Electroweak theory, Goldstone boson, Grand Unified Theory, Higgs mechanism, Magnetic photon, Neutral current, Pati–Salam model, Quantum mechanics, 2/
Preon, Standard Model, Strong gravity, Superfield, and W and Z bosons.
After his Ph.D. in 1951 from Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge, he opted to serve Pakistan. But things didn’t turn out the way he wanted on his return which disappointed him. 3/
After his Ph.D. in 1951 from Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge, he opted to serve Pakistan. But things didn’t turn out the way he wanted on his return which disappointed him. 3/
He went back to the UK. But he did not cease his efforts to serve Pakistan.
His earliest contribution was when he represented as a member of a delegation in 1955 to the very first such global conference in Geneva. He was 29 years old. 4/
His earliest contribution was when he represented as a member of a delegation in 1955 to the very first such global conference in Geneva. He was 29 years old. 4/
Salam developed various ideas utilizing nuclear technology for Pakistan with another Nobel laureate, Dr Sir John Crockroft. Director of a British Nuclear research institution. 5/
In 1955, the Pakistan delegation attended a conference in the UK in which Salam was pivotal in putting together an infrastructure plan for Pakistan’s nuclear program. He planned a Nuclear Research Institute, a Nuclear Research Reactor, Nuclear technology for agriculture, 6/
medicine, and a laboratory for getting radioisotopes. He set out a dream as early as 1955 for a nation barely 8 years old, which was a beacon of light for so many developing nations, Muslim countries and the Arab world.
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In 1958 during a ceremony at Karachi University President Ayub Khan met Salam. He requested Salam to assist the government in the areas of science and technology. Salam by this time was well recognized by President Ayub Khan,
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&was considered the topmost scientist with immense international clout. He was 32 years old.
The government established Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) in 1956 after the plans shared in the previous year by Salam and President Ayub Khan made Salam a member in 1958. 9/
The government established Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) in 1956 after the plans shared in the previous year by Salam and President Ayub Khan made Salam a member in 1958. 9/
He remained as a member until 1974 when Salam resigned due to the unfortunate Anti-Ahmadi amendment in the constitution. In 1959, President Ayub Khan attended the eleventh ‘All Pakistan Science Conference’ in Karachi. 10/
Salam delivered lectures on Particle Physics during this. He got acquainted with Dr Ishrat Hussain Usmani, who despite a disciple of a Nobel Laureate Dr George Thompson (the discoverer of wave nature of electrons) was given an import-export portfolio in the gov bureaucracy. 11/
Salam got him involved into Nuclear research and the Space program. He discussed with President Ayub and sought Usmani's appointed as the chairman of PAEC. Salam was ambitious and totally fixated on the idea of making Pakistan a true scientific power. 12/
He needed allies to assist in all possible spheres of the sciences. Salam with I. H. Usmani identified various young aspirants of Physics, nuclear science, mathematics, and other technological fields. 13/
He influenced governmental & non-government institutions to offer scholarships and grants to get them educated, seek PhDs in Western universities and work for Pakistan. He gathered over 500 such students. 14/
He made sure these students attend the most prestigious universities which were at the cutting edge of science and technology. Salam was barely in his early 30s when pursuing this course of progress for his nation. 15/
He institutionalized the methods to train high-end engineers and scientists.
While he was serving Pakistan he had a concurrent and prolific research career in theoretical and high-energy physics. 16/
While he was serving Pakistan he had a concurrent and prolific research career in theoretical and high-energy physics. 16/
Salam had worked on the theory of the neutrino, where, he introduced a novel concept of chiral symmetry. In 1961, Salam worked with John Clive Ward on symmetries and electroweak unification. 17/
In 1964, Salam and Ward worked on a Gauge theory for the weak and electromagnetic interaction. Salam was the proponent of the concept that all the elementary particle interactions are actually gauge interactions. 18/
By 1968, together with Weinberg and Sheldon Glashow, Salam formulated the mathematical concept of this work. The introduction of chiral symmetry played a crucial role in the subsequent development of the theory of electroweak interactions. 19/
Later these three were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1979. Salam also contributed to the Higgs Bosons theory of the Standard Model, where he predicted the existence of proton decay. 20/
In 1963, Salam published his theoretical work on the vector meson. These were cutting-edge research endeavors at the highest levels of Theoretical Physics.
Salam in 1966 carried out pioneering work on a hypothetical particle the magnetic photon. 21/
Salam in 1966 carried out pioneering work on a hypothetical particle the magnetic photon. 21/
In 1972, Salam began to work with Indian-American theoretical physicist Jogesh Pati. Pati approached Salam expressing interest to work under his direction. Salam invited Pati to the ICTP seminar in Pakistan. 22/
Salam suggested to Pati the topic of the protons and electrons being so different and yet carry equal but opposite electric charges. This contributed to developing the Pati-Salam model in 1974 which is part of the Grand Unification Theory. 23/
Salam wanted nuclear power plants in Pakistan. He persuaded Canada in 1965 to sign a nuclear energy cooperation deal with Pakistan. He took President Ayub in confidence while many gov functionaries were persistently against him. The reactor was the basis of KANUPP in Karachi, 24/
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