Sunil Mukhi
Encyclopedia
Sunil Mukhiis an India
n scientist working in the areas of string theory
, quantum field theory
and particle physics
.
. After spending two years at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics
at Trieste
, Italy
, he returned to India where he has worked at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
in Mumbai, India since 1984.
by the Vice-Chancellor of Kumaon University in India. The Vice-Chancellor was eventually found guilty by a national committee http://www.indianexpress.com/india-news/full_story.php?content_id=17786 and subsequently resigned.
Mukhi has a number of interests in addition to physics, notably Indian Classical Music
on which he maintains a webpage, science
popularisation which he carries out through seminars at schools and colleges as well as newspaper articles, and cinema
, cooking
and meditation
. Within the field of Indian Classical Music he has spent considerable effort archiving classic recordings, particularly those of notable vocal artist Pandit Kumar Gandharva on whom he also maintains a webpage. He has recently started a blog, named "Tantu-jaal"http://sunilmukhi.blogspot.com/
and the Indian National Science Academy
and a recipient of the S.S. Bhatnagar Award for Physical Sciences, 1999 and the J.C. Bose Fellowship, 2008. He has been an Editor of the Journal of High Energy Physics
since its inception.
Mukhi was an invited speaker at the international conferences Strings 2000 in Michigan
, Strings 2002 in Cambridge
and Strings 2008 in Geneva
. He was one of the organisers of Strings 2001 in Mumbai
- a conference that attracted much publicity because of the participation of David Gross
, Stephen Hawking
and Edward Witten
among other luminaries in the field. He has also lectured at advanced schools in theoretical physics, notably at Cargèse
and Les Houches
in France
, at the SERC school series in India
, and at the first PITP School at the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton
during his sabbatical year there.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n scientist working in the areas of string theory
String theory
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
, quantum field theory
Quantum field theory
Quantum field theory provides a theoretical framework for constructing quantum mechanical models of systems classically parametrized by an infinite number of dynamical degrees of freedom, that is, fields and many-body systems. It is the natural and quantitative language of particle physics and...
and particle physics
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
.
Career
He earned a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics in 1981 from the State University of New York at Stony BrookState University of New York at Stony Brook
The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....
. After spending two years at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics
International Centre for Theoretical Physics
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics was founded in 1964 by Pakistani scientist and Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam after consulting with Munir Ahmad Khan. It operates under a tripartite agreement among the Italian Government, UNESCO, and International Atomic Energy Agency...
at Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, he returned to India where he has worked at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research is a research institution in India dedicated to basic research in mathematics and the sciences. It is a Deemed University and works under the umbrella of the Department of Atomic Energy of the Government of India. It is located at Navy Nagar, Colaba, Mumbai...
in Mumbai, India since 1984.
Research
His major publications deal with fundamental properties of string theories, and include the conformal invariance of supersymmetric two-dimensional field theories which describe the world-sheet dynamics of stringshttp://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?irn=721816, the study of supersymmetric solitons using index theoremshttp://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?irn=1178075, the discovery of a new duality between string theory and M-theoryhttp://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?irn=3277321, the identification of string networks as supersymmetric stateshttp://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?irn=3655156 and the discovery of a novel Higgs mechanism in the worldvolume theory of M-theory membraneshttp://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?eprint=arXiv:0803.3218.Other activities
In 2002, he played a role http://frontlineonnet.com/fl1922/stories/20021108003508400.htm in exposing a series of instances of plagiarismPlagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
by the Vice-Chancellor of Kumaon University in India. The Vice-Chancellor was eventually found guilty by a national committee http://www.indianexpress.com/india-news/full_story.php?content_id=17786 and subsequently resigned.
Mukhi has a number of interests in addition to physics, notably Indian Classical Music
Indian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
on which he maintains a webpage, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
popularisation which he carries out through seminars at schools and colleges as well as newspaper articles, and cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, cooking
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
and meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
. Within the field of Indian Classical Music he has spent considerable effort archiving classic recordings, particularly those of notable vocal artist Pandit Kumar Gandharva on whom he also maintains a webpage. He has recently started a blog, named "Tantu-jaal"http://sunilmukhi.blogspot.com/
Honors
Mukhi is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of SciencesIndian Academy of Sciences
The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore was founded by Sir C. V. Raman, and was registered as a Society on 24 April 1934. Inaugurated on 31 July 1934, it began with 65 founding fellows. The first general meeting of Fellows, held on the same day, elected Professor Raman as President, and adopted...
and the Indian National Science Academy
Indian National Science Academy
The Indian National Science Academy , New Delhi is the apex body of Indian scientists representing all branches of science & technology.-History:...
and a recipient of the S.S. Bhatnagar Award for Physical Sciences, 1999 and the J.C. Bose Fellowship, 2008. He has been an Editor of the Journal of High Energy Physics
Journal of High Energy Physics
The Journal of High Energy Physics is a refereed scientific journal in the field of high energy physics, owned by the International School for Advanced Studies and published by Springer.The journal covers the following areas of theoretical and experimental physics:Collider PhysicsUnderground and...
since its inception.
Mukhi was an invited speaker at the international conferences Strings 2000 in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Strings 2002 in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and Strings 2008 in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. He was one of the organisers of Strings 2001 in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
- a conference that attracted much publicity because of the participation of David Gross
David Gross
David Jonathan Gross is an American particle physicist and string theorist. Along with Frank Wilczek and David Politzer, he was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of asymptotic freedom. He is currently the director and holder of the Frederick W...
, Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...
and Edward Witten
Edward Witten
Edward Witten is an American theoretical physicist with a focus on mathematical physics who is currently a professor of Mathematical Physics at the Institute for Advanced Study....
among other luminaries in the field. He has also lectured at advanced schools in theoretical physics, notably at Cargèse
Cargèse
Cargèse is a village and commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the west coast of the island of Corsica, 27 km north of Ajaccio...
and Les Houches
Les Houches
Les Houches is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-Overview:It is a ski-resort, and is located 6 kilometres from Chamonix with a ski domain which extends from an altitude of 950 metres up to 1900 metres...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, at the SERC school series in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and at the first PITP School at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
during his sabbatical year there.