Indian physicist wins Oskar Klein medal, one of the top prizes in physics
Oct 27th
Noted physicist Ashoke Sen has been awarded the prestigious Oskar Klein medal, one of the highest honours in theoretical physics, the Bengaluru-based International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS), where Sen is a professor, announced.
A decorated scientist, Sen is the first Indian to win this medal, awarded every year since 1988 by the Stockholm University and the Nobel Committee for Physics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Known for his work on string theory, Sen has earlier been awarded the Dirac medal as well as the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, both very prestigious honours.
String theory is one of main efforts to bridge the inconsistencies between quantum theory and gravitation, in an attempt to find a new grand unified theory of physics that can explain the behaviour of all particles and forces at every scale, from tiny subatomic particles to large galaxies.
“Prof Sen, an ICTS-Infosys Madhava Chair Professor, is internationally recognized for his pioneering work on S-duality, the precision counting black hole entropy and string field theory, all of which have helped shape modern string theory,” ICTS said in its announcement.
As part of the award, Sen delivered a lecture titled ‘Gravity from Strings and Strings from Gravity’ at the Stockholm University on Thursday, ICTS said.
The Oskar Klein medal is the latest in a string of top physics honours for Indian scientists in the last few years. Earlier this year, theoretical physicist Deepak Dhar had been named as the winner of the Dirac medal, making him the second Indian, after Sen, to win this prize. A few years ago, he was also awarded with the Boltzmann Medal, another top prize in physics. He is the only Indian to win both the Dirac Medal as well as the Boltzmann Medal.
Last year, Professor Jainendra Jain, an Indian-origin American physicist who is associated with multiple institutions in India, was named one of the winners of the Wolf Prize. These are all some of the most prestigious honours in physics, considered just below the Nobel Prize.
