ASIA Pakistani physics

With LHC increasingly a focus for world physics, distant communities become key partners in the preparations for the big experiments. In Pakistan, an annual International Summer College on Physics and Contemporary Needs provided an Asian platform for CERN physics.

The summer heat presses computing and nanotech- down relentlessly on the nology during the second plains of Pakistan, but the week. Students came from hills overlooking the capi­ all over Pakistan and from tal city of Islamabad from neighbouring countries in the north perch above the Central Asia. worst of the steamy blan­ Pakistan's increasing in­ ket, and in only an hour volvement in experimental and a half's drive the mer­ particle physics was reflec­ cury drops from 40 to The opening of the 1999 International Nathiagali Summer College on ted in the lectures on 25 °C. Historically, towns in Physics and Contemporary Needs at the National Library Islamabad. high-energy physics. Pres­ the Murree Hills have been Left to right: summer college scientific secretary Syed Arif Ahmad, chair­ entations were given by the traditional summer man of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Ishfaq Ahmad, Pakistan Hafeez Hoorani of CERN on retreat for local adminis­ National President Muhammad Rafiq Tarar, technical member of the the subject of W Physics at trations, but with improved PAEC and College Organizing Committee chairman Samar LER Felicitas Pauss of ETH communications they now Mubarakmand and National Centre for Physics director Riazuddin. Zurich on Physics at the throng with plains-dwellers LHC, Daniel Treille of CERN eager to escape the oppressive heat below. PAKISTAN el on the Standard Model and Physics at LERTejinder Since 1974 the Murree Hills have also been the Virdee of CERN and London's Imperial College on scene of a notable annual physics event. In Pakistani LHC Detectors, and Oswald Grobner of CERN on the physics, the influence of the late Abdus Salam, the LHC machine. first Pakistani to be awarded a Nobel Prize, is every­ In the lectures on accelerator-driven fusion, where. Throughout the world, Salam is remembered Jean-Pierre Revol of CERN described experiments for his physics contributions and for founding the by Carlo Rubbia's group and spoke of future plans International Centre forTheoretical Physics in Trieste, at CERN, while Gunter Bauer and Sandra Pelloni of Italy, which now bears his name. In 1974 he also sug­ the Swiss PSI Institute covered accelerator-driven gested setting up a regular international forum in reactors and neutron reaction rates respectively.

Pakistan, to attract scientists from all over the world, SCIENTISTS OF PAKISTAN Giovanni Ambrosi of Geneva spoke on the AMS par­ particularly from the developing countries. Salam DR. ABDUS SALAM ticle physics experiment in space, and CERN Courier knew that these scattered scientists can easily A new Pakistani postage editor Gordon Fraser surveyed some recent history become isolated and often lack the contact so neces­ stamp commemorates in "Physics and the 20th century". sary to keep pace with, and contribute to, contemp­ Abdus Salam, co- Since Salam's death in 1996, the college has fea­ orary research. architect of the unified tured a Salam Memorial Lecture, which this year The summer college was established at the leafy electroweak unification. was given by distinguished theorist Sergio Ferrara of haven of Nathiagali (at 2600 m), the former site of the CERN, speaking on "Superspace and supergravity - summer residence of the North West Frontier Province. More recently the quest for unification". the College has moved to a modern tourist complex in Bhurban, At the official inauguration of the summer college, held at the overlooking the Jhelum Valley and facing the foothills of Kashmir. National Library in Islamabad, a new collaboration agreement was The summer colleges have attracted a prestigious list of speakers, signed between CERN and Pakistan's recently established National each year having special keynote topics. This year the 25th Inter­ Centre for Physics (CERN Courier March p5). Pakistan's President, national Nathiagali Summer College on Physics and Contemporary Muhammad Rafiq Tarar, said he hoped that the collaboration would Needs focused on three themes: high-energy physics and accelera­ flourish and that such international ventures would strengthen con­ tor-driven fission in the first week; and laser cooling, quantum tacts between Pakistan and the rest of the world. •

CERN Courier September 1999 29