Physics News

Women in High Energy Physics in Post Independent India

Bindu A. Bambah School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana 500046, India E-mail: [email protected]

Bindu Bambah did her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1983 under the guidance of the Nobel Laureate Prof. Y. Nambu. Her research is focussed on high-energy physics (theory and experiment) and non-linear dynamics. She was awarded the UNESCO, ROSTCA Young Scientists Award for South Asia in 1991. She is currently leading the University of Hyderabad group in the Experimental neutrino program at Fermilab, USA. Prof. Bambah has started undergraduate courses on scientific methodology and given lectures to school students on the importance of scientific thinking in all spheres of life. She also works on methods of inducting and training women to assume leadership roles in the physical sciences.

Abstract In this article, I will examine the status of gender parity in post-independence India by looking at women's lives in High energy physics. From the first-hand experiences of some of the pioneering women in the field, I hope to examine whether gender bias is a real threat in high-energy physics.

Introduction unrecognized in India until this book was published. No national award or fellowship came her way, and the scientific Gender Bias in Particle Physics has been thrust into the community largely ignored her. Her life has given a spotlight by the incendiary comments made by theoretical resurgence of debates on the lack of credit given to women in physicist Alessandro Strumia. At a workshop on gender in Physics and the skewed credit given to men in particle physics. physics at CERN, Geneva in 2018, he claimed that women The message of the book is, “As a woman, if you don’t belong were less capable than men at physics research [1]. In an to a “boys club” and boast about your achievements, you will objectionable remark, he claimed that “physics was invented always remain on the periphery in the scientific hierarchy.” and built by men, it’s not by invitation.” CERN suspended However, what survives is her story of courage and him, and letters by Nobel Prize winners were written against determination and her significant contributions to him [2, 3]. Still, the incident brought to light the lack of gender contemporary research, which gives a new role model to diversity in Particle Physics and the existence of such women in particle physics starting a career. It also provides discriminatory ideas in the field even today. The fact that he solace to those women who have remained on the periphery of felt it necessary to argue about gender diversity is in apparent the particle physics establishment for years and encourages contradiction to his statement that “In particle Physics, men them to write articles such as this one. and women have equal opportunities in fundamental physics, and women don’t necessarily face a more hostile work A Historical Perspective environment”. Such arguments are a convenient way for institutions to avoid measures to promote gender diversity in Despite constitutional guarantees, India still struggles with Physics at Universities, Institutes and science organizations. gender inequality issues beyond just equal economic growth Another argument made by Indian Physicists is that there is and access to educational resource opportunities. Gender more gender discrimination in physics in western countries inequality exists in socially constructed, predefined gender and in Indian Scientific academia, there is little evidence of roles firmly anchored in India's socio-cultural fabric with deep discrimination against women in high-energy physics. cultural and historical roots. Socio-cultural influences have spill-over effects across all domains, including science. In India, the invisibility of women in particle physics in post independent India has been highlighted in the book “A Jewel As Neelam Kumar, a feminist science historian writes [6]: Unearthed: Bibha Chowdhuri The Story of an Indian Woman “Science continues to be characterised by low number of Scientist” By Rajinder Singh and S.C. Roy [4]. The book females, clustered in disciplines considered feminine and traces the life of the Indian woman cosmic ray physicist Bibha confined to the ranks of invisible, poorly paid assistants, and Chowdhuri, whose work laid the foundation for the Nobel other lower positions.” Of all these disciplines, Experimental prize-winning work of discovering the pion [5]. She remained and Theoretical Particle Physics are not only the most male-

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dominated leadership disciplines but also have had their male in North India, from which many of today’s women high followers get the most accolades. energy experimentalists are descended. In particular, Prof. P.S. Gill, who had joined TIFR in 1947 and had carried To set the stage for women particle physicists, we look into investigations on high altitude effect of Cosmic Rays at history of Experimental and Theoretical high energy physics Lahore, moved to AMU Aligarh in 1948 to set up his own research in India. Cosmic ray research was one of the first independent research laboratory at Gulmarg in Jammu & fields in India, where active High Energy experimental Kashmir (J & K) state. Researchers trained in his laboratory research began. The major players in the area after led to the initiation of several Emulsion groups in Panjab Prof. Debendra Mohan Bose were Prof. Homi Bhabha, University, University of Jammu and University of Rajasthan Prof. Vikram Sarabhai, Prof. Piara Singh Gill, by the students of Prof. P.S. Gill some of whom were Prof. M.G.K. Menon, Prof. B.V. Sreekantan, Prof. I.S. Mitra, Prof. Yog Prakash and Prof. Lokanathan Prof. Sukumar Biswas and Prof. Yash Pal. Where, in this list respectively. Some of the women experimentalists in these is Dr. Bibha Chowdhuri, their contemporary? groups are now involved in leading high energy physics Dr. Bibha Chowdhuri was a gifted physicist who worked with collaborations in India and we will acquaint you with the ones Prof. Debendra Mohan Bose and published in journals such as who have made a significant contribution in this article. Nature and Proceedings of the Physical Society of London [7]. To situate this article on the Theoretical High Energy physics She did her research work at the P.M.S. Blackett laboratory at side, one must begin with the group of Prof. S.N. Bose and his the Imperial College London. With such sterling credentials students in Bengal, that of Prof. Alladi Ramakrishan in Prof. Homi J. Bhabha invited her to join the newly established Madras and the Physics department at the University of Delhi Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bombay, in with its triumvirate of Particle Physicists 1949. She was the first woman to be hired in this group. She Prof. R.C. Mazumdar, Prof. A.N. Mitra and served in renowned institutions of the country and was a Prof. S.N. Biswas. These were three of the earliest places tireless researcher till she died in 1991, unsung and where women theoretical physicists were trained. There were unheralded, in Calcutta. In an interview to The Manchester very few women in theoretical high-energy physics Herald during her research days, Dr. Chowdhuri had said, immediately after independence in India. However, as the new “Women are terrified of Physics — that is the trouble. It is a central universities and IIT’s sprung into existence and many tragedy that we have so few women physicists today... count well-trained particle physicists were employed there, the trend the women physicists I know, both in India and England, on soon changed and women in theoretical high energy physics the fingers of one hand. At school, scientifically-inclined girls became visible and continue to thrive today. choose Chemistry; perhaps because a really sound grasp of Higher Mathematics is one essential of any physicist’s Women in the Experimental HEP community in equipment.” India At the time of Dr. Bibha Chowdhuri’s sojourn at TIFR, there Dr. Bibha Chowdhuri’s immediate successors were women were two male colleagues from Indian institutions with similar involved in the cosmic ray and emulsion efforts in India. The credentials. They were Prof. B.V. Sreekanthan and emulsion group in North India at the Universities of Panjab, Prof. Sukumar Biswas. Both made rapid progression in the Jammu, Rajasthan and Delhi were among the first to train TIFR academic hierarchy, became Fellows of Science women in particle search methods. This involved painstaking Academies and rose to become Director and Dean. In contrast analysis under the microscope of thousands of exposed as a scientist with exceptional starting credits, emulsion plates from the balloon observatory at J & K and Dr. Bibha Chowdhuri traversed on a path where no accolades Hyderabad. These women went on to collaborate on got showered on her. In fact, the paper published by Prof. D.N. accelerator experiments at Fermilab and CERN, contributing Bose and her in “Nature” explicitly states “It was concluded to such pioneering discoveries as that of the top quark and the that the heavy ionization tracks found in Ilford New Halftone Higgs Boson. However, they experienced some intense gender plates kept exposed to cosmic rays at Sandakphu (12,000 ft.) bias and labelling because they were women. One of the were chiefly due to mesotrons. This work was quoted by earliest researchers in the field is Prof. Suman Beri, who began Powell (in whose group Prof. M.G.K. Menon later worked, her career in the 1960s in the emulsion lab at Panjab before arriving at TIFR as a Reader in Physics in 1955) in his University and became the first woman faculty member in the Nobel prize winning work, done seven years later than Physics Department. In 1970, Prof. Beri does not recall Prof. D.M. Bose and Dr. Bibha Chowdhuri. While meeting any other woman research scholar in India in the Dr. Bibha Chowdhuri’s co-workers at TIFR got benefits from field, but there were women working in theoretical high their association with Nobel Laureates, she remained on the energy physics. Most found the precision of analysing periphery of Indian academic institutions. emulsion plates very tedious. There was some feeling that the Much of today’s high energy community is the offspring of more cerebral jobs should be done by the men. She was about the Cosmic ray, Emulsion and Bubble chamber groups of the to resign after marriage as her husband was in Mumbai, but period 1950 to 1978. Although The group set up by her advisor Prof. V.S. Bhatia suggested she take study leave Prof. Bhabha has been often cited, parallel groups were there and continue her work at TIFR, where she met many who

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encouraged her to work. She slowly shifted her focus to trained in nuclear and accelerator physics at TIFR and general analysis techniques and became a part of the D0 Argonne National laboratory (USA) leads the TIFR search for collaboration. By that time, she had another female colleague double beta decay team. So there was a time lag of almost 40 (Prof. M. Kaur.) working with her and she recalls her male years between Dr. Bibha Chowdhuri’s tenure at TIFR and the colleague saying “I am the only one working on the analysis, next woman scientist on the faculty in experimental HEP. the other two are ladies”. At Fermilab, she got acquainted with Prof. Majumdar is now a senior professor at TIFR and was an Indian American women physicist Dr. Pushpa Bhatt, with also a India CMS spokesperson. Prof. Banerjee felt no obvious whom she struck a collaborative friendship and contributed to discrimination at TIFR and describes any tension between neural network studies of top quark data and Bayesian faculty as merely that of differing temperaments. The women estimation in LHC data. She guided many women students to trained there (and now there are quite a few) have contributed get Ph.Ds in high energy Physics and continues to be an a lot to the LHC experiment. emeritus professor at Panjab university, again the first woman It is now not an anomaly to see many Indian women in HEP to be so. Her quiet and unassuming demeanour is perhaps one experiment and many leaders among the US and Canadian of the reasons she has not get the credit and recognition that universities, such as Prof. Sampa Bhadra, Prof. Pushpa Bhatt she deserves. At Jammu university, the group started by Prof. and Prof. Usha Malik trained in Indian Universities and Yog Prakash also trained women physicists. The first among Institutes. In fact, in major scientific experiments the presence those is Prof. Anju Bhasin, who went on to contribute of a larger number of Indian women than any other nationality significantly to the RHIC at Brookhaven and ALICE is quite visible. However, they have been constantly subject experiment at CERN. Being in ALICE, which works towards to gender schemas, a set of implicit, or unconscious, gender diversity contributed significantly to Prof. Bhasin’s hypotheses (by both men and women) about sex differences sense of confidence and success. She also gained that play a central role in shaping women and men’s administrative accolades by being the first woman vice professional lives. The most important consequence of gender chancellor in J & K, where she leads the Jammu schemas for professional life in high energy physics is that cluster University. At the University of Rajasthan, men are consistently over rated, while women are under rated. Prof. Rashmi Raniwala did not find life very pleasant during With the entry of a large number of talented women in the field student days. She started in Prof. B. Lokanathan’s group, but and a shift in the recognition given to some of the successful after his retirement Her subsequent supervisor, was a little women, the landscape is, however, changing towards the uncomfortable with her straight forward and non-diplomatic better. One reason is the conscious diversity effort to add to attitude. Consequently, when the research group joined a new women in leadership roles in HEP experiment. Collaboration Experiment at CERN, she was not made a part of it. It was a “boys club” and colleagues junior to her were Women in Theoretical High Energy Physics in Post inducted in the CERN experiment. The issue escalated so Independent India much that she and her husband broke away from the group and Just as the publication of the book on Dr. Bibha Chowdhuri worked from home. She later went on to encourage some very has given rise to a discussion on women in experimental high active young women masters students in HEP experiment such energy physics, the publication of the book “Lilavati’s as Dr. Seema Sharma of IISER Pune. The group at Delhi Daughters” edited by Prof. Rohini Godbole and University was setup by Prof. R.K. Shivpuri. A lot of women Prof. Ram Ramaswamy [8] (and subsequent works [9]), HEP experimentalists were trained there, but it was brought into the limelight the lives of 100 women scientists. beset with controversy including harassment charges. Prof. Rohini Godbole, a theoretical high energy physicist, is Dr. Archana Sharma at CERN and Dr. Neeti Parasher at known for her pioneering work wherein she proposed one of Michigan are some of the successful women experimenters the most striking signals of top quark search. Her contributions that emerged from the group. From anecdotal references, the to the general area of particle and collider physics have been students were left largely to their own devices, which accounts highly acclaimed internationally. Prof. Godbole has also for the ambition to survive and succeed of the women from worked towards pioneering programs to raise awareness on that group. These women were also taught how to assume the subject of women in science. She remains one of the most administrative positions in HEP, and a number of his students decorated women in high energy physics, having both the went on to assume such roles. Padmashree and the French Legion of Honor. She did not, Though TIFR rose to international excellence in sciences, it’s however, emerge from a vacuum. record for gender diversity in Physics faculty remains In the 1950s, many universities had vibrant particle physics abysmally low. However, the success of its international groups setup by eager and talented young people trained in the collaboration in LEP and later D0 and LHC lead to a number US and England by very eminent physicists. Many talented of female students being trained at TIFR, who have become students, including women students studied theoretical very good scientists. Faculty hiring of women in the HEP physics. Many of these women went on to make a name in experimental group did not begin till the 1990s, theoretical physics, although some very eminent ones like Prof. Kajari Majumdar, a TIFR alumnus and Prof. Bimla Buti and Prof. Radha Balakrishnan, who initially Prof. Sudeshna Banerjee from University of Notre Dame were were taken in by the lure of particle physics, changed their hired. In an allied field, Prof. Vandana Nanal, a physicist fields to other theoretical disciplines.

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In Madras (Chennai), Prof. Alladi Ramakrishnan, after his theoretical physicists. In the 60s and 70s one did not hear of return to from the Institute for Advanced Study in 1958, many women who rose to high positions. Prof. Mira Dey and Ramakrishnan began a Theoretical Physics Seminar in his Prof. Lali Chatterjee were two dynamic women theorists at family home Ekamra Nivas (house with a mango tree). In the this time, they contributed both to nuclear-particle physics and seminar he presented lectures on the latest advances in fusion physics. Later the neutrino groups in Calcutta under theoretical physics to a small group of students, and invited Prof. Amitava Raychoudhuri and Kamales Kar had very leading scientists from the world to address the students. enterprising women students- Prof. Goswami and C. Subramaniam, a minister at that time arranged for an Prof. Sandhya Choubey, who have made a mark in Neutrino institute then called Matscience, now the Institute of Physics. Their paper was one of the first papers to do the Mathematical Sciences. In his memoirs C. Subramanium analysis of the Sudbury neutrino observatory data in terms of mentions that “Jawaharlalji was greatly impressed by the neutrino oscillations. This work established their groups as an enthusiasm shown by the students [of Professor internationally acclaimed group in this field. However, they Ramakrishnan]...and in particular to see four girls among reached the top on a slippery path full of hurdles. In fact, the students. When the students told him that they needed an Prof. Sandhya Choubey recalls being taunted that her work institution for the development of theoretical physics and was “not theoretical enough as there is no gmunu” so mathematics, he asked me to examine the proposal and put up somewhat inferior to esoteric string theory. Needless to say, a note for his consideration.” with her professorship at the prestigious KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, she has had the last laugh. The four girl students were G. Bhamathi, R. Thunga, Prof. Goswami is considered an international expert in the T. K. Radha, and S. Indumathi. Prof. Bhamathi went on to field of neutrino physics. make a career in particle physics by going University of Colorado, Boulder as a postdoc for a year and returned to The IITs opened up new doors for theoretical physics, and Madras and was appointed as a Pool Officer in the Theory even though the number of women students was low, they division of the Physics Dept. at the University of Madras. She went on to become high energy physicists of repute. Prof. applied for the position of Reader in Physics and got selected Godbole set the example at IIT Bombay with her sojourn at in 1966. Subsequently, through another selection process SUNY Stonybrook. Many followed her there including, Prof. became a Professor in the same department. She contributed Neelima Gupte and Prof. Sumathi Rao. They all began in greatly to phenomenological studies in Particle Physics. In HEP, but later diversified. Very often due to the two-body 1992, she married the legendary physicist E.C.G. Sudarshan problem of being a husband and wife in the same field and and went to Austin where she continued her research. She is being compared to each other. now known in India more for this fact than the hundred papers Another university which has produced women theoretical she has published, and the fact that she was the first woman to high energy physicists of note is the Utkal University be chair of a theoretical physics department in India. She says, Bhubaneshwar. Even in the 70s when women professors were “I must add that the 60s and 70s were still very traditional not seen, there were two women professors on their faculty, environment in Madras and people did not step out of their one in Nuclear Physics, Prof. Mamata Sathpathy, and one in boundaries easily. There were heads of other Departments astrophysics, Prof. Pushpa Khare. Later, Prof. Swapna who did not believe in gender equality. But socially accepted Mahapatra joined. Prof. Mahapatra is one of the very few behaviour constrained them from exhibiting it openly. I was women doing string theory in the country. The other being determined to show, whenever necessary, that women are just Prof. Rama Devi at IIT Mumbai, who works on topological as capable as men are given the opportunity.” She goes on to field theories and strings. Both have had good support from say after I sent her an email, “I am glad you mentioned their colleagues, but have remained quietly working on the Dr. Bibha Chowdhuri in your email. When I got your first one, sidelines while their contemporaries are directors and fellows I was thinking of her, also a loner in Cosmic Ray Physics. We of various academies. It is their love for Physics which keeps used to meet her at the Cosmic Ray and Particle Physics them going, not their want of laurels. From the Utkal group, conferences in the 60s. Despite being in TIFR, she too must a number of young women theoretical physicists emerged. have faced quite a bit of isolation and lack of recognition.” At Prof. Rukmani Mohanta and Prof. Amruta Mishra are two Chennai, in the erstwhile MATSCIENCE, now IMSC, highly published notable particle physicists, who have Prof. D. Indumathi is one of the pioneers leading the INO contributed to heavy flavour physics and strong interaction collaboration in neutrino physics. It may be mentioned that physics respectively. Prof. Mohanta’s group has trained many there are many women scientists in INO collaboration and a young women graduate students, who are already making a large number of women PhD students have graduated from the name for themselves. However, because of their unassuming INO graduate training programme. In fact, neutrino physics and somewhat subdued nature, they have not gotten the remains one of the most gender diverse field of particle recognition they deserve. physics in India with an impressive list of highly talented women. I cannot give an exhaustive list of the women in theoretical high energy physics. I have given selective examples of how In Kolkata, The Presidency college, Calcutta University and the scale is not even for men and women. I will end with later Saha Institute and S.N. Bose centre produced many a few personal experiences of discrimination I faced in my

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journey through particle Physics. I was a Ph.D. student of successful women have decided to remain single and dedicate Prof. Y. Nambu, Nobel laureate. I always felt I was equal to themselves to physics. The ones that have children have had my male peers, but inevitably my credentials were questioned. great family support. One would not have to make such a Not having a social life outside the field, it is invariable for statement for men. We are definitely seeing an upward trend women physicists to marry their colleagues in physics. in women doing high energy physics and there are some very Sometimes they are collaborators. In an interview for a job in exceptional ones. This trend will increase if we make a Kolkata, I was talking about a joint paper with my husband. conscious effort to be inclusive. With gender equality No physics question was asked only what did I contribute to measures now being stipulated into science and technology HIS paper. I too replied the same as I did to our child. policies, we have to make sure that the diversity effort is such Inevitably, again and again in husband-wife joint papers of that we women can truly hold up half the sky. many of my colleagues it was always assumed that the main contribution was the man’s. During the time I was applying References for post-doctoral positions, I was expecting a child. Doors 1. Alessandro Strumia, “Bibliometrics data about gender issues in closed, offers were rescinded not only in India, but places like fundamental theory”, contribution to the First Workshop on Germany too. It was only the kindness of Prof. Salam that I High Energy theory and gender”, CERN, Oct. 2018. could do a post doc at ICTP and be a mother at the same time. 2. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06913-03 Ever since a teacher in my M.Sc. lab said to me “go home and 3. https://gizmodo.com/over-200-physicists-denounce-sexist- make rotis, do not take away a poor man’s job”, I have been lecture-at-cern-1829513584 4. A Jewel Unearthed: Bibha Chowdhuri The Story of an Indian determined to make a name for myself in Physics. I have Woman Scientist by Rajinder Singh and S.C. Roy (Shaker worked on topological field theories, quark-gluon plasma and Verlag GmbH, Germany, 2018) analogues of Hawking radiation in the lab on the highly 5. C.M.G. Lattes, H. Muirhead, G.P.S. Occhialini, and C. Powell, theoretical side and have in my older years become interested Nature 159, 694 (1947) in experimental neutrino physics, in order that students at the 6. Women and Science in India: A Reader edited by Neelam University of Hyderabad get a chance to work in mega science Kumar (Oxford University Press, India, 2008) projects, an opportunity not given to them in the past. For this, 7. See article by S.C. Roy and Rajinder Singh in this issue I have been ridiculed as “unfocussed”. Never a follower, I 8. Lilavati’s Daughters: The Women Scientists of India by R. have gained very few laurels. Godbole and R. Ramaswamy (Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, 2008) Whenever possible, one must encourage young women to 9. The Girl’s Guide to a Life in Science edited by Ram fight for their rightful place in academia. A universal theme, Ramaswamy, Rohini Godbole and Mandakini Dubey (Zubaan with which I concur, is that the partners of successful high Press, 2015) energy physicists have been encouraging. Many of the ——————————————

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