For years, Indian physicists worked in silence in pursuit of matter's secrets. Finally, their diligence is paying off worldwide. The 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics was jointly awarded to four experimental collaborations operating at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC)—ATLAS, CMS, ALICE and LHCb. These experiments were motivated by data from Run-2, accumulated between 2015 and July 15, 2024.
The $3 million award will fund doctoral student grants. The chosen students from member institutions will receive practical training at CERN. This will introduce them to high-level research and enable them to return home with expertise.
5,345 researchers contributed to ATLAS, and CMS had 4,550 scientists. ALICE featured 1,869 researchers, and 1,744 participated in the LHCb collaboration. Their research enriched our knowledge about the Higgs boson and quark-gluon plasma. It also investigated matter-antimatter asymmetry and physics beyond the Standard Model.
India's Role in Global Collaboration
India has been a contributing country to such international endeavours. Indian physicists made valuable contributions to the CMS and ALICE projects. They were involved in detector development, software, and analysis right from the beginning. Various institutes and universities from all over India contributed to both experiments.
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Indian researchers contributed to the development of the Photon Multiplicity Detector and Muon Spectrometer in ALICE. These devices facilitated the exploration of quark-gluon plasma and the investigation of particle behaviour. Scientists conducted studies on collective flow, heavy-flavour production, and event-by-event fluctuations.
Indian groups collaborated in CMS on the trigger and data acquisition. They contributed to major parts such as Resistive Plate Chambers and the Hadron Outer Calorimeter. Indian scientists were at the forefront of research on the Higgs boson, supersymmetry, top-quark behaviour, and electroweak interactions.
Indian computer centres were crucial for data processing. Tier-2 facilities at TIFR-Mumbai and VECC-Kolkata handled more than 17.5 million ALICE jobs. They offered 17,400 cores and 12 petabytes of storage space. GRIDVIEW and SHIVA were built with major Indian contributions.
A Long Journey of Scientific Partnership
India's association with CERN began in the 1960s. TIFR scientists first came to expose stacks of emulsions. In the 1980s, Indian groups participated in LEP experiments and Z-line shape measurements. Contributions also arrived in heavy-ion physics during the 1990s. Groups participated in WA93 and WA98 experiments utilising special detectors.
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A formal cooperation treaty with CERN was executed in 1991. This was preceded by a 2009 MoU for enhanced collaboration. India was accorded observer status in 2002 and became an associate member state in 2017.
India's contributions also involve high-tech hardware from BARC and RRCAT. These encompass cryogenics, collimators, vacuum chambers and radio-frequency systems. Their efforts ensured collisions of high quality at the LHC.
In a cultural move, India presented CERN with a Shiva Nataraja statue in 2004. It symbolises the relationship between spirituality and science. A plaque features a quote by physicist Fritjof Capra on the cosmic dance of particles.
Training and the Path Ahead
Over 110 Indian Ph.D. theses were prepared based on CMS and ALICE data. Over 130 research papers appeared in peer-reviewed journals. Indian students were trained at CERN through direct involvement. They acquired hands-on experience in machine learning, instrumentation, and international collaboration.
Indian institutes form part of CMS and ALICE collaborations. These are from Panjab University to IITs and IISERs, from almost all areas of the country. Indian groups also hold seats on CERN's leading boards and councils. These include RRB, ACCU, and the Scientific Council.
India is currently planning to assist in upcoming detector upgrades. These are p-type silicon-based FoCal detectors in ALICE, which will aid in the research of direct photons and neutral pions. Indian researchers also participate in the CMS Phase-2 upgrade. This comprises efforts on four elements: outer tracker, GEM, HGCAL, and trigger systems.
These improvements are essential to the high-luminosity phase of the LHC. They will enhance accuracy and venture into uncharted regions of physics.
Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission Dr A.K. Mohanty stated that the award shows years of international collaboration. He also lauded the Indian scientists' and students' commitment.
Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology, further said that the award reflects India's dominance in fundamental research. He termed it as evidence of India's profound engagement in world science.
As ALICE and CMS move into a new phase, India is still a proud partner. From data to detectors, its scientists are contributing to unravelling the universe's secrets.
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