Bibha Chowdhuri: India Forgotten Pioneer of Particle Physics

Bibha Chowdhuri: The Rediscovered Luminary of Indian Physics

Bibha Chowdhuri, long absent from mainstream scientific narratives, is now being rightfully recognised as one of India’s earliest and most remarkable women physicists. A pioneer in cosmic ray research, she laid groundwork in particle physics decades before her contributions were acknowledged. A new biography finally brings her achievements back into national focus.

Formative Years and Academic Brilliance

Born in Kolkata in 1913, Chowdhuri excelled in academics from an early age. Completing her MSc in Physics from Calcutta University in 1936 as the only woman in her cohort, she joined Debendra Mohan Bose at the Bose Institute soon afterward. Their collaborative research on cosmic rays, using state-of-the-art photographic emulsion plates, resulted in three Nature publications — a groundbreaking feat for Indian scientists of the era.

Meson Detection Ahead of Its Time

Chowdhuri and Bose recorded meson-like particle tracks years before C.F. Powell’s later experiments, which would earn him the Nobel Prize. Although wartime shortages prevented them from acquiring improved emulsion plates, Powell later acknowledged that their work had paved the way for his own discoveries.

Scientific Career Across India’s Premier Institutions

Chowdhuri earned her PhD under Nobel laureate P.M.S. Blackett at the University of Manchester in 1945. In 1949, Homi J. Bhabha recruited her as the first woman researcher at TIFR . She later joined the Physical Research Laboratory, contributing to the ambitious Kolar Gold Field experiments in high-energy physics. Institutional restructuring eventually pushed her out, yet she continued independent research in Kolkata, publishing actively for decades.

Exam Oriented Facts

• First woman researcher appointed at TIFR (1949)

• Co-detected mesons before Powell’s Nobel-winning studies

• PhD under P.M.S. Blackett, 1945

• Worked on the Kolar Gold Field underground physics experiments

Restoring a Neglected Legacy

Despite a lifetime devoted to physics, Chowdhuri received neither national honours nor institutional celebration. Recent scholarly work by Rajinder Singh and Suprakash C. Roy now brings long-overdue visibility to her scientific contributions.