Gauhati University Marks Significant Devp in Nuclear Physics Research, Becomes First in India to Experiment with VECC’s Superconducting Syclotron

The VECC Superconducting Cyclotron is like a high-speed ride for tiny particles, such as protons or ions

Gauhati University has become the first institution in India to conduct experiments using the recently commissioned Superconducting Cyclotron at the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) in Kolkata, marking a significant development in Indian nuclear physics research.

The Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) Superconducting Cyclotron is like a high-speed ride for tiny particles, such as protons or ions. It uses strong magnets and electric currents to spin these particles to incredibly high speeds, reaching energies between 400 and 500 million electron volts (MeV). This is much more powerful than other similar machines in India, which can only reach up to 250 MeV. By speeding up particles to such high energies, scientists can study how the tiniest building blocks of atoms behave in extreme conditions, helping us learn more about how the universe works.

Other facilities in India, like those at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai and the Inter University Accelerator Centre (IUAC) in New Delhi, can only work with lower energies, up to 250 MeV. The VECC Cyclotron’s higher energy range allows scientists to explore new areas of nuclear physics, such as how atoms split apart in a process called nuclear fission, a press release from Gauhati University said.

The experiment, which took place over two months, was led by Prof Kushal Kalita from the Department of Physics, Gauhati University along with his PhD students, and in collaboration with Dr TK Ghosh and Amit Sen from VECC. Their work focused on understanding how atoms split at these high energies, adding valuable knowledge to nuclear physics.

Prof Nani Gopal Mahanta, Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University, praised the achievement and said, “Using the VECC Superconducting Cyclotron, which can reach energies up to 500 MeV, we can study how atoms behave in ways we couldn’t before. This experiment is a big step forward, and Gauhati University is proud to be part of it.”

Prof Kalita said, “Working with VECC has allowed us to explore parts of nuclear fission that other Indian facilities can’t study because of their lower energy limits.”

This successful experiment paves the way for more exciting discoveries in nuclear physics in India and opens doors for future collaborations between universities and research centres.

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