| Rafi Muhammad Chaudhry | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | July
1, 1893 Aligarh, India |
| Died |
January 7, 2004 (aged 110) Lahore, Pakistan |
| Citizenship | Pakistan |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Fields | Experimental Nuclear Physics |
| Institutions | Pakistan
Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) Government College University (Lahore), High Tension Laboratory, Lahore Aligarh Muslim University |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge, United Kingdom |
| Doctoral advisor | Dr. Ernest Rutherford |
| Doctoral students | Dr.
Mustafa Yar Khan Dr. Tahir Hussain |
| Other notable students |
Anwar Chaudhri Munawar Chaudhri Samar Mubarakmand Noor Muhammad Butt |
| Known for | his
work in Atomic & Nuclear Physics in Pakistan. Father of Nuclear Physics in Pakistan & Pakistan's Nuclear Research Program |
| Influenced | Ernest Rutherford |
| Notable awards | Hilal-i-Imtiaz
(2004) Nishan-e-Imtiaz (1998) Sitara-i-Imtiaz (1965) Sitara-i-Khidmat (1954) |
|
Notes
A close friend of Dr. Abdus Salam and mentor of prominent Pakistani nuclear scientists Dr. Samar Mubarakmand and Dr. N. M. Butt |
|
Professor Dr. Rafi Muhammad Chaudhry or R. M. Chaudhry (July 1, 1893- January 7, 2004) was the pioneer of experimental nuclear physics research in Pakistan[1][2]. He is considered one of the main wings and instruments of Pakistan's nuclear program. Along with Dr. Abdus Salam and Dr. Ishrat Hussain Usmani, Dr. Rafi built and orchestrated Pakistan's nuclear research program.
While serving as Professor of experimental nuclear physics at Government College University; Dr. Rafi Muhammad Chaudhry and his students became prime instruments for the development of Pakistan's nuclear research program during the 1970's. In an interview with a group of journalists, Dr. Samar Mubarakmand, one of his students, called Dr. Rafi Muhammad Chaudhry as "the true father of the Pakistan's nuclear program"[3][4]. He is often considered as the "Father of Nuclear Physics" in Pakistan due to his pioneering research work in nuclear physics in Pakistan.
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Rafi Muhammad Chaudhry was born in Aligarh on July 1, 1903 and received his intermediate education from there. He was a brilliant physics student during his school and college years. He studied experimental physics at Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh from where he received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees. Dr. Rafi carried out his doctoral research under the supervision of Ernest Rutherford at the Cavendish Laboratory of the University of Cambridge, U.K. and obtained his Ph.D. in 1932 .[5].
Before the partition of British India, Dr. Rafi was the Head of the Physics Department at Aligarh University, Aligarh. He was requested by the Government of Pakistan to come over and join Government College, Lahore as Professor and Head of the Physics Department in 1948.
Dr. Rafi established the “High Tension Laboratory” (now “Centre for Advanced Studies in Physics”) as an off shoot of the Physics Department at Government College, Lahore in 1952 and was instrumental in the installation of 1.2 MeV Cockcroft-Walton accelerator in the High Tension Laboratory (HTL) in 1954 for carrying out basic research in Atomic and Nuclear Physics[6]. Later in the future, during the late 1970's, HTL became a focal point for Pakistan's nuclear research program. The research carried out at the laboratory resulted in research publications in Nature and it was visited by the Duke of Edinburgh. After retirement from Government College, Lahore in 1958 he continued as Director of High Tension Laboratory till 1965. Dr. Rafi published 42 research papers.
In 2004, the "High Tension Laboratory (HTL)" was renamed as "Rafi Chaudhry High Tension Laboratory" by the then President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharaff[7]. Rafi Muhammad is considered as one of the prominent and influential nuclear physicists in Pakistan. A majority of his students have served in Pakistan's nuclear and space research programs.
Dr Rafi had nine children, all physicists. The most distinguished ones are Dr Anwar Chaudhri, currently working in Germany, and Dr Munawar Chaudhri, working at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, UK.
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