Harnam Singh Hans
(21st Nov., 1922 - 19th March, 2014)
Bio
Prof. Harnam Singh Hans, born on 21st November, 1922 in Distt. Multan of Punjab state in pre-partitioned India, earned B.A. from Panjab University in 1945 and M.Sc. (Physics) degree from Banaras Hindu University in 1948. After serving as Assistant Professor at BHU for couple of years, he joined Ph.D. in 1950 with Prof. P.S. Gill, an eminent Cosmic-ray Physicist at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). He worked on development of instrument for measuring cosmic mesons.
Later, he moved to Swarthmore (PA), USA (1953-56) to complete Ph.D. work dealing with experiments on the elastic and inelastic scattering of 3.7 MeV neutrons produced using 1 MV accelerator. Dr. Hans became passionate about the Accelerator-based Nuclear Physics research that he brought components of the 150 kV Cockroft-Walton type accelerator and established it at AMU. The deuteron beam produced from the accelerator was used to produce 14.8 MeV neutrons to use it for H3 (d, n) He4 – reaction with a Tritium target. This being the first accelerator in an Indian University started a culture of accelerator-based nuclear science research in the universities and resulted in dozen of research publications in Nuclear reactions and nuclear spectroscopy, and more than half a dozen Ph.D.’s during 1958-1970.
After serving, AMU as Reader (1958-62), he was appointed Assistant Professor in Texas A&M University (1962-63). Later, he was sent by Texas A&M, to Argonne National Lab. (Illinois) to work on a problem of ‘Resonance Scattering of neutron-capture Gamma Rays’ using a beam of thermal neutrons from CP-5 reactor. By 1965, Dr. L. M. Bollinger, Dr. G. E. Thomas and Dr. H. S. Hans had developed a beam structure to record a first-ever spectrum of resonantly scattered gamma rays, from Sr87-88 and a few other targets. Dr. Hans was, supposed to return to Texas A&M University, after that to set up such a configuration at the 100 kW reactor there.
In 1964, Dr. Hans met Dr. Sudhir Pandya of Physical Research Lab., Ahmedabad, at Argonne. Dr. Pandya introduced him to Prof. H.W. Fulbright from Rochester University, Rochester (NY), who had developed a variable energy cyclotron, for resolved beams of protons, alphas, He3 and deuterons for energies between 2-8 MeV. This machine could be donated, free of charge, to any research scientist in India; because Rochester had acquired a Tandem accelerator of higher capacities, in energy and beam currents. Dr. Hans visited the set-up in 1964, which was shown to him in a working condition, for different beams. He was impressed by the offer, and decided to work for it. Prof. P.S. Gill, under whom Dr. Hans had worked for Ph.D., was visiting U.S.A. in those days. He promised to help Dr. Hans in getting a job at Kurukshetra University, where the cyclotron could be transferred and installed. It was a difficult moral choice for Dr. Hans, between returning to Texas A&M University or returning to motherland – India. Finally ‘INDIA’ won!!
Dr. Hans returned to India and to Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, in 1965. Later, in 1967, he moved to Panjab University as Professor and Head, Department of Physics, where he established the Variable Energy Cyclotron. The process involved the interaction, at different stages with Prof. H.J. Bhabha from he he sought active support in setting up the infrastructure for such research in India. Dr. R. Ramanna, and Prof. D.S. Kothari were a part of the core support group he established for moving the agenda further .The accelerator was mostly used, for research with protons with energy ranging from 2-5 MeV, to study various proton-induced reactions and Coulomb excitation. This accelerator is the oldest functioning accelerator in the world, and is being used for Proton-induced X-ray / gamma rays Emission (PIXE/PIGE) technique based research besides studying light-ion modified polymer materials. More than 50 research papers and more than 20 Ph.D degrees have been awarded using Cyclotron facility during the last thirty years. . Prof. Hans also developed the set up for the perturbed angular correlation technique and used radioactive nuclei for studying hyperfine interactions to deduce quadruple-interaction strengths in various condensed matter systems.
Another important contribution of his vision was the setting up of the IUAC in New Delhi. Having set the roadmap, he sought support from Dr Rais Ahmed and Dr Yashpal and the project saw the day of the light as per schedule.
Serving as Head of the Department of Physics at Panjab University (1967-1979), Prof. Hans set a strong base by appointing eminent faculty from all over India in the fields of Solid state Physics, Nuclear Physics and High Energy Physics. In fact, amongst the first few new things (besides the Cyclotron) happening during his tenure was the setting up of the theoretical Physics Research School. He was able to get eminent theoretical physicists from all over the world to Panjab University. Prominent amongst them being Dr R K Patharia, Dr M P Khanna, Dr K N Pathak ( former Vice Chancellar), Dr R K Bansal, Dr Satya Prakash ( Vice Chancellar Gwalior), Dr R K Gupta etc. This strengthened the foundation for research in Physics at Chandigarh.
In 1968 he introduced the use of documentaries from Berkely as a teaching medium in the honors school. This was another new element which he established for the improvement in teaching methods and making a world class content. Some of the Berkely content was brought into the honors school curriculum and this became a challenge for the faculty. He led from the front by teaching solid state physics for three years with others to follow. The batch of 1968 had some university toppers who had chosen Physics over engineering and have held the light high and strong. A few amongst them being Dr Arun Grover ( Present Vice Chancellor), Padam Shri Ajay Sood, Dr PD Gupta ( Former Vice Chancellor Homi Bhabha National Inst)
The Department is now rated among the top Physics departments in Indian Universities and has the status of Centre for Advanced Study in Physics since 1988. At present, it is in fifth phase as Centre for Advanced Study in Physics with all the three research fields (both theoretical and experimental) as thrust areas – a unique feature.