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World|science|August 18, 2016 / 02:52 PM
Ashoke Sen: India's million-dollar scientist

AKIPRESS.COM - Sen Indian scientist Ashoke Sen became a millionaire overnight when he won the $3m (£1.9m) Fundamental Physics Prize, the world's most lucrative academic award, recently, reports BBC.

Ashoke Sen is a shy, reclusive Indian particle physicist working from a non-descript laboratory in the Harish-Chandra Research Institute in the not-so-happening town of Allahabad in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Yet, today he is one of the richest professors in the world, having been conferred the award which has prize money almost three times that of a Nobel Prize in Physics.

The new prize was set up by the Russian internet entrepreneur, Yuri Milner - some are calling it the "Russian Nobel Prize".

In its inaugural year, it has also been awarded to eight others and Prof Sen is the only Indian to bag the award along with scientists working in the US and Russia.

Prof Sen works in an esoteric branch of physics called "string theory", which he has been refining for the last two decades.

It is a complex mathematical theory that hopes to explain almost everything we know about the matter and energy in the universe.

He describes the string theory as being based "on the idea that the elementary constituents of matter are not point particles, but one dimensional objects or strings. This theory automatically combines quantum mechanics, and general relativity - Einstein's theory of gravity. It also has the potential for explaining the other known forces of nature - strong, weak and electromagnetic forces".

The mathematical theory itself still cannot be proved or disproved since atom smashers like those at Cern in Geneva have still not attained the enormous energies needed to test the string theory.

Prof Sen says he was "surprised" on being given the award since he had not heard about it until he received a phone call from Mr Milner. But his bank balance has suddenly swollen thanks to the phone call.

"It is wonderful that we have an Indian physicist getting recognised in a big way for fundamental research. This is great news for science in India," said the prime minister's science adviser CNR Rao

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