Bangladeshi leading in Physics : Zahid Hasan ends 85-year wait for Massless Particle

[Bilal9]

This story was published a few years ago and few paid any heed. Because almost no one even understood how epoch-making the development was for the future of electronics and in a greater sense, technology.

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Eighty five years after Hermann Weyl, a physicist and mathematician, proposed Weyl fermions, a massless particle that also carried an electric charge, a team of scientists led by a Bangladeshi has found its existence.The team at the Princeton University in the USA, led by Zahid Hasan, made the groundbreaking discovery while the journal Science published the results of their research in detail.

In a telephone conversation with the Prothom Alo, Zahid mentioned that this discovery will usher in a new era of electronics where the main features will be speedy and accurate.

When asked how different the devices in the new era will be, Zahid said, “For example, the mobile phones made using this technology will be less susceptible to heat after longer use. Because, this particle has no mass and it does not wander around like electrons.”

“A Weyl semimetal is a crystal which hosts Weyl fermions as emergent quasiparticles and admits a topological classification that protects Fermi arc surface states on the boundary of a bulk sample. This unusual electronic structure has deep analogies with particle physics and leads to unique topological properties,” Zahid’s team said in the abstract of the paper.

“We report the experimental discovery of a Weyl semimetal, TaAs. Using photoemission spectroscopy, we directly observe Fermi arcs on the surface, as well as the Weyl fermion cones and Weyl nodes in the bulk of TaAs single crystals. We find that Fermi arcs terminate on the Weyl nodes, consistent with their topological character. Our work opens the field for the experimental study of Weyl fermions in physics and materials science,” it added.

“For years, scientists thought neutrinos were Weyl fermions. However, in 1998, physicists discovered neutrinos do have mass and the hunt for Weyl fermions began,” Zahid said.

“These results are very exciting for me personally, since I've been involved significantly in the theoretical discovery of Weyl semimetals a few years ago,” said physicist Anton Burkov at the University of Waterloo in an interview of international journal IEEE Spectrum. “It’s very exciting to finally see them discovered experimentally in real materials.”

The team of researchers led by physicist Zahid Hasan has detected Weyl fermions within large crystals and also observed that the fermions can only exist within the crystals.

However, Zahid thinks they might have to wait around 10 to 20 years for the new era electronics.

Graphene has already received vast popularity as an element of new era electronics. People have been producing transistor, optical photo sensor and nanosensor using graphene for a long time. But producing graphene is a troublesome task.

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2010 was awarded jointly to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov for the invention of graphene.

Prof Arshad Momen, chairman of Dhaka University’s Theoretical Physics department told Prothom Alo, “Weyl semimetal could be used for serving those purposes which are being done by graphene. But, graphene is tough to be produced as it is two-dimensional. In comparison to graphene, Weyl fermion is easy to be produced and changed as it is three-dimensional.”

“It looks more attractive to me to hear the existence of Weyl fermion rather than its usages. Echoing Einstein, I can say God has used a wonderful mathematical concept in nature,” Arshad Momen added.

Zahid Hasan is the eldest son of lawyer father Rahmat Ali and housewife mother Nadira Begum. He has a younger brother and daughter. He passed his SSC from Dhanmondi Government Boys' High School and HSC from Dhaka College with great results.

Zahid studied at Texas University in Austin, USA where he worked under Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg.

Steven inspired Zahid to work on experiment-based physics. Later, he started working at Princeton University as a physics teacher.

He is now a professor of physics at Princeton University.

Zahid received worldwide acclaim last year for his discovery of topological insulator.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Zahid_Hasan#cite_note-65

 

[Bilal9]

While we look forward to Weyl semimetal uses, here is an article on the uses of Graphene which is a film composed of a single layer of carbon atoms.

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9 amazing uses for graphene, from filtering seawater to smart paint
By Luke DormehlJanuary 14, 2018

Getty
Graphene is a single layer of graphite — also known as that soft material commonly found in pencil lead — with the atoms arranged in a honeycomb-like, hexagonal pattern. While that description is decidedly unexciting, graphene is actually emerging as one of science’s most versatile new materials.


Just one atom thick (or thin, depending on how you think about it), graphene is among the strongest materials in the known universe, with 100 times the strength of steel, an astonishing amount of flexibility, and a whole lot of other talents lurking beneath the surface.


Do you remember that classic scene from The Simpsons in which Homer is offered “wax lips,” described by the salesman as “the candy of 1,000 uses?” Well, graphene is the wax lips of the material science world. And while we don’t have time to detail 1,000 uses, here are some of the most exciting graphene discoveries made so far.

Creating the world’s thinnest light bulb
Imagine a flexible, transparent display or light strip that’s just a single atom thick. That’s something graphene could help make a reality, as demonstrated by research from scientists at Columbia (University) Engineering, Seoul National University, and Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science.

By attaching small strips of graphene to metal electrodes and passing a current through them, the graphene was shown to heat — and light — up. Columbia professor James Hone described it as “the world’s thinnest light bulb.” Finding a way to translate this breakthrough into wearables such as smart clothing would be revolutionary.

Acting as a superconductor

Graphene can also act as a superconductor, meaning that electrical current is able to flow through it with zero resistance, a discovery that was made by researchers at the United Kingdom’s Cambridge University. The effect is activated by coupling the graphene with a material called praseodymium cerium copper oxide (PCCO).

Why do superconducting materials matter? Because in the future ,they could provide a source of unlimited energy, since they don’t constantly need to be resupplied with current.

“One day, the dream is to make your computer or your iPhone work without dissipating energy,” junior research fellow Angelo Di Bernardo, one of the researchers on the project, told Digital Trends. “You’ll just charge it once and then you can forget about having to charge it again its entire lifetime.”

A better speaker system

To produce sound, regular speakers create a pressure wave in the air by physically moving back and forth. Graphene could eventually offer a different approach. Researcher from the U.K.’s University of Exeter have demonstrated how graphene can create a non-moving solid-state audio device that may one day replace your existing bulky sound system with something called thermo-acoustic sound generation.

Instead of physically moving a component, this process works by using graphene to periodically vary the temperature of the air at a very high rate — enough to generate sound at audible frequencies and much higher, ultrasonic frequencies. The result could be the ability to incorporate speakers into ultrathin touchscreen technologies, in which the screen is able to produce sound on its own. No separate speakers required.

Body armor stronger than diamonds

Ella Maru Studio
Ella Maru Studio
A single layer of graphene is awesome. You know what’s even more awesome? Two layers of graphene combined. That’s what researchers from Georgia Tech recently showcased with a demonstration of how two-layer epitaxial graphene film — just two atomic layers of graphite — can withstand perforation by a diamond tip.

The hope is to develop this into ultrathin body armor, as light as foil, but strong as diamond, that is capable of stopping a bullet dead in its tracks. (Interestingly, the graphene shield’s ultra-hardening effect only results when two sheets of graphene are used, with extra layers appearing to have a detrimental effect.)

Filtering salt from seawater or color from whisky

Kichigin Aleksandr/123RF
Kichigin Aleksandr/123RF
Graphene membranes can be used to create a sieve finer than one you’ll find in any restaurant kitchen. One study demonstrated that a graphene membrane can filter 85 percent of salt out of seawater, which isn’t quite pure enough for drinking purposes, but is perfectly acceptable for agricultural use.

Think that’s impressive? It’s nothing compared to recent research coming out of the U.K.’s University of Manchester, where researchers used a graphene membrane to filter the color out of whisky — leaving it as a transparent liquid.

“The absence of dye molecule permeation was apparent even from the color of the solution after filtration,” Professor Rahul Nair from the U.K.’s University of Manchester told Digital Trends. “The original dye solution is colorful, while after filtering through the [graphene oxide] membrane, the solution lost its color and became a pure solvent.”

The paint of the future

Imagine if you could paint a building with a special coating that changes color when it senses that the underlying structure is in need of repairs. That’s what researchers at Germany’s Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research achieved with a smart graphene coating that indicates breaks and fractures by changing color.

Inspired by the way that fish scales reflect light, the coating is designed to amplify particular wavelengths of light, but dull others. The graphene flakes are placed onto a surface at certain angles so that, if compromised in some way, they’ll bounce back red, yellow, and green light, while noncompromised areas will not.

Cleverly, the color of light can change according to the severity of an area’s stress, so structures could conceivably be color-coded to show how major a particular area of damage is.

Tracking our health

Tyler Olsen/123RF
Tyler Olsen/123RF
It’s not just building health that graphene’s good at detecting. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have demonstrated that it can help detect cancer cells, too. In an experiment, they placed brain cells taken from mice onto a graphene sheet, and found that it was able to distinguish between a single cancerous cell (glioblastoma or GMB cell) and a normal cell.

Other researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have also created graphene-based temporary tattoos capable of tracking a person’s vital signs, such as their skin temperature and hydration.

Recharging our gadgets

Graphene can also be used to create new batteries that recharge super quickly. One Chinese company called Dongxu Optoelectronic has built a battery pack called the G-King, which has a giant 4,800mAh capacity, but can reportedly charge from empty to full in just a quarter of an hour.

The cell is also supposedly strong enough to be discharged and recharged 3,500 times — which is way more than a regular lithium-ion battery.

Creating some kickass running shoes

inov-8.com
inov-8.com
Starting this year, you’ll be able to buy running shoes made using graphene, thanks to a partnership between the U.K.’s University of Manchester and sportswear brand inov-8. The shoes have already been put through their paces in the lab, and the graphene composite rubber outsoles (the part of the shoe actually featuring graphene) are reportedly much stronger and more stretchy than traditional materials, making the shoes more resistant to wear and tear.

Hopefully the second-gen kicks will also filter saltwater, protect you from bullets, recharge your mobile devices, and cure cancer — for good measure!

 

[Homo Sapiens]

But please do not expect Nobel prize for him. He is not from the Western background. Nobel prize is basically a prize for Western guys(preferably a Jew)+ a few non white guys whose achievement are too much prominent to ignore. More than 90 percent of all Nobel prize owner are from the West. Even China with it's massive population, economy, art, science achieved a very few Nobel Prize. Same is true for all other Asian countries(60 percent of humanity). On the other hand, many obscure writers, novelists won Nobel prize in literature from Scandinavia. So those who think, Nobel prize is given fairly irrespective of national, ethnic, racial, religious background are mistaken by a huge margin.

 

[Tom-tom]

But please do not expect Nobel prize for him. He is not from the Western background. Nobel prize is basically a prize for Western guys(preferably a Jew)+ few non white guys whose achievement are too much prominent to ignore. More than 90 percent of all Nobel prize owner are from the West. Even China with it's massive population, economy, art, science achieved a very few Nobel Prize. Same is true for all other Asian countries(60 percent of humanity). On the other hand, many obscure writers, novelists won Nobel prize in literature from Scandinavia. So those who think, Nobel prize is given fairly irrespective of national, ethnic, racial, religious background are mistaken by a huge margin.

Your mostly right, but has been a small number of south Asian and Bengali winning Nobel prizes in the science field. I think most of them have awarded it long after their death.

 

[Tom-tom]

I reposted your article on defseca as there is not enough traffic on that site.

 

[Michael Corleone]

But please do not expect Nobel prize for him. He is not from the Western background. Nobel prize is basically a prize for Western guys(preferably a Jew)+ few non white guys whose achievement are too much prominent to ignore. More than 90 percent of all Nobel prize owner are from the West. Even China with it's massive population, economy, art, science achieved a very few Nobel Prize. Same is true for all other Asian countries(60 percent of humanity). On the other hand, many obscure writers, novelists won Nobel prize in literature from Scandinavia. So those who think, Nobel prize is given fairly irrespective of national, ethnic, racial, religious background are mistaken by a huge margin.

Depends on how groundbreaking the discoveries are, Marie curie wasn’t recognized until much later in her life. Comes with the understanding of particular field

 

[Shehr Abbasi]

The Banglastein!

 

[DalalErMaNodi]

But please do not expect Nobel prize for him. He is not from the Western background. Nobel prize is basically a prize for Western guys(preferably a Jew)+ few non white guys whose achievement are too much prominent to ignore. More than 90 percent of all Nobel prize owner are from the West. Even China with it's massive population, economy, art, science achieved a very few Nobel Prize. Same is true for all other Asian countries(60 percent of humanity). On the other hand, many obscure writers, novelists won Nobel prize in literature from Scandinavia. So those who think, Nobel prize is given fairly irrespective of national, ethnic, racial, religious background are mistaken by a huge margin.

First they should give our beloved leader Bongo'r Konna Manoniyo Prodhan Montri Sheikh Hasina rahimahullah a Nobel peace prize.


Such a pragmatic and visionary woman.


Here have a listen to this song :

 

[Jernail Sahib]

Bangladeshi scientist goes overseas and discovers massless particle.

Meanwhile Bangladesh government:
"Jute anybody? Jute?"
"Canada, you want jute shopping bags?"
"Germany, you want jute butt wipes?"

Zero investment in proper STEM research and we wonder why the smarter amongst us settle overseas.

 

[mb444]

But please do not expect Nobel prize for him. He is not from the Western background. Nobel prize is basically a prize for Western guys(preferably a Jew)+ few non white guys whose achievement are too much prominent to ignore. More than 90 percent of all Nobel prize owner are from the West. Even China with it's massive population, economy, art, science achieved a very few Nobel Prize. Same is true for all other Asian countries(60 percent of humanity). On the other hand, many obscure writers, novelists won Nobel prize in literature from Scandinavia. So those who think, Nobel prize is given fairly irrespective of national, ethnic, racial, religious background are mistaken by a huge margin.

It is a western prize snd obviously it will be biased towards the west. To be frank there is very little r&d beyond the west..

I can not think off a single new innovative product that has come from china....infact beyond the anglo saxon world there is almost no innovation.

Its a hard fact but that is the reality. Until we see a computer programme that is not written in english it will remain that way.

As to this dude getting a nobel... there is every chance... he wont be judged as a bangladeshi but that he is a Princetonian.

 

[mb444]

One a lighter note it is absolutely obvious that a bangladeshi will confirm to the world that massless particle exists. It has been known to every bangladeshi from time immemorial that massless particles are all there is between the ears of BD politicians.

 

[Tom-tom]

It is a western prize snd obviously it will be biased towards the west. To be frank there is very little r&d beyond the west..

I can not think off a single new innovative product that has come from china....infact beyond the anglo saxon world there is almost no innovation.

Its a hard fact but that is the reality. Until we see a computer programme that is not written in english it will remain that way.

As to this dude getting a nobel... there is every chance... he wont be judged as a bangladeshi but that he is a Princetonian.

The Chinese are starting to come out with scientific research projects that are leading their field.

 

[mb444]

The Chinese are starting to come out with scientific research projects that are leading their field.

I wish them best of luck however until we see non anglo saxon world taking the lead in any field the status quo remains.

 

[Bilal9]

I reposted your article on defseca as there is not enough traffic on that site.

Thanks Bhai - appreciate the thought.

 

[Bilal9]

It is a western prize snd obviously it will be biased towards the west. To be frank there is very little r&d beyond the west..

I can not think off a single new innovative product that has come from china....infact beyond the anglo saxon world there is almost no innovation.

The Chinese have started - and while quantitatively they have surpassed the west, the qualitative part will also be filled soon.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Te...-US-as-leader-in-international-patent-filings

https://research.stlouisfed.org/pub...n-patents-mean-a-look-at-quality-vs-quantity/