Hyderabad: Scientists at the University of Hyderabad have contributed to CERN’s international physics experiment, which has just won one of the world’s most prestigious scientific honors, the 2025 Breakthrough Award for Basic Physics.
The compact MUON solenoid valve (CMS) experiment is part of the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and is recognized for its pioneering work in exploring the deepest structure of matter and controlling the power of the universe.
In the international team, researchers from the University of Hyderabad, led by Dr. Bhawna Gomber of Casest, the School of Physics, play a key role in both data analysis and advanced detector technology.
The Breakthrough Award (commonly known as the “Science Oscar”) was awarded to the team behind the CMS and ATLAS experiments for their long-term contributions to particle physics, including the discovery of Higgs Boson in 2012.
The award also recognizes the ongoing work of exploring the unknown areas of physics, including dark matter, additional dimensions and new types of particles – a region where Dr. Gunber’s team is particularly active.
Her research team has been contributing in two major directions – physical search beyond the standard model and the development of detector firmware for LHC high-luminance upgrades.
Her doctoral students, Bisnupriya Sahu and Shriniketan Acharya, have performed dark matter searches at the 59th Rencontres de Moriond conference, one of the most respected annual gatherings in particle physics. Their research involves looking for abnormal events, such as single photon production, accompanied by missing energy-possible signs of dark matter.
Meanwhile, PhD student Piyush Kumar won the CMS Achievement Award in June 2024 as his work on firmware algorithms and hardware is part of the CMS Level 1 calorimeter trigger upgrade, part of the main detector enhancement in preparation for the next stage of the LHC’s high-luminosity operation.
“We are delighted to see our years of efforts being considered part of this global milestone,” Dr Gombau said. “It’s a proud moment not only for our team, but for the entire Indian scientific community.”
India is one of several non-European countries actively involved in CERN, and Dr. Gunber’s team is a contribution to an increasing number of Indian researchers conducting experiments in the field of science.
