The Department of Atomic Energy India announced that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments at CERN have been awarded the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. The prize recognizes the collaborative research efforts of the ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, and LHCb experiments, which involved thousands of researchers worldwide, including significant contributions from Indian scientists and institutions. The prize money will fund grants for doctoral students from member institutes to conduct research at CERN. India's involvement with CERN dates back to the 1960s, and the country has since become an Associate Member State, contributing to various aspects of the LHC program, including detector development, data analysis, and computing infrastructure. Indian teams have played key roles in the ALICE and CMS experiments, and India continues to contribute to upgrades and future experiments at CERN. This award acknowledges India's commitment to global scientific collaboration and its significant role in advancing fundamental physics research.
Key Entities Referenced
Department of Atomic Energy India: Governmental department in India.
Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics: An award recognizing achievements in fundamental physics.
Large Hadron Collider Experiments: Experiments conducted at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
PIB Mumbai: Press Information Bureau office in Mumbai.
MumbaiNew Delhi: Cities of Mumbai and New Delhi
May 26, 2025: Date of the news release.
2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics: The specific instance of the award being discussed.
CERN: European Organization for Nuclear Research, operating the Large Hadron Collider.
Large Hadron Collider: The world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator.
Run2: Refers to a specific period of data collection at the LHC.
2015: Start year of LHC Run2 data release.
July 15, 2024: End date of LHC Run2 data release.
ATLAS: A particle physics experiment at the LHC.
CMS: A particle physics experiment at the LHC (Compact Muon Solenoid).
ALICE: A particle physics experiment at the LHC (A Large Ion Collider Experiment).
LHCb: A particle physics experiment at the LHC (Large Hadron Collider beauty experiment).
3 million: The monetary value of the Breakthrough Prize awarded.
Indian: Refers to people or institutions from India.
A Large Ion Collider Experiment: Full name of ALICE experiment
Compact Muon Solenoid: Full name of CMS experiment
Higgs boson: An elementary particle in the Standard Model of particle physics.
quarkgluon plasma: A state of matter in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) which exists at extremely high temperature and/or density.
Standard Model: A theory describing the fundamental forces of nature and the elementary particles.
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research TIFR: An Indian research institution.
CERN Proton Synchrotron: An older particle accelerator at CERN.
Large Electron Positron Collider LEP: A former particle accelerator at CERN.
Zline: Refers to Z boson line shape
DAE: Department of Atomic Energy (India).
Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the Research Projects of CERN: Agreement between India DAE and CERN
Memorandum of Understanding MOU: Agreement between India and CERN in 2009
Observer status: Status granted to India at CERN in 2002.
Associate Member State of CERN: India's membership status at CERN since 2017.
June 2004: Date of the Shiva Nataraja statue gift to CERN.
Shiva Nataraja: Indian deity, the Lord of Dance, whose statue was gifted to CERN.
Carl Sagan: World Renowned Astrophysicist
Fritjof Capra: World renowned Physicist, quote inscribed alongside the statue.
Nataraj Statue at CERN: The statue of Shiva Nataraja at CERN.
Department of Science and Technology DST: An Indian government department.
Research and Resources Board RRB: A board at CERN on which Indian scientists are represented.
Advisory Committee of CERN Users ACCU: A committee at CERN on which Indian scientists are represented.
Scientific Council: A council at CERN on which Indian scientists are represented.
VECCKolkata: Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Kolkata, an Indian research institution participating in the ALICE collaboration.
SINPKolkata: Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata, an Indian research institution participating in the ALICE collaboration.
IOP Bhubaneswar: Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, an Indian research institution participating in the ALICE collaboration.
Aligarh Muslim University: Indian university participating in the ALICE collaboration.
IITMumbai: Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, participating in the ALICE collaboration.
Panjab University: Indian university participating in the ALICE collaboration.
University of Jammu: Indian university participating in the ALICE collaboration.
University of Rajasthan: Indian university participating in the ALICE collaboration.
Bose Institute: Indian research institute participating in the ALICE collaboration.
Guwahati University: Indian university participating in the ALICE collaboration.
Jadavpur University: Indian university participating in the ALICE collaboration.
NISERBhubaneswar: National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, participating in the ALICE collaboration.
IITIndore: Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, participating in the ALICE collaboration.
Coochbehar Panchanan Barma University: Indian university participating in the ALICE collaboration.
IISERBerhampur: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Berhampur, participating in the ALICE collaboration.
University of Kashmir: Indian university participating in the ALICE collaboration.
Delhi University: Indian university participating in the CMS collaboration.
Institute of Physics: Indian institute participating in the CMS collaboration.
IISc Bengaluru: Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, participating in the CMS collaboration.
IISERPune: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, participating in the CMS collaboration.
UIET Panjab: University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Panjab, participating in the CMS collaboration.
IITBhubaneswar: Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar, participating in the CMS collaboration.
IIT Chennai: Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, participating in the CMS collaboration.
BARCMumbai: Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, participating in the CMS collaboration.
PAULudhiana: Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, participating in the CMS collaboration.
TIFR Mumbai: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, participating in the CMS collaboration.
IITHyderabad: Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, participating in the CMS collaboration.
IITKanpur: Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, participating in the CMS collaboration.
IITMandi: Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, participating in the CMS collaboration.
IISERMohali: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, participating in the CMS collaboration.
VisvaBharati University: Indian university participating in the CMS collaboration.
UoHHyderabad: University of Hyderabad, participating in the CMS collaboration.
BITMesra: Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, participating in the CMS collaboration.
Amity University: Indian university participating in the CMS collaboration.
BN Mondal University Madhepura, Bihar: Indian university participating in the CMS collaboration.
RRCAT, Indore: Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore, an Indian research institution.
Photon Multiplicity Detector PMD: A detector used in the ALICE experiment.
Muon Spectrometer: A component of the ALICE experiment.
Resistive Plate Chambers RPCs: Detector components used in the CMS experiment.
Silicon Preshower Detector: A detector component used in the CMS experiment.
Hadron Outer HO Calorimeter: A detector component used in the CMS experiment.
Worldwide LHC Computing Grid WLCG: A global network used for processing LHC data.
GRIDVIEW: Software and tools used across the grid
SHIVA: Software and tools used across the grid
Dr. A.K. Mohanty: Chairman Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Dept. of Atomic Energy.
Prof. Abhay Karandikar: Secretary, Department of Science and Technology.
Breakthrough Science Award 2025: The award attributed to these experiments
ptype Silicon based Forward Calorimeter FoCal detector: Detector for ALICE that will unlock new windows to know the structure of protons and nuclei.
CMS Phase2 upgrade: Upgrade to the CMS experiment
Outer Tracker OT: Subdetector components, namely, Outer Tracker OT, Gas Electron Multiplier GEM, High Granular Calorimeter HGCAL, and Trigger system.
Gas Electron Multiplier GEM: Subdetector components, namely, Outer Tracker OT, Gas Electron Multiplier GEM, High Granular Calorimeter HGCAL, and Trigger system.
High Granular Calorimeter HGCAL: Subdetector components, namely, Outer Tracker OT, Gas Electron Multiplier GEM, High Granular Calorimeter HGCAL, and Trigger system.
HLLHC: High Luminosity LHC
Department of Atomic Energy
India Celebrates Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental
Physics Awarded to Large Hadron Collider
Experiments
Posted On: 26 MAY 2025 4:37PM by PIB Mumbai
: Mumbai/New Delhi, May 26, 2025
The 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics is awarded to co-authors of
publications based on CERN’s Large Hadron Collider Run-2 data released between 2015
and July 15, 2024, at the experimental collaborations ATLAS, CMS, ALICE and LHCb.
The $3 million prize is allocated to these four experiments at CERN and will be used by
the collaborations to offer grants for doctoral students from member institutes to
spend research time at CERN, giving the students experience working at the forefront
of science and new expertise to bring back to their home countries and regions. 5,345
researchers were involved in ATLAS; while 4,550 researchers in CMS; 1,869
researchers in ALICE; and 1,744 researchers were involved in LHCb.
Indian scientists and researchers have played a significant role in the international
collaboration for the ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) and the CMS (Compact
Muon Solenoid) experiments. Several Indian institutes, universities, and scientists have
contributed both intellectually and technically to the experiment’s success. From
detector development to data analysis, various teams of Indian researchers have been
actively involved at every stage of the experiments, right from their inception. These
contributions underscore India's commitment to global scientific collaboration and its
pivotal role in the success of the LHC experiments.
This prestigious award honours the collaborative and transformative research efforts
that deepened our understanding of the Higgs boson, the quark-gluon plasma, matter-
antimatter asymmetry, and physics beyond the Standard Model. Scientific teams
belonging to several institutes from across the world have been working in a
collaborative manner to achieve the objectives of the CERN experiments. India, a
committed and active partner in the LHC program, proudly acknowledges this
international recognition and celebrates its significant contributions to the experiments
and the LHC infrastructure.
About the LHC
Operated by CERN, the Large Hadron Collider is the world’s most powerful particle
accelerator, enabling high-energy proton and heavy-ion collisions to explore the
structure of matter at the smallest scales.
India’s involvement with CERN dates back to the 1960s, when scientists from the Tata
Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) visited CERN to expose emulsion stacks to
pion, kaon and proton beams utilizing the CERN Proton Synchrotron. Later, during the
1980s there was contribution towards hardware and core-software for the L3 – one of
the four large experiments in the Large Electron Positron Collider (LEP) and significant
contributions in the areas of Z-line shape (related to Neutron, Proton ratio in nuclei)and new particle searches. In the 1990s, the collaboration expanded into heavy ion
physics, with Indian groups contributing a scintillator-pad-based photon multiplicity
detector. Indian teams played key roles in the WA93 and WA98 experiments at CERN-
SPS, achieving early measurements of collective flow and exploring disoriented chiral
condensates.
In 1991, India (DAE) signed a cooperation agreement with CERN for development of
Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the Research Projects of CERN, with a formal
cooperation agreement signed in 1991. This was further strengthened by a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2009, laying the groundwork for
expanded collaboration in accelerator technology, detector R&D, computing
infrastructure, and human resource training. The agreement also facilitates joint
research and greater Indian participation in CERN’s long-term projects.
In recognition of the significant Indian contributions towards the LHC project, India was
awarded the “Observer” status in 2002 and finally, India became an Associate Member
State of CERN in 2017. India has been a committed and active partner in the LHC
program of CERN and proudly acknowledges this international recognition while
celebrating its significant contributions to the experiments and the LHC infrastructure.
As a testament to the long-standing scientific collaboration between India and CERN, in
June 2004, India gifted a 2m tall statue of the Indian deity Shiva Nataraja, the Lord of
Dance to CERN. In choosing the image of Shiva Nataraja, the Indian government
acknowledged the profound significance of the metaphor of Shiva’s dance, drawn by
Carl Sagan for the cosmic dance of subatomic particles, which is observed and
analysed by CERN’s physicists. This statue is a standing example of the fusion of
technology with cultural traditions. A quote of the world-renowned physicist, Fritjof
Capra is inscribed on a plaque alongside the statue which reads as, “Hundreds of years
ago, Indian artists created visual images of dancing Shivas in a beautiful series of
bronzes. In our time, physicists have used the most advanced technology to portray
the patterns of the cosmic dance. The metaphor of the cosmic dance thus unifies
ancient mythology, religious art and modern physics.”
The Nataraj Statue at CERN
India’s involvement spans all layers of the LHC program—from accelerator technology
to major physics experiments—through national support from the Department of
Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
India actively participates in the governance and decision-making processes for variousexperiments being conducted and planned at CERN. Indian scientists and institutions
are also represented on prominent CERN boards and committees, including Research
and Resources Board (RRB), Advisory Committee of CERN Users (ACCU) and
Scientific Council.
The ALICE collaboration in India includes VECC-Kolkata, SINP-Kolkata, IOP-
Bhubaneswar, Aligarh Muslim University, IIT-Mumbai, Panjab University, University of
Jammu, University of Rajasthan (till 2021), Bose Institute, Guwahati University,
Jadavpur University, NISER-Bhubaneswar, IIT-Indore, Coochbehar Panchanan Barma
University, IISER-Berhampur and University of Kashmir.
ALICE Experiment
The CMS collaboration in India includes Delhi University, Institute of Physics, IISc
Bengaluru, IISER-Pune, Panjab University, UIET- Panjab, IIT-Bhubaneswar, IIT-
Chennai, BARC-Mumbai, NISER-Bhubaneswar, PAU-Ludhiana, SINP-Kolkata, TIFR-
Mumbai, IIT-Hyderabad, IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Mandi, IISER-Mohali, Visva-Bharati
University, UoH-Hyderabad, BIT-Mesra, Amity University and BN Mondal University-
Madhepura, Bihar.
CMS ExperimentIndian teams from BARC, Mumbai and RRCAT, Indore have contributed significantly to
the construction of LHC that includes high-precision components for cryogenics,
superconducting magnets, and beam instrumentation, design and fabrication of
collimators, vacuum chambers, and radio-frequency systems. These
contributions enabled stable and high-energy collisions essential for the discoveries
recognized by the Breakthrough Prize.
Indian team in ALICE have played pivotal leadership roles in the ALICE collaboration,
particularly in the areas of detector design and data analysis. Indian scientists
designed and constructed and commissioned ingeniously the Photon Multiplicity
Detector (PMD) and Muon Spectrometer, vital for studies of quark gluon plasma.
They led key analyses on event –by-event fluctuations, resonance production,
collective flow, and heavy-flavour production.
The CMS Indian team contributed significantly to design the trigger and data
acquisition systems, and provided critical components such as Resistive Plate
Chambers (RPCs), Silicon Preshower Detector, and Hadron Outer (HO)
Calorimeter. The team led important studies in Higgs boson searches, top-quark,
flavor physics, electroweak measurements, supersymmetry, and other BSM
(beyond Standard Model) searches, while supporting Tier-2 data processing for
global collaboration.
India has also played a vital role in the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG)—a
global network that processes and analyses the vast data generated by LHC
experiments. Indian Tier-2 centres, notably at TIFR Mumbai and VECC Kolkata,
have been central to providing computing and storage resources: WLCG-India hosts
17400 cores computing and 12 PB of storage having supported over 17.5 million
ALICE jobs in 15 years. Indian scientists also contributed to software and tools used
across the grid, such as GRIDVIEW (monitoring) and SHIVA (problem tracking),
contributing over 1,000 person-months of effort during key development phases.
Large number of Indian students are trained annually through active participation in
ALICE and CMS experiments, including on-site work at CERN. They gain exposure to
advanced instrumentation, scientific computing, international collaboration, and
frontier of physics research. India’s engagement during LHC Run 2 has led to more
than 110 Ph.D. theses and more than 130 publications in peer-reviewed journal
papers based on ALICE and CMS data. Indian Scientists plays important leadership in
physics analysis, detector R&D, and machine learning applications.
“This recognition from the Breakthrough Prize Foundation is a tribute to decades of
scientific perseverance and international unity. India’s researchers, students, and
engineers have been proud partners in this discovery journey,” said, Dr. A.K. Mohanty,
Chairman Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Dept. of Atomic Energy.
Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology noted that
the Indian researchers have contributed profoundly towards LHC experiments. While
congratulating the team, he mentioned that “the Breakthrough Science Award 2025 for
these experiments establishes the prominence of Indian S&T contribution and their role
in furthering the fundamental research”.
India is now gearing up to contribute to the p-type Silicon based Forward Calorimeter
(FoCal) detector in ALICE—that will enable precision measurements of direct photons
and neutral pions at forward rapidities, unlocking new windows to know the structure
of protons and nuclei. Indian team is contributing significantly to the CMS Phase-2
upgrade in four subdetector components, namely, Outer Tracker (OT), Gas Electron
Multiplier (GEM), High Granular Calorimeter (HGCAL), and Trigger system.These upgraded detectors are essential for high-luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) experimental
running conditions, which is aimed at achieving precision physics results and looking
for physics beyond Standard Model.
The Breakthrough Science Award 2025 is a shared honour—celebrating not just the
ALICE and CMS collaboration but the spirit of international science, powered by
dedicated individuals and visionary support systems. As ALICE and CMS enters a new
era, India stands proudly as both a contributor and a beneficiary—fuelling discoveries
that may forever reshape our understanding of the universe.
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SC/PK
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(Release ID: 2131339)