Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar
Encyclopedia
Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar is an autonomous research institution of the Department of Atomic Energy
(DAE), Government of India
. The Institute was established in 1972 by the Government of Orissa
, under the founding director Dr. Trilochan Pradhan, when the Institute started theoretical research programmes in the various branches of physics. In 1981 the Institute moved to its present campus near Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar
. The Institute was taken over by the DAE on March 25, 1985 and started functioning as an autonomous body.
and experimental
physics
.
and high energy physics
. High-energy theorists at IOP have made contributions to field theories, phase transitions in early universe, cosmology
, the Planck scale
phenomena, string theory
and high-energy phenomenology, etc. In theoretical condensed matter physics, research is centered on disordered systems, magnetism
, superconductivity
, low dimensional systems, statistical physics
, strongly correlated systems, phase transitions, clusters
and nanomaterials
.
, particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE), accelerator mass spectrometry
, channeling
, ion implantation, surface modification and characterization, microbeam analysis and nuclear reaction
studies.
The 3 million volt NEC 9SDH-2 pelletron accelerator of the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry lab is a multi-disciplinary research accelerator for various physics experiments. The experimental facilities available in the ion beam laboratory include an accelerator mass spectrometry
(AMS, http://www.iopb.res.in/~ams) for radiocarbon dating
, micro-beam facility and an external beam facility. Other advanced experimental facilities include an ESCA (electron spectroscopy
for chemical analysis), HRTEM (high resolution transmission electron microscope
), MBE (molecular beam epitaxy
), cluster generator and nano material
research facility.
Department of Atomic Energy (India)
The Department of Atomic Energy is a department directly under the Prime Minister of India with headquartered in Mumbai. The department is responsible for nuclear technology, including nuclear power and research....
(DAE), Government of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The Institute was established in 1972 by the Government of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, under the founding director Dr. Trilochan Pradhan, when the Institute started theoretical research programmes in the various branches of physics. In 1981 the Institute moved to its present campus near Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...
. The Institute was taken over by the DAE on March 25, 1985 and started functioning as an autonomous body.
Research
The institute conducts research in theoreticalTheoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
and experimental
Experimental physics
Within the field of physics, experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines concerned with the observation of physical phenomena in order to gather data about the universe...
physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
.
Theoretical physics
Research areas in theoretical physics include condensed matter theory, nuclearNuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
and high energy physics
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
. High-energy theorists at IOP have made contributions to field theories, phase transitions in early universe, cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
, the Planck scale
Planck scale
In particle physics and physical cosmology, the Planck scale is an energy scale around 1.22 × 1019 GeV at which quantum effects of gravity become strong...
phenomena, string theory
String theory
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
and high-energy phenomenology, etc. In theoretical condensed matter physics, research is centered on disordered systems, magnetism
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
, superconductivity
Superconductivity
Superconductivity is a phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance occurring in certain materials below a characteristic temperature. It was discovered by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes on April 8, 1911 in Leiden. Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a quantum...
, low dimensional systems, statistical physics
Statistical physics
Statistical physics is the branch of physics that uses methods of probability theory and statistics, and particularly the mathematical tools for dealing with large populations and approximations, in solving physical problems. It can describe a wide variety of fields with an inherently stochastic...
, strongly correlated systems, phase transitions, clusters
Cluster (physics)
In physics, the term clusters denotes small, multiatom particles. As a rule of thumb, any particle of somewhere between 3 and 3x107 atoms is considered a cluster. Two-atom particles are sometimes considered clusters as well....
and nanomaterials
Nanomaterials
Nanomaterials is a field that takes a materials science-based approach to nanotechnology. It studies materials with morphological features on the nanoscale, and especially those that have special properties stemming from their nanoscale dimensions...
.
Experimental physics
The experimental physics group encompasses accelerator-based research for advanced chemical and radioisotope analysis. The ion beam laboratory (IBL) is equipped with a 3MV tandem accelerator (NEC 9SDH-2). Research at the IBL includes Rutherford back scatteringRutherford scattering
In physics, Rutherford scattering is a phenomenon that was explained by Ernest Rutherford in 1911, and led to the development of the Rutherford model of the atom, and eventually to the Bohr model. It is now exploited by the materials analytical technique Rutherford backscattering...
, particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE), accelerator mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.It is used for determining masses of particles, for determining the elemental composition of a sample or molecule, and for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and...
, channeling
Channeling
Channeling, or channelling, can refer toscience*Channelling , the process that constrains the path of a charged particle in a crystalline solid.*metabolite or substrate channeling in biochemistry and cell physiology.law...
, ion implantation, surface modification and characterization, microbeam analysis and nuclear reaction
Nuclear reaction
In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, a nuclear reaction is semantically considered to be the process in which two nuclei, or else a nucleus of an atom and a subatomic particle from outside the atom, collide to produce products different from the initial particles...
studies.
The 3 million volt NEC 9SDH-2 pelletron accelerator of the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry lab is a multi-disciplinary research accelerator for various physics experiments. The experimental facilities available in the ion beam laboratory include an accelerator mass spectrometry
Accelerator mass spectrometry
Accelerator mass spectrometry differs from other forms of mass spectrometry in that it accelerates ions to extraordinarily high kinetic energies before mass analysis. The special strength of AMS among the mass spectrometric methods is its power to separate a rare isotope from an abundant...
(AMS, http://www.iopb.res.in/~ams) for radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
, micro-beam facility and an external beam facility. Other advanced experimental facilities include an ESCA (electron spectroscopy
Electron spectroscopy
Electron spectroscopy is an analytical technique to study the electronic structure and its dynamics in atoms and molecules. In general an excitation source such as x-rays, electrons or synchrotron radiation will eject an electron from an inner-shell orbital of an atom...
for chemical analysis), HRTEM (high resolution transmission electron microscope
Electron microscope
An electron microscope is a type of microscope that uses a beam of electrons to illuminate the specimen and produce a magnified image. Electron microscopes have a greater resolving power than a light-powered optical microscope, because electrons have wavelengths about 100,000 times shorter than...
), MBE (molecular beam epitaxy
Molecular beam epitaxy
Molecular beam epitaxy is one of several methods of depositing single crystals. It was invented in the late 1960s at Bell Telephone Laboratories by J. R. Arthur and Alfred Y. Cho.-Method:...
), cluster generator and nano material
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
research facility.