Hyderabad scientists contribute to LHC experiment that wins prestigious breakthrough prize
Hyderabad: The 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, awarded to the international team behind the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments at CERN, carries a notable Indian connection. A research group from the University of Hyderabad, led by Dr. Bhawna Gomber at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Experimental and Simulation Techniques (CASEST), School of Physics, played a key role in the achievement.
Dr. Gomber’s team has been actively involved in the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) experiment at CERN. Their work spans data analysis, trigger electronics, and research into high-energy particle interactions. The group focuses on exploring physics beyond the Standard Model, including searches for dark matter, large extra dimensions, and anomalous trilinear gauge couplings.
Recent results from the group’s dark matter research, led by doctoral students Bisnupriya Sahu and Shriniketan Acharya, were presented at the 59th Rencontres de Moriond conference earlier this year. The team is also contributing to the development of firmware for the Level-1 Calorimeter Trigger upgrade, part of the preparations for the High-Luminosity LHC.
In June 2024, Ph.D. student Piyush Kumar received a CMS Achievement Award for his work on the design and testing of firmware algorithms and hardware for the Phase-2 upgrade of the CMS detector.
“We are thrilled to see our years of work recognized as part of this milestone,” said Dr. Gomber. “It’s a proud moment for our team and for Indian science.”
The experimental high energy physics group at the University of Hyderabad was initiated by Professors Bindu Bambah and Rukmani Mohanta, through collaborations with the NOVA experiment and Indian institutes involved in Fermilab projects in the United States.
The recognition highlights India’s growing role in global scientific research and its contributions to some of the most significant physics experiments of our time.
Hyderabad scientists from the University of Hyderabad contributed to CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment, awarded the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. Dr. Bhawna Gomber’s team played a key role in CMS upgrades and dark matter research. #CERN… pic.twitter.com/eCzp0pIa28
— Hyderabad Mail (@Hyderabad_Mail) April 15, 2025
