Dr Atanu Nath, an assistant professor of physics at Tihu College and a native of Lala in Assam’s Hailakandi district, has been named among the recipients of the 2026 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, widely dubbed the “Oscars of Science”.
Muon g-2 Collaboration
Nath is part of the international Muon g-2 collaboration involving CERN, Brookhaven National Laboratory and Fermilab. The prize recognises decades of work on the magnetic behaviour of the muon, a subatomic particle whose properties could unlock physics beyond the Standard Model.
He shares the honour with more than 370 scientists globally, including around 11 from India, and is the first scientist from the northeast to receive the award. The ceremony was held on April 18 in Santa Monica, California.
About the Prize
Instituted in 2012 by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, the award carries a purse of $3 million and honours advances in fundamental science. The foundation was established by technology leaders including Sergey Brin, Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan, Yuri Milner and Anne Wojcicki.
The award-winning research centres on measuring the “g-2” factor of the muon, describing how it behaves like a tiny magnet in a magnetic field. Scientists track whether experimental measurements deviate from theoretical predictions, a gap that could indicate new particles or forces.
History and Contributions
The experiment began in the 1960s at CERN, followed by high-precision measurements at Brookhaven in the United States. The latest phase at Fermilab has produced results that have drawn global attention since 2021.
Nath contributed to the Fermilab effort, including work on the laser calibration system used to ensure experimental precision, and served as a Run Coordinator during a phase of the experiment.
Early Life and Education
Born and raised in Lala, Nath is the son of retired schoolteachers Birendra Kumar Nath and Binata Rani Nath. He graduated from Gurucharan College, Silchar, and pursued higher studies at the S N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata, and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.
He earned a PhD from the University of Naples Federico II in Italy, specialising in quantum chromodynamics. He returned to India in 2020 as a postdoctoral researcher at IIT Guwahati, working on neutrino experiments including DUNE and NOvA.
Nath joined Tihu College in 2022 and has continued teaching and research. Tihu College recently felicitated him for the achievement.
