12/01/2026
Bibha Chowdhury was an extraordinary Indian physicist whose contributions to the field of science were unparalleled. Here are the key facts about her life and achievements:
Historical Achievement: Bibha Chowdhury was the only woman to earn an M.Sc. in Physics from Calcutta University (1936) and later became the first Indian woman to receive a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Manchester.
Discovery of Mesons: In the 1940s, she collaborated with D.M. Bose to identify a subatomic particle called the 'meson' using the 'photographic emulsion' method. However, due to a lack of resources and World War II, they could not continue their experiments, and the credit for this discovery later went to Cecil Powell, who received the Nobel Prize for it.
Statistical Physics: After returning to India, she worked at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) alongside luminaries like Homi Jehangir Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai.
Reason for Obscurity: Bibha Chowdhury did not receive the recognition she deserved during her lifetime. The spelling of her name and the records...