Ghulam Dastagir Alam


Ghulam Dastagir Alam Qasmi, was a Pakistani theoretical physicist and professor of mathematics at the Quaid-e-Azam University. Alam is best known for conceiving and embarking on research on the gas centrifuge during Pakistan's integrated atomic bomb project in the 1970s, and he also conceived the research on gauge theory and gamma-ray bursts throughout his career.
After the atomic bomb project, Alam joined the Department of Mathematics at the Quaid-e-Azam University as well as serving as visiting faculty at the Institute of Physics, and co-authored papers on variation calculus and fission isomer. He was one of the notable theoretical physicists at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and QAU. At one point, his fellow theorist, Munir Ahmad Khan, called Alam "the problem solving brain of the PAEC".

Biography

Alam attended and graduated from Government College University with a BSc in Mathematics under the supervision of renowned theoretical physicist Abdus Salam, with an specialisation in Quantum Mechanics in 1954. In 1955, he enrolled in the Physics Department of the GCU where he obtained MSc in Physics in 1957. His master's thesis was supervised by R. M. Chaudhry that had contained research in Electromagnetic radiation and their emission from heavy metals to particles. After his degree in physics, Alam taught elementary physics laboratory courses in his alma mater before joining the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission in 1958.

Research

In 1964, Alam joined the doctoral programme at the University of London with a UGC scholarship. In 1967, Alam was awarded PhD in Theoretical Physics after he published his doctoral thesis, jointly written by J.B. Hasted, P.P. Ong and D.K. Bohme, from the University of London. His thesis covered comprehensive studies on charge-crossing involving curve crossing, a concept in Quantum Mechanics.
In 1967, he became fellow at the Institute of Physics where he continued his publications on theoretical nuclear physics. There, he pioneered his research in nuclear isomer, nuclear fission and gamma rays. In 1970, Alam performed an experiment in isomer and gamma rays and proposed that, in the isomer state, the average kinetic energy associated with the decay process of Isomer state is about the same in the ground state of fission. In 1970, he presented his papers on radiocluster, examining the graphs and functional behaviour of the fission products with experimental and calculated potential energies.

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission

In 1970, Alam joined the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission's Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology. He initially joined the Computer department but moved to Physics Division there. In 1974, Alam joined the Theoretical Physics Group under the directorship of his old mentor Abdus Salam. However, in 1975, Alam took the transferred at the Nuclear Physics Division to demonstrate research in high-speed rotationally fixed axis machine separation of the uranium isotope U-235 from other isotopes.

1971 war and atomic bomb project

In 1976, Alam was the director of a team compromising Anwar Ali, Dr. Fakhr Hashmi, Javed Arshad Mirza, Eqbal Ahmad Khokhar, assisted by the members of Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. In spring of 1976, Abdul Qadeer Khan joined the gas centrifuge programme as he replaced Alam. While researching in the United Kingdom, Alam had never seen a gas centrifuge, yet he was the director of the gas centrifuge programme but had only a rudimentary knowledge of them. Alam had only knowledge based on literature of the Manhattan Project and Jesse Beams work brought by Abdus Salam in 1972. Alam reviewed the blueprints of a gas centrifuge brought by Abdul Qadeer Khan and later identified as incorrect and incomplete. Not wanting to give up, Khan continued to work on the gas centrifuge, while Alam paid a visit to Quaid-e-Azam University to deliver a lecture on Mathematical physics. It was here, Alam met with Tasneem Shah, a mathematician, and delegated Shah to join the centrifuge programme. Together with Shah, Hashmi, Mirza, Khokhar, Ali, Alam formed the Directorate of Industrial Liaison, a codename of the electromagnetic isotope separation project. Alam and his team established the approximation and reasonable percent error for the actual value for weapon-grade uranium. The electric vector equation problems, after applying Stokes' law, in the centrifuges were learned and mastered at Kahuta, and temperature difference in uranium hexafluoride to flow from top to bottom; it was here a team of Alam and Khan had done tremendous amount of scientific research on complex and dynamic problems in uranium enrichment.
According to the reference written in Eating Grass, it was Alam, Fakhar Hashmi, Anwar Ali, and A.Q. Khan's research group that helped achieved the first enrichment into weapon-grade uranium, in a record timelime.
In April 1976, Alam succeeded in rotating the first centrifuge to 30,000 rpm; and on 4 June 1978 at 2:00 am at Chaklala Science Laboratories, Alam and Anwar Ali succeeded in separating the Uranium-235 235U and Uranium-238 238U isotopes in an experiment Khan also witnessed. Commenting on the success, Alam famously quoted: "Boys, we have achieved enrichment in Pakistan.". At the same time, Alam and other colleagues signed and quickly published a paper on the differential methods of the centrifuges. After this success of this centrifuge project, differences and tensions with Khan began to arise over his suspected atomic proliferation issues. In 1981, Alam was transferred back to PAEC after the matter was taken to the Government. Alam associated with the atomic bomb project while he continued to publish his articles in theoretical physics.
Though Alam remained a vital member in the TPG, where he continued his research on partial differential equations, and joined Mathematics Department at the Quaid-e-Azam University. Alam briefly taught courses on Beltrami equation, Multivariable calculus and Mathematical physics. At the Department of Mathematics, Alam pioneered a paper in Gamma-ray bursts using mathematical descriptions to analyse the energy released by the gamma rays. Alam died on 5 December 2000 in his residence in Islamabad.

Books

Science articles

  • Fission fragment mass distributions and kinetic energies for spontaneous fission isomers, by R.L. Ferguson, F. Plasil, G.D. Alam†, H.W. Schmitt.
  • Gamma Ray Transitions in the de-excitation Californium-253 spontenous fission pragments, by G.D. Alam, Department of Mathematics.