Masud Ahmad


Muhammad Masud Ahmad, D.Phil, Sc.D, HI, SI, best known as Masood Ahmad, is a Pakistani theoretical physicist and ICTP laureate known for his work in dual resonance and Veneziano model, a strings sting mathematically described the fundamental forces and forms of matter in quantum state. Having specialised in Quantum and Statistical physics, Ahmad assisted and took part in the development of atomic bomb project as a member of Theoretical Physics Group, in the 1970s, and furthermore, took participation in the development of the atomic bomb programme.
A staunch supporter of nuclear power, Ahmad has led Pakistan's delegation in many international and national forums and conferences in the issues of peaceful use of nuclear energy. A student of Abdus Salam, Ahmad was one of the senior scientists, despite of his age, of Theoretical Physics Group – a physics group that was mandated to develop the designs of nuclear weapons.

Biography

Born and educated in Lahore, Ahmad attended Punjab University in 1960, and took his BSc in Physics under the contemporary supervision of Riazuddin, followed by MSc in Mathematical physics from the same institution in 1966. Ahmad then travelled to United Kingdom and attended Imperial College London where he began his doctoral studies under Abdus Salam's physics group. In 1968, he did his DSc in Theoretical physics under Abdus Salam. His dissertation dealt with the theory of Chiral symmetry and algebraic representation in Veneziano model – an early theory of stings.
Ahmad's lifelong friendship with Riazuddin was very important for Masud's scientific and philosophical development. It was Riazuddin who arranged summer stay with Ishfaq Ahmad in Islamabad for young Ahmad, thus orienting his science career in nuclear physics. Ahmad spent two years in Institute of Physics of Quaid-i-Azam University where he work under Faheem Hussain's Theoretical Physics Group.
At IP, he published the theoretical work on Veneziano Model where he had used the Compton scattering to investigate Pions behaviour on the Veneziano Model. In 1970, along with Fayyazuddin, he carried out the work on construction of Veneziano representation for pion photoproduction amplitude, in which he predicted that, keeping the and the ρ trajectories, the zero-free parameter fits for the sum and the difference of the differential cross sections for unpolarised photons and the asymmetry function ∑ are obtained.
Prior to the discovery of Alfvén wave in hydromagnetics in 1969, Ahmad was engaged as a theoretical physicist, working in the fields of quantum, molecular, and nuclear physics. In 1970, on an advise of Abdus Salam, Ahmad went to Italy to join International Centre for Theoretical Physics to pursue his further doctoral studies. In 1971, he was joined by Riazuddin and Abdus Salam where he contributed with them in an emerging theory of Quantum electrodynamics.

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission

After becoming an ICTP Associate, Ahmad was one of the young and senior scientists who were working in the ICTP. In the January 1972, Abdus Salam called one of his eminent students from Italy to report to Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission's chairman Munir Ahmad Khan. Masud Ahmad, along with Riazuddin, temporarily working at the International Center for Theoretical Physics, Italy, return to Pakistan to begin theoretical work on a fission explosive device. The scientists were posted at Quaid-e-Azam University and the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology respectively. In the absence of the availability of computers, they use the mainframe computers at Quaid-e-Azam University for work related to the theoretical physics of a nuclear explosive device. He, along with Raziuddin Siddiqui and Riazuddin formed the Theoretical Physics Group in PAEC, which was mandated to develop the theoretical designs of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. By the 1973, the theoretical physicists from academic universities of Pakistan joined the Theoretical Physics Group, and initiated to work on developing the designs of the weapon. The Theoretical Physics Group directly reported to Abdus Salam who coordinated the research on metallurgy, weapon chemical lenses, enrichment, separation and reprocessing of the fuel. In 1974, the TPG scientists engaged in the calculations for the implosion mechanism and completed the work on Fast neutron calculations. The work was submitted to the Office of Science and Technology, and Abdus Salam review the work done by the TPG. Later, Abdus Salam led the work on simultaneity where the TPG finished the calculations on how weapon would be detonated from several points at same time. In 1977, the TPG scientists completed the theoretical work on the design of an atomic bomb. In 1978, the TPG took calculations on Neutron emission – a type of radioactive decay. In 1979, Ahmad was transferred to Fast Neutron Physics Group, where he work under Samar Mubarakmand – a nuclear physicist. He contributed in the calculations on maximum numerical ranges of neutron temperature.
In 1980, the TPG completed the calculations on how much radiation would be lost during the process of deuterium burning and, in 1982, the final design of the weapon was completed by Theoretical Physics Group. Under the leadership of PAEC chairman Munir Ahmad Khan, the TPG's theoretical designed bomb was successfully cold tested, codename Kirana-I, in 1983 near at the Kirana Hills. Masud Ahmad, and Riazuddin, had developed the capabilities for more advanced designs of a nuclear device, and reportedly gave the any designs of the nuclear device in a month to PAEC. Since then he has been staying at PAEC as a theoretical physicist. It was Ahmad and Riazuddin's indigenously theoretically designed nuclear devices that Pakistan under Munir Ahmad Khan tested several cold tests in between 1983–1990. Masud Ahmad was one of the invited scientists who participated and eye-witnessed the country's first successful tests, codename Chagai-I, on 28 May 1998, and second test, codename Chagai-II, on 30 May 1998. He was also a part of team of theoretical physicists who led the calculations of nuclear weapons yield in both places. The Theoretical Physics Group continued to developed more advanced designs for the nuclear weapons, and the FNPG kept the testings of the designs from 1983 – 1991.
Ahmad has been working with IAEA in the peaceful issues of nuclear energy since 1976. He is a highly respected scientist at the IAEA, and has been leading Pakistan's delegation to the IAEA. Masud lauded IAEA help and being forthcoming in assisting the countries in establishing the quality systems required to obtain national and international accreditation of the IAEA laboratories.

Support for peaceful use of nuclear energy

He is a vocal supporter of Pakistan's nuclear energy programme, and has been assisting the Government of Pakistan to established commercial and licensed nuclear power plants in the country. He has also played an important role in IAEA's nuclear policy to allow Pakistan to build nuclear power plants. He has assisted PAEC chairman Parvez Butt to reach a civilian nuclear technology agreement with IAEA. In an honorary conference along with PAEC chairman Parvez Butt and IAEA's delegation, Masud Ahmad said:
"There is an urgent need to disseminate related information on radioisotope based analytical techniques to end user institutions engaged in mitigation of marine pollution. The unplanned disposal of untreated industrial, domestic and agricultural wastes into seawater has led to contamination of the coastal areas of many developing countries in South Asia resulting into considerable increase in the concentration of toxic elements".
He also included that "these toxic elements have posed a threat to the marine life occasionally witnessed in the form of mass mortality of fish. Dangers to the sealife are a health and economic threat to humans who consume them as food."
In the end, Ahmad concluded that: "The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission or PAEC is a pioneer organisation in the peaceful uses of radiation and radioisotope techniques in the country in the field of life sciences, hydrology, agriculture and industry and it has acquired significant expertise and infrastructure in the field of environmental isotope ecology".

Awards

Conference papers