Biswajit Das

A comprehensive learner in the arena of Physics 🙂.

[ICTS @ictstifr]

Huge news for ICTS & Indian science!

Congrats to Prof. Deepak Dhar on receiving the 2026 ICTP Dirac Medal, alongside B. Derrida, M. Mézard & H. Sompolinsky, for pioneering contributions to statistical mechanics & its extensions to AI, neuroscience & non-equilibrium systems!

[G V Pavan Kumar @Pavan_KumarGV]

A Short Note on Experimental Physics:

Experimental physics is one of the crucial ingredients of physics. There are at least two major tasks within its realm. The first is to examine nature through observation. These observations can then be extrapolated into systematic measurements that can be quantified. The second aspect is that experimental physics serves as a platform to test hypotheses that are already formulated by theory. In this way, it acts as a conduit connecting theory to real-world situations. Additionally, it reveals the limitations of any theory, thereby serving as a valuable testbed.

These two tasks are essentially intertwined: an observation can lead to new hypotheses, and, conversely, a well-formulated hypothesis can lead to systematic measurements.

For example, while hunting for astronomical radio sources, an important discovery was made: the observation of the cosmic microwave background. This finding turned out to be one of the crucial ones in physics, providing vital insights into the Big Bang theory and becoming a foundational aspect of observational cosmology. Another example is the special theory of relativity, where the Michelson-Morley experiment ruled out ether, which enabled Einstein to formulate his theory with greater confidence.

These two examples offer a snapshot of the possibilities within experimental physics and highlight its essential role in the duality between theory and experiment in physics. In a way, experiments and theory complement each other, and are like two sides of a coin.

From my blog: https://t.co/ohuOMRnNcL

[Ayan Banerjee @ayanban7]

Our first foray into active colloids - this paper gives a rather efficacious recipe to decode active forces just from particle trajectories in an optical trap. Great work by the team - now to extend this to viscoelastic media inside a cell! @PhysRevE

https://t.co/Lw77TGxlfM

[Ayan Banerjee @ayanban7]

At least two self-funded JRF positions are available in the Light Matter lab. One in the fascinating physics of particles trapped in air using photophoretic forces, and the other in sensor and device development using microbubble lithography. Apply at: https://t.co/beS8nywhzd

[Ash Jogalekar @curiouswavefn]

File this under "Events I have been waiting my whole life for."

[Ayan Banerjee @ayanban7]

...and carried out meticulous experiments.The thesis is very well written with a nice introduction to the topic as well as the theoretical concepts. Reading the theory parts showed the firm grasp the student has on fundamental concepts.' Proud moment for the Light Matter lab! 2/n

[Ayan Banerjee @ayanban7]

International referee's comment on my PhD student Ramnandan's thesis: 'Overall, I was extremely impressed by the thesis. In all my years in academia this is only one of the two thesis that I have seen where a student has mastered both rigorous theoretical concepts...1/n

[The Nobel Prize @NobelPrize]

BREAKING NEWS
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2024 #NobelPrize in Physics to John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.”

[Shubha Tole (she/her) @shubhatole]

TIFR GS-2025 applications are open! Apply to TIFR's vibrant PhD/ Integrated MSc+PhD programmes at https://t.co/VThzMw1nYO @TIFRScience @TIFRH_buzz @HBCSE_TIFR @NCBS_Bangalore @ictstifr @NCRA_Outreach @tifrcam

Please repost

[Ayan Banerjee @ayanban7]

Good to see this from ACS Photonics!

[Ayan Banerjee @ayanban7]

The Department of Physical Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata seeks applications from eligible candidates for appointment as faculty at all levels, although preference would be given to recruitment at the Assistant Professor level. 1/n

[PrakashLab @PrakashLab]

Finally it’s arrived! Foldscope 2.0. We have been working on this for many years - so thrilled to see this out! Will write a longer thread on new features shortly - but finally we have swappable lenses (3!!). Your support allows us to bring microscopy to all corners of the world.

[Computational Fluid Dynamics group @CFDonia]

Kinetic energy dissipation rate in two-dimensional turbulence. Logarithmic contours.

Plots with @matplotlib

Data available here: https://t.co/rmUlzeN05e

#Python script to generate plots:

import numpy as np
import matplotlib as mpl
import matplotlib.colors as colors
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from netCDF4 import Dataset

f1=Dataset('https://t.co/4NT7zsFbjV', mode='r')
dissipation = f1.variables['dissipation'][:,:,:]
x = f1.variables['x'][:]
y = f1.variables['y'][:]

n = dissipation.shape
for k in range(0, n[0]):
fig, ax = plt.subplots(1,1, figsize=(8,8))
cs1 = ax.contourf(x, y, dissipation[k,:,:], np.logspace(-5,1,101), cmap='Blues_r', extend='both', norm=colors.LogNorm())

ax.set_aspect('equal')
ax.xaxis.set_ticks(range(0,7))
ax.yaxis.set_ticks(range(0,7))
ax.set_xlabel(r'$x$')
ax.set_ylabel(r'$y$')
fname = 'frame.' + str(k) + '.png'
plt.savefig(fname, dpi=200, pad_inches = 0.1)
print(fname)
plt.close()

[Biswajit Das @biswajit_phys]

@edgarroldankb @iitbombay @ictpnews Thanks for sharing the link ! It's a tresure trove for a beginner like me !!

[Chitradeep Saha @deephysics1729]

Interesting trivia

[Biswajit Das @biswajit_phys]

Check out our recent work published in @PhysRevResearch where we describe the technique to infer dissipation in non-linear microscopic heat engines.

Thankful to Sreekanth & @ayanban7 sir for their guidance !
https://t.co/fZ7UlaUYKC

[Ayan Banerjee @ayanban7]

And the third. Which happens to be Biswajit Das's first! Of many many more I believe. Congrats to him, and Sreekanth Manikandan - for the hand-holding.

Phys. Rev. Research 4, 043080 (2022) - Inferring entropy production in anharmonic Brownian gyrators https://t.co/nsp19zekgC

[Raunak @raunak_dey_]

80-year-old Physics laws rediscovered in mesoscopic systems!! Our paper on Arcsine laws has been published in @PhysRevE Thanks to all our great team @Avitwit001 @biswajit_phys and PI @ayanban7 Scroll through this thread to read more @APSphysics (1/n)
https://t.co/XIXqLYCFtQ

[Ayan Banerjee @ayanban7]

The second of our suite of three papers on non eq stat mech. Congrats to Raunak Dey, Avijit Kundu, and Biswajit Das-you have really grown this wing of the Light Matter lab, after Shuvojit Paul started things off!
Phys. Rev. E 106, 054113 (2022)- https://t.co/G0af3phEAb

[Biswajit Das @biswajit_phys]

Check out our work in @PhysRevE where we have experimentally verified the arcsine behaviour of time-integrated thermodynamic observables of microscopic system in a non-equilibrium steady state in the long time limit.

@raunak_dey_
@Avitwit001 @ayanban7

https://t.co/rlpWZ3KQzI