Basu Dasgupta

Professor of Theoretical Physics at @TIFRScience
X-noob, here for the cats

[Tata Institute of Fundamental Research @TIFRScience]

#AwardAlert Dr. Girish Kulkarni (faculty, DTP, @tifrscience) has been awarded the Laxminarayana & Nagalaxmi Modali Award (2025) by the Astronomical Society of India.

The award recognises outstanding research contributions carried out primarily in India over the past decade.

Dr. Kulkarni’s work has significantly advanced our understanding of the first billion years of the Universe, covering landmark epochs such as cosmic dawn, reionisation, and the emergence of early supermassive black holes.

More about what his group works on: https://t.co/p88dhHFsIj

#TIFRScience #ASI #blackholes #cosmology

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

@curiouswavefn It's interesting how highly Pauli is rated (implicitly, in comparison). I personally find it a "miss" that the evaluation of Fermi is not what it should have been. The mathematics line-up seems to have held up! Is there a case to be made that good math is easier to spot?

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

@Kaju_Nut I saw this tweet and thought exactly the same :) It's exactly like the Schrodinger's immigrants trope --- at the same time uneducated/lazy and taking away all the jobs!

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

The movie is Indian (1996). The lyricist -- P K Mishra. We also have the gem -- Telephone dhun mein hansle waali! What vibe!

[Incognito @Incognito_qfs]

What is this song bc 😭😭😭

Kisi Ko Lene Nahi Dunga, Voh Sukh Bhi Nahi Dunga;

Gajra Tumhara Girne Nahi Dunga, Murjhane Nahi Dunga;

Mere Alawa Kisi Aurat Ko Naa Paas Bulana, Tum Naa Kabhi Bhi Mother Teresa Ko Chhod Ke Naam Na Lena;

Teri Galiyon Mein Koi Mard Naa Chhodunga, Aurat Bhi Naa Chhodunga;

Teri Hasi Ko Udne Nahi Dunga, Mere Dil Mein Basa Lunga...

[Math Files @Math_files]

In the district in India where the Tata Institute is located, it is illegal to buy liquor without a doctor’s prescription.

The custom then is to make an appointment with the right physician. The doctor says, “What is your problem?”
The patient will reply “My elbow hurts” (or some such thing) and then the doctor will prescribe a bottle of gin.

A visiting mathematician at the Tata Institute, unaware of this practice, made a doctor’s appointment. He sat down, and the doctor said, “What is your problem?” The mathematician replied, “I have a sheaf of rings and an abelian functor, ...”

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

@Kaju_Nut Mathematica already replaced the "heroic" calculator in the early/mid-2000s to a large extent. If you could plan the calculation -- the rest was easy. LLMs are helping with the planning. Now the key skill is asking the right questions (it was always that!)

[Tata Institute of Fundamental Research @TIFRScience]

What is dark matter made of & why can’t we catch it?

Join physicist Priscilla Cushman at @TIFRScience to learn how scientists are building ever-deeper experiments to trace this cosmic mystery.

🗓️ Feb 16
🕠 5:30 PM
📍Homi Bhabha Auditorium, TIFR, Mumbai
🎥https://t.co/sB2QKgoiEd

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

@Kaju_Nut The moral clarity is genuinely refreshing!

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

@Kaju_Nut @sudhirvempati Bhabha had also offered Chandra a Professorship at TIFR, and their letters are very amicable (I will try and link to them). It’s not clear to me why he turned that offer down. My sense is that Chandra may just have preferred to stay abroad.

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

@jd_iitk Thinking of applying -- sometimes I think being a postdoc was more fun than having to sit in all these meetings!

But then I remember how tough the postdoc/faculty job market was/is, and I don't think I want to tempt fate one more time! :)

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

@Primeval_Arhsim It was great to have you here!

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

@mnwsth I have always wondered what these academies actually accomplish? 🤷🏼‍♂️

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

@PhysicsNirmal I see! Nice!

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

I am going to teach graduate classical mechanics next semester. Do you know of fun but instructive examples I could use? Please share if you can. Thanks! Here is one I love, to get you excited! (1/)

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

@PhysicsNirmal Thanks! I didn’t know this one. But why lunar effect = 2x solar effect?

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

A true inspiration!

[Office of Principal Scientific Adviser to the GoI @PrinSciAdvOff]

The Office of @PrinSciAdvGoI remembers astrophysicist Prof. Meghnad Saha on his birth anniversary.

His most celebrated work is the Ionisation Equation, also known as the ‘Saha Equation’, a breakthrough that links the colours and spectra of stars to their internal temperature and pressure. The equation allows astronomers to determine a star's temperature and chemical composition by studying its light.

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

@himganj153 First choice is pretty obvious. Second choice: C or G. That is a harder decision!

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

An added bonus is that the Natural + Geometrized units, comprising c (Einstein-Maxwell), h (Planck's constant) and k_B (Boltzmann's constant) and G (Newton's gravitational constant) would then be "named".

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

We should name the "speed of light in vacuo" i.e. "c" as the Einstein-Maxwell constant. This is both easier and more accurate than referring to the speed of some specific wave. It is a fundamental constant.

[Physics Memes @ThePhysicsMemes]

The highest honors in science. #tech

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

@vrundasays_ Great job!

[Basu Dasgupta @thebdasgupta]

Some places stay with you, long after you leave. Even longer when you return. Any of you miss this view? 😍😜