Many Sikh scientists stand out in pursuit of modern scientific research and have made significant contributions which advance our knowledge in different fields. These scientists have left a lasting legacy in their respective fields. Dr Piara Singh Gill was one such pioneering scientist who studied high-energy particles coming from space, known as  ‘cosmic rays’, leading to new understanding of the cosmos. He is remembered as a trailblazer in Indian Nuclear Physics, a visionary Administrator, and a dedicated Educator. His work laid foundations of India’s advanced Scientific Instrumentation capabilities used in Nuclear Reactors for generating electrical power as well as for Defense applications.

Born on October 28, 1911, in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, he studied at Khalsa High School, Mahilpur and moved to the US in 1929 for higher studies. He earned B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from the University of Southern California. He was awarded Ph.D. in Physics by the University of Chicago in 1940,  under the guidance of Dr Arthur H. Compton. This renowned physicist’s discovery of the particle nature of electromagnetic radiation, called Compton ‘Effect’, helped to establish the Quantum Theory.

Dr Gill’s association with the Manhattan Project

Prof. Compton studied Cosmic Rays, and his work earned him the Nobel Prize in 1927. Prof. Compton and Dr Gill worked together with the famous Nobel Laureate physicist Enrico, and played a crucial role in the ‘Manhattan Project’. Their task was to oversee the Nuclear Reactors to produce enriched uranium and plutonium. Dr Gill was also a close associate of Nobel Laureate Dr Robert Oppenheimer who was working on this project. This was a research and development program during World War II, with support from the UK and Canada, and ran from 1942 to 1946.

Dr P S Gill’s research work in collaboration

Dr Gill’s research included building ‘Cosmic-Ray Telescopes’ to conduct experiments at various altitudes, for new insights into the role of  subatomic particles (including those called Mu-mesons or muons) that are generally unstable, decaying into lighter particles over time. They are produced in cosmic ray interactions in Earth’s atmosphere. He  collaborated internationally, including with distinguished physicists Prof. W.F.G. Swann and Dr L.F. Curtiss, who pioneered research in cosmic ray studies and radioactivity. Dr Gill conducted experiments at Swarthmore (Pennsylvania), and also in India, using ‘Geiger-Müller (GM) counters’ and ‘Nuclear Emulsion’ methods.

An Advanced Cosmic Ray Research Observatory was established in India in 1951 at a high-altitude location. It was officially opened by Prof. A. H. Compton, and Dr Gill worked as its first Director during 1951-71.  First Gamma-ray telescope was set up in 1984 by Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). The results  showed the variations in the cosmic-ray intensity with the atmospheric temperature, the latitude and altitude. He also revolutionized Optical, Vacuum and Microwave Spectroscopic techniques, Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance (NQR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), besides ‘Cosmic-Ray Absorption’ in lead.

In India, Dr Gill collaborated with Dr. Homi J. Bhabha, who established the TIFR and BARC, Dr R. Chidambaram, famed for innovative Instrumentation work during 1974 -98, Dr Anil Kakodkar, former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), who pioneered India’s nuclear self-reliance, and Dr Abdul Kalam, the architect of developing nuclear technology. As the first Director of India’s Central Scientific Instruments Organization (CSIO) during 1963-71, Dr Gill transformed Instrumentation Design, crucial for India’s scientific Research Infrastructure and industrial development. As Officer-on-Special Duty (OSD) with AEC, he advised the then Prime Minister on ‘Nuclear Policy and Strategy’ for global diplomacy.

Dr P S Gill’s work as an Academician 

Dr P S Gill held many key academic positions and was Member of  several top-ranking National and Inter-national scientific academies. He was Fellow of the American and Indian Physical Societies, National Academy of Sciences of India and Consultant in Technological Sciences and Applied Research Panel of  UNESCO. Some of his academic positions include: Research Fellow, University of Chicago (1940–41), Lecturer, Forman Christian College, Lahore (1941–47), Professor of Experimental Physics at TIFR, Bombay (1947–48), Dean Faculty of Sciences  and  Head, Department of Physics, Aligarh University (1949–63).                                                                    

Dr Gill worked as Professor Emeritus at Punjab Agricultural University (1971), mentoring several students who went on to make significant contributions in Nuclear and Cosmic ray Physics. Also, he authored many physics textbooks, widely used across India (some of which were translated by his student Dr H.S. Virk into Punjabi and published by Rupa & Co., Delhi) . As an Entrepreneur, he founded ‘Universal Magnetics’, a company producing magnetic heads for tape recorders, demonstrating his versatility. After retiring, he moved to the US, continued academic engagement as an Adjunct Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, and donated his personal library to Panjab University. He died on 23 March 2002.

(Reference : Piara Singh Gill – Up Against Odds : Autobiography of an Indian Scientist,   Allied Publishers, 1992).