Arvind (Physicist)

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Arvind was born in Jalandhar, Punjab and completed his schooling with a Matriculation with Merit from Punjab School Education Board in 1983. He obtained a BSc (Honours) in Physics from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar with a Gold Medal for meritorious performance in 1988. He obtained his MSc in Physics from IIT Kanpur in 1990. He was awarded a certificate of academic proficiency for Physics from IIT Kanpur in 1989. He joined the Department of Physics and Center for Theoretical Studies, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, and obtained his PhD in Theoretical Physics in 1997.

Positions Held[edit]

• Vice Chancellor Punjabi University, Patiala April 2021-Present (On Deputation from IISER Mohali)
• Professor IISER Mohali 2010-Present
• Officiating Director IIISER Mohali February-August 2019
• Associate Professor IISER Mohali 2007-2010
• Assistant Professor IIT Madras 2005-2007 (On leave from GNDU)
• Reader GNDU Amritsar 2005-2007
• Special Faculty Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh USA 2002-2004 (On leave from GNDU)
• Lecturer GNDU Amritsar 1997-2005

Awards and Honors[edit]

• Indian National Science Academy Gold Medal for Young Scientists 2000
• Certificate of merit in UGC-CSIR examination 1989
• Certificate of Academic Proficiency in M.Sc. IIT Kanpur 1989
• Gold medal in B.Sc.(Honours) GNDU Amritsar 1988

Professional Responsibilities[edit]

Arvind moved to IISER Mohali in August 2007, soon after it was established, and has contributed to building this institution. He was the convener of the National Curriculum Committee which designed the first curriculum for the BS-MS programme at IISER Mohali. He served as Dean Research and Development (2007-2010), Dean Students (2011-2014), Head Computer Center (2007-2013), Member Board of Governors (2010-2013), and Officiating Director (February-August 2019). As Coordinator Outreach (2012-2019) at IISER Mohali, he spearheaded a large number of Outreach programmes of the Institute and was instrumental in formulating an MoU between Azim Premji University and IISER Mohali for collaboration on Science Education in 2016. Under the Quantum Enabled Science and Technology (QuST) initiative, Department Of Science & Technology (DST) has funded several projects in four themes. Arvind is a PI of a project on Quantum Contextuality and is also the National Coordinator for the Theme I (Quantum information technologies with photons) of the QuEST programme. The Government of India has launched the National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications (NMQTA) in April 2023. Arvind was a member of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) drafting committee for NMQTA and also organized a national level consultative meeting on NMQTA under the vertical "Quantum Communication" at IISER Mohali in 2019. He is on the Editorial Board of "Dialog: Science, Scientists and Society" (Indian Academy of Sciences) and of "Physics Education" (Indian Association of Physics Teachers). He has been an Evaluator for National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) since 2011. He was a Member of the Review Committee of the Physics Department, IIT Kanpur in 2022. He is a mentor for the DBT Star College Initiative, KMV College Jalandhar since 2015. He was a Member of the Board of Studies (Physics) of NIT Jalandhar (2012-2016), GNDU Amritsar (2013-2020), and Kurukshetra University (2016-2021). He was a Member of the Academic Council of University of Jammu (2011-2015), and a Member of the Faculty of Sciences, GNDU Amritsar (2016-2019).

Research Accomplishments[edit]

Quantum Optics: His contribution to Quantum Optics comprises looking at quantum optics from a novel group-theoretic and phase-space point of view. A study of two-mode squeezing transformations based on the noncompact group Sp(4,R) was undertaken, wherein he characterized all the two-mode squeezing transformations as a two-parameter family (Arvind et al PRA 1995^[1]). The intrinsically two-mode features of nonclassical photon statistics of two-mode radiation fields and hierarchies of non classicality were studied with a view to distinguish intrinsically two-mode features from their essentially one-mode counterparts (Arvind et al J Phys A 1998 ^[2]). He was the first to point out the connection of quantum optical nonclassicality and quantum entanglement (Arvind et al Phys. Lett. A 1999 ^[3]). His more recent work focuses on the evolution of two-mode quantum states under a dissipative environment (Rishabh et al PRA 2022 ^[4]) and on the optimal characterization of Gaussian channels using photon number resolving detectors (Kumar et al PRA 2020 ^[5]).

Quantum Information: Arvind did pioneering work in India in the field of experimental implementation of quantum computing and quantum information protocols via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The very first paper (Dorai et al PRA 2000 ^[6]) and several others afterwards (Dorai et al PRA 2001 ^[7]) kick started this activity in India. His early research contributions in this area include: the design of quantum algorithms that explore the role of entanglement in quantum computation, quantum dissipation and its control (Singh et al PRA 2014 ^[8]), experimental construction of generic states (Dogra et al PRA 2015 ^[9]), experimental state and process tomography (Gaikwad et al PRA 2018 ^[10]), and experimental demonstration of noncontextual correlations on an NMR quantum processor (Singh et al PRA 2019 ^[11] ). His recent theoretical research is focused on mathematical issues related to quantum entanglement and characterization of positive under partial transpose (PPT) entanglement. New insights have been provided into entanglement characterization for mixed states. His group has constructed extremal extensions of entanglement witnesses based on Choi's map, and has used these positive maps to discover new bound entangled states. His group was also able to find a new, hitherto undiscovered, connection between unextendable product bases and entanglement witnesses (Sengupta and Arvind PRA 2011 ^[12]). A new direction being explored in his group is in designing secure quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols based on contextuality monogamy (Singh et al PRA 2017 ^[13]) and in using photon subtraction on a two-mode squeezed coherent state to remarkably improve transmission distances and achieve measurement device-independent QKD (Kumar PRA 2019 ^[14]).

Foundations of Quantum Mechanics: His contributions to research in the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics involve exploring the connection of Bell's inequalities with the nonclassicality of states of the radiation field, the formulation of Bell's inequalities for multi-photon sources, geometry of quantum states, and understanding geometric phases in quantum mechanics (Arvind et al J. Phys. A 1997 ^[15]). A recent work uses the continuous variable Clauser-Horne-Bell type inequality to unearth nonlocality (Kumar et al PRA 2021 ^[16]). He developed a theory for geometric phases for three-level quantum systems, which has provided a basis for several further studies in this field. More recent work uses a classical optical approach to nonlocal Pancharatnam-like phases in Hanbury-Brown-Twiss correlations (Arvind et al PLA 2017 ^[17]). Another research direction in his group is exploring weak quantum measurements as a means to extract information from quantum systems. For weak quantum measurements, the system-apparatus coupling is weak and only a limited amount of noise is introduced after measurement. Furthermore, in the context of weak measurements, post-selection can lead to surprising results such as complex weak values outside the range of eigenvalues. His group has invented a scheme where weak quantum measurements are used to perform quantum state tomography and show that under certain circumstances, weak quantum measurements can outperform projective measurements (Das and Arvind PRA 2014 ^[18] ). Further, his group proved that there is no contextual advantage in nonparadoxical scenarios of the two-state vector formalism (Singh et al PRA 2022 ^[19]).

He has guided 10 PhD students, 40 MS Theses, has published around 100 research papers in journals, and has delivered over 100 scientific talks in various national and international conferences.

Extramural Research Grants[edit]

• Quantum Contextuality: Its Role in Quantum Computation and QKD Protocols, DST-QuST, 2019-2023 (PI)
• High Temperature Photonic Quantum Memory, DST-QuST, 2019-2023 (Co-PI)
• Exploring the Quantum Measurement Problem in the Context of Weak Quantum Measurements, DST-SERB, 2015-2018 (PI)
• Quantum Computing Using Fourier Transform Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, DST, 2004-2007 (Co-PI)
• Study of Quantum Effects in a Dissipative Environment, INSA, 2001-2004 (PI)

Educational Initiatives[edit]

Arvind has a passion for teaching physics, and has researched novel pedagogical methods, both black board and laboratory (Chandi et al Am J Phys 2004) He has been instrumental in designing and developing pedagogical tools for Physics. Experimental setups developed by him include:(i) Random sampling of an AC source with a DC meter; (ii) Understanding normal modes using a single two-dimensional oscillator; (iii) Understanding Stefan's law via radiation from a bulb; (iv) Demonstration of current through an open circuit; (v) Construction of parallel plate capacitor with an AC source. These experimental setups are being used in the undergraduate physics teaching labs of IISER Mohali, IIT Madras and GNDU Amritsar. After joining Punjabi University Patiala as Vice Chancellor in April 2021, he started novel academic initiatives there which include Five Year Integrated Masters programmes (FYIP) in six different streams, namely, Languages, Performing and Visual Arts, Biological Sciences, Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Physical and Chemical Sciences, and Social Sciences. He has set up a Center for Innovation and Rural Entrepreneurship and a Center for Reviving the Ecology of Punjab at Punjabi University, Patiala.

Popularizing Science[edit]

Arvind has delivered numerous lectures on popular science in various fora, and participated in public debates on Science and Science Policy. He has also written several newspaper and popular science articles, popularizing Science in Punjabi. Some of his articles written for newspapers include:

The Story of the Human Brain , (In Punjabi), Punjabi Tribune, December 18,2022^[20]

The mysteries of the microcosm: Physics Nobel prizes of 2022, (In Punjabi), Punjabi Tribune, October 8, 2022^[21]

The Martyr of the Peasant movement of Sindh: Sufi Shah Inayat, (In Punjabi), Punjabi Tribune, November 21, 2021^[22]

Corona Virus: Science and Scientific Thinking, (In Punjabi), Punjabi Tribune, April 9, 2020^[23]

Science in 2019, (In Punjabi, year-end review of the progress of Science), Punjabi Tribune, January 3, 2020^[24]

The question of choosing a career: Can I become a scientist?, (In Punjabi), Punjabi Tribune, April 11, 2019^[25]

Draft education policy leaves a lot to be desired, (In English), The Tribune, July 12, 2019^[26]

Science and Guru Nanak, (In Punjabi), Punjabi Tribune, November 12 2019^[27]

Who are Indians?, (In Punjabi), Punjabi Tribune, November 24, 2019^[28]

Science, scientific temper and pseudo-science, (In English), The Tribune, January 15, 2019^[29]

He has organized several national level Kishore Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) camps and has been a popular mentor for several DST INSPIRE camps nationwide. He has worked with Vigyan Prasar DST to make a film on the life and physics experiments of Prof. Babulal Saraf. The film involved re-creating and filming the experiments developed for physics teaching by Professor Saraf. He organized an Indian Academy of Sciences sponsored course on Experiments in Physics for college Physics teachers in 2014. He helped the Himachal Pradesh Government to setup a Center for Science Learning and Activity during 2011-2013. He also organized several training programs for Punjab Government Science Teachers during 2012-2013. He organized a "Meet a Scientist" series of telecasts for EDUSAT Punjab in 2014 which was telecast to 3000 schools in Punjab. He organized the DST Ishaan Vikaas program for students from the North East at IISER Mohali in 2016. He organized a one-day workshop on "New Experiments in Physics" at Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College Anandpur Sahib on October 26, 2016. He co-organized a Salters camp in collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry for school students at IISER Mohali during July 24-26, 2016. He co-organized a Regional National Knowledge Network workshop at IISER Mohali August 22-23, 2016. He co-organized a national level workshop on "Research Based Pedagogical Tools" in collaboration with IISER Pune, DBT and the British Council during January 24-26, 2017.

A few talks on science and science pedagogy include:

A set of three invited lectures on "Quantum Information Processing" in the Popli Memorial Lecture Series at St. Stephen's College, New Delhi Feb 7-9, 2013

An invited lecture in the seminar on "Disciplines, Movements, Policies: The changing relationship between Science, State and Society", at Indian Institute of Advanced Study IIAS Shimla November 24-25 2014

An invited talk titled "What scientists expect from science education" in the conference "Trends in science and mathematics education" at Delhi University, February 19, 2016

An invited talk titled "What is expected of undergraduate physics education?" in the Conference on Teaching of Science in Higher Education, Bangalore University, May 27-28 2016

An invited talk titled "Novel experiments in physics education", at IISER Kolkata May 5, 2016

An invited lecture titled "Recent Initiatives in Science Education: Transforming Indian Science", at the Indo-German workshop on science communication, NIPER Mohali, November 8, 2017

An invited talk titled, "The IISER Experiment in Science Education", in the Dialogue Event at Raman Research Institute Bangalore, October 11 2018

An invited talk titled, "IISERs have become functional, what next?" in the INSA Annual Meeting, Goa, December 17, 2019

An invited talk titled, "Quantum Biology", in the Foundations of Biology Meeting at Ashoka University, February 29, 2020

A Webinar on "Future of Quantum Computing" organized by Physical Science Society NITJ, on June, 22 2020, Weblink^[30]

A Webinar on "Rethinking the Social Contract of Science", organized by Dialogue: Science, Scientists and Society (Indian Academy of Sciences), Weblink^[31]

A Webinar on "Quantum Mechanics and Applications: Measurement in Quantum Mechanics", organized by Department of Physics, St Philomena College Puttur Karnataka on October 20-21, 2015, Weblink^[32]

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