Faheem Hussain

Faheem Hussain
Born	July 31, 1942 Yavatmal, Maharashtra, British India, Present-day India
Died	September 29, 2009(2009-09-29) (aged 67) Monfalcone, Italy
Nationality	Pakistani and Italian
Citizenship	Italian
Alma mater	University of London Imperial College London
Known for	His work on the Superstring Theory Field Theory (Physics) string theory supersymmetry Noncommutative geometry
Awards	Royal Society Award (1968)
Scientific career
Fields	Theoretical Physics
Institutions	National Center for Physics(NCP) Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Quaid-i-Azam University International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) University of Chicago Institute for Nuclear Studies (INS) Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY)
Doctoral advisor	Paul T. Matthews
Notes
A close friend of physicists Pervez Hoodbhoy, Asad Naqvi, and Riazuddin.

Faheem Hussain (31 July, 1942–September 29, 2009), (D.Phil.), was a Pakistani theoretical physicist and a professor of physics at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). A research scientist in the field of Superstring theory at the National Center for Physics, Hussain made contributions to the fields of Superstring theory and string theory. He was the first Pakistani physicist to be publish a research paper in the field of superstring theory. A prominent social activist and democratic activist, he has authored various scientific research papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Education and early life

Faheem Hussain was born in Yavatmal, Maharashtra, British India in 1942. His family moved to West Pakistan shortly before Partition on 14 August 1947. He graduated from St. Anthony's High School, Lahore, in 1955 and then enrolled in Forman Christian College. After receiving his double B.Sc. with honors in Mathematics and Physics from Forman Christian College in 1960, he moved to the Great Britain. There, he attended Chelsea College, London, and completed an another B.S. (hons) in physics in 1963. He attended Imperial College, London where a prominent and illustrious physicist Dr. Abdus Salam was also teaching. He began working with Abdus Salam's group at the Imperial College. He completed his M.Sc. in physics from Imperial College, London under Abdus Salam, and followed by his Ph.D. in Theoretical physics under the supervision of noted theoretical particle physicist dr. Paul Matthews in 1966.

Academic career

In 1966, at the age of 24, Hussain travelled to United States and joined Enrico Fermi Institute, nowadays known as The Enrico Fermi Institute for Nuclear Studies. During that time, Hussain met with group of Pakistani physicist at the institute, there he founded "The Relativity Group", along with Fayyazuddin, Riazuddin, and Peter Rotteli. During his stay in the Institute, he served as a assistant professor at the University of Chicago, Illinois. In 1968, Faheem along with "The Relativity Group" scientists, came back to Pakistan and joined Quaid-i-Azam University's Institute of Physics.

In 1969, Faheem Hussain, on the request of dr. Abdus Salam, joined the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) as a "Scientific Officer" (SO). The same year, Hussain was given a transfer to Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) where he joined the "Nuclear Physics Division" (NPD). In 1971, after the 1971 Winter war, Abdus Salam had recalled his noted students from ICTP, Italy, where they had formed the "Theoretical Physics Group" (TPG) in 1972. A young scholar from Islamabad, Hussain had done his early professional work in the United States in 1960s. Hussain started his groundbreaking research in theoretical physics from PAEC, and was a senior member of a Theoretical Physics Group. Hussain played an important role in the established of the TPG in PAEC. The TPG was mandated to developed the designs of the nuclear device, Hussain had closely worked with the TPG scientists in the development of the designs of the nuclear weapon device. An early member of the TPG, Hussain had played a crucial role in setting up the secret research laboratories in PAEC.

While in PAEC, he began to work with dr. Abdus Salam and his renowed students in the development of the nuclear weapon. While the TPG led by dr. Riazuddin, he had provided his full support to TPG scientists, heavily cooperating with the scientists to developed the designs of the device. Hussain also supported Abdus Salam while Dr. Salam was leading the program along with Munir Ahmad Khan. In 1973, Hussain developed serious issues when he publically objected then-prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's launched military operation in Balochistan province. In 1973, as the conflict deepened, Prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had asked him to resign from his position. Following his resignation, Hussain joined the joined the Quaid-i-Azam University as professor of physics and mathematics in the end of 1973.

He taught at the Garyounis University, Benghazi, Libya, from 1977 to 1979. In 1985, Faheem left Pakistan and joined Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron or better known as DESY. Prior to this, Faheem moved to Geneva, Switzerland and joined European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). He had also been a visiting professor at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany. There, with Juergen Koerner, George Thompson and others, he calculated relativistic-wave functions for hadrons and used Salam’s formalism to develop a variant of the effective heavy-quark theory. The Mainz group went on to make valuable contributions to the study of heavy baryon decays.

ICTP career

Faheem joined ICTP on the request of dr. Abdus Salam. He worked there as a senior staff scientist at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy. There, he was originally involved in developing the high energy physics diploma programme, which helps train young graduates from the developing countries to start research in physics. There he was the head of the office of external activities for six years. Of late, he was working in superstring theory, the physics of extra dimensions and non-commutative geometry. Faheem published extensively in the field of theoretical elementary particle physics. He also published articles and papers to solve the science and technology problems in the under develop countries.

Politics

Faheem had deep interest in national and international politics. He was a staunch anti-imperialist, and vociferously protested against the new wave of the savage neo-liberalism religion of the free market. According to his close associates and friends, Faheem describes himself as "unreconstructed marxist". During his stay in the United States. Faheem participated at the mass anti-war demonstration at the University of Chicago. As he moved to Pakistan, Faheem began criticizing Pakistan Army's role in the East Pakistan.

However, after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (late) legalized the trade unions in 1970s. Faheem, together with Pervez Hoodbhoy, formed the student union movement, the "People Labour Federation" in 1973. The dream of the organization was to bring the "social revolution in Pakistan."

Support for democracy in Pakistan

After the Coup d'état by General Zia, Faheem publicly opposed General Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization and supported democracy in his country. Faheem left Pakistan in 1989 and joined ICTP at the request of Dr. Abdus Salam.

Return to Pakistan

Dr. Faheem Hussain who was till working at ICTP from 1990 return to Pakistan at the request of Government of Pakistan. Hussain, at the ICTP, was working as a senior staff scientist, took his retirement and came back to Pakistan in 2004. There, he joined the physics research institute, the National Center for Physics.

Research in physics

Hussain, along with Dr. Riazuddin, dr. Fayyazuddin, and Dr. Hamid Saleem, carried out a research on the string theory and published extensively in the field of mathematical physics. Later, he moved to Lahore and was offered a position at the Lahore University of Management Sciences or LUMS's science department. He eventually became a chairperson of the Physics Department at there. The LUMS is nationally and internationally known for its research in theoretical physics and numbers of prominent physicists also teaches there. At LUMS, Hussain began his research in noncommutative geometry and superstring theory. There, he formed a "Mathematical Physics Group" (MPG), the MPG group consists of Pakistan's noted physicists, Dr. Asad Naqvi, Dr. Tasneem Zehra Hussain, and Dr. Amer Iqbal. He there began his work and published articles in the field of Extra dimensions, Noncommutative geometry, and the string theory.

Personal life

Faheem Hussain was married to Jane Steinfels Hussain, an American woman, from 1968 to 1986. Their marriage ended in divorce. Faheem and Jane had two children, Nadeem Hussain and Amina Steinfels. He later married Sara Monticone Hussain. He was a keen cricketer and played cricket at the university along with his student. According to his friends, Hussain tried and well established a cricket team at the university.

Death

Faheem Hussain was suffering from Prostate cancer in 2009. On the night of September 29, 2009, Hussain was announced dead. His work in physics specially to string theory is far reaching and influence. He made extraordinary contribution in the theoretical physics. He has been paid tribute by some of his close friends, associates and students.

Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy, a professor of nuclear physics at the Quaid-i-Azam University paid a tribute to him and said:

"I think he belonged to the genre of academic intellectuals who believe in changing the world for the better. His research and teaching were instruments of change".

Dr. Abdul Hameed Nayyar, a former professor of solid state physics at the Qaud-e-Azam University, recalled and said: "Dr. Faheem Hussain was a scholar, a scientist and a revolutionary at the same time". Dr. Masud Ahmad, a theoretical physicists and PAEC member and a close friend of his, said:

"Faheem Hussain was a multidimensional personality of being an accomplished scientist, an excellent teacher and an ideal role model for the young students who took great pains to direct the energy of the youth to intellectual pursuits".

Dr. Asad Naqvi, a professor of mathematical physics at the LUMS, paid heavy tribute to him and commemorate in few words, and said:

"I am lost after hearing this. I only knew him for about five years, and in that short time, I had grown really fond of him. We are all poorer today, having lost such a lovely person who touched us so deeply".

Bibliography

• Mathematical Physics by Riazuddin and dr. Faheem Hussain
• IIIrd Regional Conference on Mathematical Physics by Faheem Hussain and Asghar Qadir
• Contemporary Physics: Proceedings of the International Symposium by Jamil Aslam, Faheem Hussain, and Riazuddin.

Research papers

• The Theoretical Physics Group at Quaid-e-Azam University
• Hadrons of arbitrary spin and heavy quark symmetry by Faheem Hussain, Thompson, G ; Körner, J G
• Interactions and dynamics of D-branes / Hussain, F ; Lengo, R ; Núñez, C ; Scrucca, C A
• Black hole - D-brane correspondence : An example / Bertolini, M ; Fré, P ; Hussain, F ; Iengo, R ; Núñez, C ; Scrucca, Claudio A.
• Interaction of D-branes on orbifolds and massless particle emission / Hussain, F ; Iengo, R ; Núñez, C ; Scrucca, Claudio A
• Closed string radiation from moving D-branes / Hussain, F ; Iengo, R ; Núñez, C ; Scrucca, Claudio A
• Aspects of D-brane dynamics on orbifolds / Hussain, F ; Iengo, R ; Núñez, C ; Scrucca, Claudio A
• On the form factors of the Ds+ --> + decay / Hussain, F ; Ivanov, A N ; Troitskaya, N I
• An introduction to the heavy quark effective theory / Hussain, F ; Thompson, G
• Non-commutative geometry and supersymmetry, 2 / Hussain, F ; Thompson, G

External links

• ICTP Page on Hussain
• Dr. Faheem Hussain
• Tribute paid to Dr. Faheem Hussain
• In the Memory of Dr. Faheem Hussain
• LUMS Science Faculty
• ICTP Page of Faheem Hussain
• Dr. Hussain
• Remembereing Dr. Faheem Hussain
• Remember an Physics Icon
• Mathematical Physics by Faheem Hussain, Riazuddin, Asghar Qadir, Mohammad Jamil Aslam, Hamid Saleem