Noor Muhammad Butt | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1936-06-03)3 June 1936 (age 89) |
| Citizenship | Pakistan |
| Alma mater | Murray College Government College University University of Birmingham |
| Known for | Neutron science andNanotechnology Mössbauer spectroscopy Mössbauer effect Nuclear deterrence |
| Awards | Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Distinction) (1992) by thePresident of Pakistan ICTP Award (1975) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Nuclear Physics |
| Institutions | Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Quaid-i-Azam University International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) CERN andIAEA Preston University[1] |
| Theses | |
| Doctoral advisor | Philip Burton Moon |
| Other academic advisors | Rudolf Peierls Rafi Muhammad Chaudhry |
Noor Muhammad Butt (Urdu: نور محمد بٹ); b. 3 June 1936),SI,FPAS, also known asN. M. Butt, is a Pakistaninuclear physicist and professor of physics at thePreston University who is known for his research publications in understanding thegamma-rays burst,Mössbauer effect, diffraction, later thenanotechnology.[2]
Besides teaching courses in topics involving themodern physics, his career has spent working in branches of physics at thenational laboratory inNilore and has authored several college textbooks in physics based on his research, and presently serving as the chairman of the Institute of Nano Science and Technology at the Preston University.[3]
Butt was born inSialkot,Punjab,British India on 3 June 1936.[3] He is ofKashmiri descent. He completed hismatriculation from the Muslim High School, Sialkot.[4][3] In 1951, Butt enrolled to attend theMurray College to studyphysics and graduated withBSc in physics in 1955, standing top in his class of 1955 of the Murray College.: 3–4 [4][3]
He went to attend theGovernment College University inLahore to study physics under Dr.Rafi Muhammad where his research was focused towards thequantum reaction innuclear physics, covering the topic of bombardment ofLi6 high-energy protons to emit the energy spectrum ofalpha particle.[5]: 4 [4] In 1957, he graduated withMSc in nuclear physics after successfully defending his thesis written under dr.Rafi Muhammad.[5] His graduation was noted in the local university press when he was conferred with theRoll of Honor by the university.: 4 [4][6]
In 1963, he went to attend theBirmingham University inEngland onCommonwealth Scholarship for his doctoral studies, and carried out his doctoral studies under Dr.Philip Burton Moon.: 4 [4] He studied topics insolid state physics andkinetic theory of solids underRudolf Peierls while conducting his doctoral studies on thediffraction withMössbauer effect through thespectroscopy techniques under Dr. William Burchman.: 17 [7] In 1965, Butt successfully defended his doctoral thesis and was conferred with thePhD in nuclear physics under the supervision ofPhilip Burton Moon from theBirmingham University inEngland.: 4 [4]
He remained associated with the Birmingham University in England and taught various courses on physics as avisiting professor while he collaborated with British physicist, Dr. D.A. O'Conner, at the Department of Nuclear Physics in Birmingham University.[1] In 1993, Butt was conferred with theDSc in physics, titled: "Structure Properties of Cubic Crystals", that covered wide range of topics in material science and solid-state physics— though this research work was based on independent butauthoritative and classified research sponsored by theBritish government.: 3 [4]
In 1961, Butt secured employment in thePakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) as a scientific officer, and worked on the problems involved inreactor physics before departing to England for his doctoral studies.: 6 [4] Upon returning in 1966, Butt joined theFast Neutron Physics Group at theInstitute of Nuclear Science and Technology inNilore, where he conducted work on theneutron diffraction to understand crystalline arrangement in the atomic structure.: 2–3 [4]
His career is mostly spent at the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, the country national laboratory site inNilore, where he was instrumental in conducting scientific investigations insolid-state materials using thelattice dynamical settings andpowder diffraction techniques.[8] Much of his scientific work at the national laboratory siteremains classified in regards to its relation to the development of his nation'snuclear weapons.: 11 [9] From 1966 to 1978, Butt engaged in further scientific understanding of theneutron, an importantsubatomic particle, and studied the utilization of thePakistan Atomic Research Reactor withNeutron Activation Analysis.[8] In 1978, Butt passed over his work in understanding neutron applications when he was appointed director of Nuclear Physics Division where he became interested in thenuclear binding energy in the nucleus, the isotopicisland of stability,phonon and theMössbauer effect.[8]
While leading the Nuclear Physics Division, Butt oversaw the establishment of the "New Labs" where many of his contributions were vital in scientific understanding insynthetic elements such asplutonium93Pu.: 10, 410 [9] In 1984, Butt was appointed as associate director of the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, and promoted to its director in 1991.[8] In 1995, he eventually took over the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology as its director-general, but left the directorship for a chief scientist position in 1996.[3]
In 1998, Butt was part of a small team that eye-witnessed thenuclear chain reaction during the atomic tests in the mountains ofBalochistan in Pakistan.: 47 [10] In 1999, he was of the opinion to favor the development of the less destructiveneutron bomb as opposed to the much largerblast radius guaranteed by thehydrogen-based design of nuclear weapons.[11]
In 1999, Butt eventually left the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology when he retired as first "Scientist Emeritus", and subsequently returned to academia to teach courses on physics.[8]
In 1957, Butt joined the faculty of physics at theGovernment College University, eventually becoming thelecturer in physics in 1958 and remained at his alma mater till 1961.[3] He then taught physics at theUniversity of Birmingham for several years and worked closely with British physicist, Dr. D. A. O'Conner, on the applications ofdiffraction,wave mechanics, andneutron scattering. Their work was sponsored and supported by theU.S. Department of Energy through theOSTI.[12] Collaboration between Butt and O'Connor established the scientific confirmation ofIvar Waller'sTheory of Phonons at theBragg diffraction peaks using theMössbauer spectroscopy fromLiF's single crystals.: 2 [4] Their work has been extensively cited for several decades and printed in several books including those of Cambridge University Press and North Holland Publishers in theUnited Kingdom.: 2 [4] He remained associated with theCERN inSwitzerland and theInternational Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) inItaly where his work on solid-state physics was widely recognized.: 2–4 [4]
In 1973, Butt joined the faculty of natural science at theQuaid-i-Azam University and briefly taught a course onsolid-state physics and taught courses onmaterial science while supervised one of his student'sPhD thesis at the Quaid-i-Azam University.: 8–9 [4] He also served on the examiner board for doctoral and master's thesis programs at thePunjab University andBahauddin Zakariya University.: 8–9 [4] He taught courses on physics at the Quaid-i-Azam University until 2000 when he joined theUniversity of Oxford to teach physics.: 8–9 [4]
In 1973, Butt authored a college textbook, "Waves and Oscillation" that covers wide range of topics inwave mechanics,sound vibration, andtheory of optics, which is extensively used by students in physics and mechanical engineering students in Pakistan.: 8–9 [4] In 1996, he also authored a policy book, "CTBT & Its Implications".: 8–9 [4]
After his retirement from PAEC in 2000, Butt begin public advocacy for the benefits of thenanotechnology and engaged in providingeducation when he was appointed Chairman of National Commission on Nano-Science and Technology (NCNST) in 2003 and led till 2005.[3][13] In addition, he also served as the chairman ofPakistan Science Foundation until 2010 where the PSF initiated several awareness programs on nanotechnology in Pakistan.[3]
After 1998, Butt effectively countered theanti-nuclear movement in the country to roll back the country'snuclear capability by noting in the public that the country would also have to roll back its programs at its national laboratories and cutting-edge research innuclear technology as it was being useful inenergy generation,medicines, agriculture, medical usage of lasers, electronics, supercomputing, nanotechnology, and communication technology.: 27 [14]
In 2010 interview with thenews media, Butt also vehemently dismissed the American concerns about his nation's atomic weapons fall into the hands of terrorists as "farce claim" noting thatthey would be unable to select sequence targets to launch the missiles since they don't have required scientific education to understand thelocking and triggering mechanism to activatenuclear devices.[15]
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