Prof. Arnab Rai Choudhuri

(MSC2/PHY/1980)

Prof. Arnab Rai Choudhuri is one of the world's leading scientists in the field of solar magneto-hydrodynamics. He has made seminal contributions to the understanding of sunspot formation and the generation of the Sun's 11-year activity cycle through dynamo processes. He formally retired from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, in 2022 and continues to be associated with IISc as an Honorary Professor.

Profile

Prof. Choudhuri received his Bachelor's degree in Physics from Presidency College, University of Calcutta, in 1978. He completed his Master's degree in Physics from IIT Kanpur in 1980 and earned his Ph.D. in 1985 from the University of Chicago, Illinois. United States. From 1985 to 1987, he was a Visiting Scientist at the High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, USA. In 1987, he joined the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, as a Lecturer and subsequently served as Professor in the Department of Physics until his retirement in 2022. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to science in developing countries, he was elected a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in 2016.



Prof. Choudhuri is a theoretical astrophysicist whose primary research focuses on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) processes in the Sun. His work also extends to other astrophysical systems, including active galactic nuclei, jets, accretion disks, and pulsars. He is one of the originators of the flux transport dynamo model, which he used to make the first successful prediction of a solar cycle from a theoretical model. Most of his research paper addresses the generation of solar magnetic fields by dynamo process and the formation of sunspots through the buoyant rise of magnetic flux tubes. Together with his students, he developed the solar dynamo simulation code "Surya", along with a publicly released user guide in 2005.

Prof. Choudhuri is the author of three advanced textbooks: The Physics of Fluids and Plasmas: An Introduction for Astrophysicists (1998), Astrophysics for Physicists (2010) and Advanced Electromagnetic Theory (2022) as well as a popular science book Nature's Third Cycle: A Story of Sunspots (2015). His book Astrophysics for Physicists has been translated into Japanese. Two of his research papers: (Choudhuri, Chatterjee and Jiang 2007, Physical Review Letters 98, 131103; Choudhuri and Karak 2012, Physical Review Letters 109, 171103): were selected as "Editors' Suggestions" in Physical Review Letters, one of the highest distinctions for a physics publication.

Achievements and Honors

• Chandrasekhar Prize of Plasma Physics, 2022 (second Indian recipient of this international prize)
• INSA-Vainu Bappu Memorial Award, 2022
• J. C. Bose National Fellow, 2010-2020
• Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), 2016
• Prof. Rustom Choksi Award for Excellence in Research in Science/Engineering, 2012
• Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), 2011
• Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences (IAS), India, 2005
• Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, 1994 and 2002