Noor Muhammad Butt (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' nuclear physicist and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

at the Preston University who is known for his research publications in understanding the gamma-rays burst,

Mössbauer effect The Mössbauer effect, or recoilless nuclear resonance fluorescence, is a physical phenomenon discovered by Rudolf Mössbauer in 1958. It involves the resonant and recoil-free emission and absorption of gamma radiation by atomic nuclei bound in ...

, diffraction, later the nanotechnology. Besides teaching courses in topics involving the modern physics, his career has spent working in branches of physics at the national laboratory in

Nilore Nilore ( ur, ) is a townsite-city in the Islamabad Capital Territory of Pakistan, located and established in the district limit of Islamabad. The city is located in the vicinity of Islamabad, and controlled under the Capital Territory Police (C ...

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.

Biography

Butt was born in

Sialkot Sialkot ( ur, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Sialkot District and the 13th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined with Jammu (the winter capital of Indian administered Jammu and Ka ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

on 3 June 1936. He is of

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Baruah ...

descent. He completed his

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...

from the Muslim High School, Sialkot. In 1951, Butt enrolled to attend the

Murray College Government Murray College Sialkot, (GMC Sialkot) often referred to as Murray College, formerly known as Scotch Mission College, is a government college located in Sialkot in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It was established by the Scottish missio ...

to study

and graduated with

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

in physics in 1955, standing top in his class of 1955 of the Murray College. He went to attend the Government College University in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

to study physics under Dr. Rafi Muhammad where his research was focused towards the quantum reaction in

nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

, covering the topic of bombardment of Li⁶ high-energy protons to emit the energy spectrum of

alpha particle Alpha particles, also called alpha rays or alpha radiation, consist of two protons and two neutrons bound together into a particle identical to a helium-4 nucleus. They are generally produced in the process of alpha decay, but may also be pr ...

. In 1957, he graduated with MSc in nuclear physics after successfully defending his thesis written under dr. Rafi Muhammad. His graduation was noted in the local university press when he was conferred with the Roll of Honor by the university. In 1963, he went to attend the

Birmingham University , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Commonwealth Scholarship The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries. History The plan was originally proposed b ...

for his doctoral studies, and carried out his doctoral studies under Dr.

Philip Burton Moon Philip Burton Moon FRS (17 May 1907 – 9 October 1994) was a British nuclear physicist. He is most remembered for his research work in atomic physics and nuclear physics. He is one of the British scientists who participated in the United S ...

. He studied topics in solid state physics and

kinetic theory of solids In physics, a phonon is a collective excitation in a periodic, elastic arrangement of atoms or molecules in condensed matter, specifically in solids and some liquids. A type of quasiparticle, a phonon is an excited state in the quantum mechanical ...

under

Rudolf Peierls Sir Rudolf Ernst Peierls, (; ; 5 June 1907 – 19 September 1995) was a German-born British physicist who played a major role in Tube Alloys, Britain's nuclear weapon programme, as well as the subsequent Manhattan Project, the combined Allie ...

while conducting his doctoral studies on the diffraction with

through the spectroscopy techniques under Dr. William Burchman. In 1965, Butt successfully defended his doctoral thesis and was conferred with the PhD in nuclear physics under the supervision of

from the

. He remained associated with the Birmingham University in England and taught various courses on physics as a

visiting professor In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...

while he collaborated with British physicist, Dr. D.A. O'Conner, at the Department of Nuclear Physics in Birmingham University. In 1993, Butt was conferred with the

DSc DSC may refer to: Academia * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dalton State Col ...

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 but authoritative and classified research sponsored by the British government.

Career at Government of Pakistan

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission

In 1961, Butt secured employment in the

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) (Urdu: ) is a federally funded independent governmental agency, concerned with research and development of nuclear power, promotion of nuclear science, energy conservation and the peaceful usage of nuclea ...

(PAEC) as a scientific officer, and worked on the problems involved in reactor physics before departing to England for his doctoral studies. Upon returning in 1966, Butt joined the

Fast Neutron The neutron detection temperature, also called the neutron energy, indicates a free neutron's kinetic energy, usually given in electron volts. The term ''temperature'' is used, since hot, thermal and cold neutrons are moderated in a medium with ...

Physics Group at the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology in

, where he conducted work on the

neutron diffraction Neutron diffraction or elastic neutron scattering is the application of neutron scattering to the determination of the atomic and/or magnetic structure of a material. A sample to be examined is placed in a beam of thermal or cold neutrons to o ...

to understand crystalline arrangement in the atomic structure. His career is mostly spent at the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, the country national laboratory site in

, where he was instrumental in conducting scientific investigations in

solid-state Solid state, or solid matter, is one of the four fundamental states of matter. Solid state may also refer to: Electronics * Solid-state electronics, circuits built of solid materials * Solid state ionics, study of ionic conductors and their use ...

materials using the lattice dynamical settings and

powder diffraction Powder diffraction is a scientific technique using X-ray, neutron, or electron diffraction on powder or microcrystalline samples for structural characterization of materials. An instrument dedicated to performing such powder measurements is call ...

techniques. Much of his scientific work at the national laboratory site remains classified in regards to its relation to the development of his nation's nuclear weapons. From 1966 to 1978, Butt engaged in further scientific understanding of the

neutron The neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or , which has a neutral (not positive or negative) charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. Protons and neutrons constitute the nuclei of atoms. Since protons and neutrons beh ...

, an important subatomic particle, and studied the utilization of the

Pakistan Atomic Research Reactor The Pakistan Atomic Research Reactor or (PARR) are two nuclear research reactors and two other experimental neutron sources located in the PINSTECH Laboratory, Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan. In addition a reprocessing facility referred to as Ne ...

with Neutron Activation Analysis . 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 the nuclear binding energy in the nucleus, the isotopic island of stability, phonon and the

. While leading the Nuclear Physics Division, Butt oversaw the establishment of the " New Labs" where many of his contributions were vital in scientific understanding in

synthetic element A synthetic element is one of 24 known chemical elements that do not occur naturally on Earth: they have been created by human manipulation of fundamental particles in a nuclear reactor, a particle accelerator, or the explosion of an atomic bomb; ...

s such as

plutonium Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibi ...

⁹³Pu. In 1984, Butt was appointed as associate director of the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, and promoted to its director in 1991. 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. In 1998, Butt was part of a small team that eye-witnessed the nuclear chain reaction during the atomic tests in the mountains of

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

in Pakistan. In 1999, he was of the opinion to favor the development of the less destructive

neutron bomb A neutron bomb, officially defined as a type of enhanced radiation weapon (ERW), is a low-yield thermonuclear weapon designed to maximize lethal neutron radiation in the immediate vicinity of the blast while minimizing the physical power of the b ...

as opposed to the much larger

blast radius A blast radius is the distance from the source that will be affected when an explosion occurs. A blast radius is often associated with bombs, mines, explosive projectiles ( propelled grenades), and other weapons with an explosive charge. Use ...

guaranteed by the hydrogen-based design of nuclear weapons. 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.

Academia and publications

In 1957, Butt joined the faculty of physics at the Government College University, eventually becoming the lecturer in physics in 1958 and remained at his alma mater till 1961. He then taught physics at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...

for several years and worked closely with British physicist, Dr. D. A. O'Conner, on the applications of diffraction,

wave mechanics Wave mechanics may refer to: * the mechanics of waves * the ''wave equation'' in quantum physics, see Schrödinger equation See also * Quantum mechanics * Wave equation The (two-way) wave equation is a second-order linear partial different ...

, and

neutron scattering Neutron scattering, the irregular dispersal of free neutrons by matter, can refer to either the naturally occurring physical process itself or to the man-made experimental techniques that use the natural process for investigating materials. Th ...

. Their work was sponsored and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through the OSTI. Collaboration between Butt and O'Connor established the scientific confirmation of

Ivar Waller Ivar Waller (11 June 1898 – 12 April 1991) was a Swedish professor of theoretical physics at Uppsala University. He developed the theory of X-ray scattering by lattice vibrations of a crystal, building upon the prior work of Peter Debye. The De ...

's Theory of Phonons at the

Bragg diffraction In physics and chemistry , Bragg's law, Georg Wulff, Wulff–Bragg's condition or Laue–Bragg interference, a special case of Laue diffraction, gives the angles for coherent scattering of waves from a crystal lattice. It encompasses the superposit ...

peaks using the

Mössbauer spectroscopy Mössbauer spectroscopy is a spectroscopic technique based on the Mössbauer effect. This effect, discovered by Rudolf Mössbauer (sometimes written "Moessbauer", German: "Mößbauer") in 1958, consists of the nearly recoil-free emission and abs ...

from

LiF Lithium fluoride is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula LiF. It is a colorless solid, that transitions to white with decreasing crystal size. Although odorless, lithium fluoride has a bitter-saline taste. Its structure is analogous to ...

's single crystals. 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 the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. He remained associated with the CERN in Switzerland and the

International Center for Theoretical Physics The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) is an international research institute for physical and mathematical sciences that operates under a tripartite agreement between the Italian Government, United Nations Education ...

(ICTP) in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

where his work on solid-state physics was widely recognized. In 1973, Butt joined the faculty of natural science at the

Quaid-i-Azam University Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad ( ur, ; commonly referred to as QAU), founded as University of Islamabad, is a ranked 1 public research university in Islamabad, Pakistan. Founded as the University of Islamabad in 1967, it was initially dedi ...

and briefly taught a course on

physics and taught courses on material science while supervised one of his student's PhD thesis at the Quaid-i-Azam University. He also served on the examiner board for doctoral and master's thesis programs at the Punjab University and

Bahauddin Zakariya University Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) ( ur, ) is a public university with its main campus in Multan, Pakistan. Bahauddin Zakariya University was founded in 1975 as Multan University, and is the 2nd largest university in Punjab. It was renamed i ...

. He taught courses on physics at the Quaid-i-Azam University until 2000 when he joined the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

to teach physics. In 1973, Butt authored a college textbook, "''Waves and Oscillation''" that covers wide range of topics in

, sound vibration, and theory of optics, which is extensively used by students in physics and mechanical engineering students in Pakistan. In 1996, he also authored a policy book, "''CTBT & Its Implications''".

Public advocacy

After his retirement from PAEC in 2000, Butt begin public advocacy for the benefits of the nanotechnology and engaged in providing

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

when he was appointed Chairman of National Commission on Nano-Science and Technology (NCNST) in 2003 and led till 2005. In addition, he also served as the chairman of

Pakistan Science Foundation The Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) ( ur, ) is an institution under the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Government of Pakistan. It funds scientific studies, research and development. The Pakistan Science Foundation also operates and ...

until 2010 where the PSF initiated several awareness programs on nanotechnology in Pakistan. After 1998, Butt effectively countered the

anti-nuclear movement The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes various nuclear technologies. Some direct action groups, environmental movements, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, natio ...

in the country to roll back the country's nuclear 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 in nuclear technology as it was being useful in

energy generation In electricity generation, a generator is a device that converts motive power (mechanical energy) or fuel-based power (chemical energy) into electric power for use in an external electrical circuit, circuit. Sources of mechanical energy include s ...

medicines A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and re ...

, agriculture, medical usage of lasers, electronics, supercomputing, nanotechnology, and communication technology. In 2010 interview with the

news media The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public. These include news agencies, print media (newspapers, news magazines), broadcast news (radio and television), and ...

, Butt also vehemently dismissed the American concerns about his nation's atomic weapons fall into the hands of terrorists as "farce claim" noting that

they In Modern English, ''they'' is a third-person pronoun relating to a grammatical subject. Morphology In Standard Modern English, ''they'' has five distinct word forms: * ''they'': the nominative (subjective) form * ''them'': the accusat ...

would be unable to select sequence targets to launch the missiles since they don't have required scientific education to understand the locking and triggering mechanism to activate

nuclear device A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

Publications and honors

Bibliography

* *

Awards and honours

Khwarizmi International Award The Khwarizmi International Award is a research award given annually by the President of Iran. The awardees, 10 senior researchers and 10 young researchers, are selected by the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST). It h ...

(1995) *

Sitara-e-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

(1992) * Gold Medal,

Pakistan Academy of Sciences The Pakistan Academy of Sciences ( ur, ) (abbreviated as: PAS), is a learned society of sciences, which described itself as "a repository of the highest scientific talent available in the country." Established in 1953 in Lahore, Punjab, the A ...

(1990) *

ICTP The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) is an international research institute for physical and mathematical sciences that operates under a tripartite agreement between the Italian Government, United Nations Education ...

Award in Solid State Physics (1979) *

Award in

Nuclear Physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

(1970)

References

Online resources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butt, Noor Muhammad Living people 1936 births People from Sialkot Punjabi people Pakistani people of Kashmiri descent Murray College alumni Pakistani nuclear physicists Government College University, Lahore alumni Alumni of the University of Birmingham Pakistani expatriates in England Spectroscopists Project-706 people Government College University, Lahore faculty Quaid-i-Azam University faculty People associated with the University of Birmingham People associated with CERN Fellows of Pakistan Academy of Sciences Pakistani textbook writers Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Pakistani science writers Pakistani inventors Nuclear weapons scientists and engineers