M. A. B. Beg

Mirza Abdul Baqi Bég (20 September 1934 – 30 January 1990), best known as MAB Bég or Baqi Bég, was a Pakistani[note 1]^:Fwd.xiii[1] theoretical physicist and a professor of physics at the Rockefeller University whose contributions were vital in string theory and particle physics.[2] He is credited mainly with his role in laying down the theoretical foundations of the quark theory as well as development of the SU(6) model.[3]

Mirza Abdul Baqi Bég
Born	September 20, 1934 Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died	January 30, 1990 (aged 55) Manhattan, New York, United States
Resting place	Manhattan, New York, United States
Citizenship	Pakistan^:Fwd.xiii[1]
Alma mater	University of Sindh University of Karachi Pittsburgh University
Known for	SU(6) theory and Quark model
Scientific career
Fields	Theoretical physics
Institutions	Rockefeller University Brookhaven National Laboratory Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Quaid-i-Azam University
Thesis	Annihilation of positrons in an electron gas with application to metals (1958)
Doctoral advisor	Philip M. Stehle

Biography

Bég was born in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh in India on 20 September 1934.^:xv[1] Following the partition of India in 1947, his family migrated to Pakistan, only to be settled in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.^:xv[1] After finishing school in Karachi, Bég went to attend the University of Sindh in Hyderabad, graduated with BSc with honors in Physics in 1951.[4] Upon returning to Karachi, Bég attended the Karachi University where he graduated with his MSc in Mathematics with area focused on the applied application in 1954.^:xvi[1] Bég went to United States for his doctoral studies, attending the University of Pittsburgh, where he was conferred with PhD in nuclear physics under Dr. Philip M. Stehl in 1958.[5]

Before moving to England, Bég's early work was focused toward nuclear physics, and got interested in theoretical physics after accepting his postdoctoral fellowship (1958-1960) at the University of Birmingham, working under Sir Rudolf Peierls at the department of physics, followed by his second post-doc at the Brookhaven National Laboratory at Upton, New York. His work at BNL earned him a membership at the Institute of Advanced Studies at Princeton University (1962–64), where he spent two highly-productive years in developing the foundations of valuable work he later carried out.

He joined the faculty of physics at the Rockefeller University in 1964 and was promoted to full Professor in 1968. Soon after his appointment, beginning with 1965 he became a consultant at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (serving on its High Energy Advisory Committee from 1975 to 1978, which took decisions on the selection of experiments to be conducted at the laboratory.) He also contributed significantly to other global particle physics endeavors, most notably, at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and at the European Organization for Nuclear Research. He was appointed as a fellow of the American Physical Society and the New York Academy of Sciences, in addition to recognition by the American Institute of Physics.[6]

Beg made a number of contributions to the then pioneering efforts in the structure of elementary particles and the development of the quark theory, especially contributing to the important symmetries in physics which underlie our understanding of the elementary particles. His important work lies in the domain of group theory, especially in the SU(6) model. He was a driving force and inspiration for generations of particle physicists.

Beg was a bona fide and valuable citizen scientist and believed in science as a tool for human development and uplift. "He held the view that science, in particular fundamental science, is the best catalyst for inducing far reaching socio-political changes in contemporary societies and that it provides a universal opportunity to make a lasting contribution to human knowledge.", based on which The Emerging Nations Science Foundation (ESNF), a non-governmental organization based in Trieste, Italy, has constituted a prize in his memory, named the "ENSF Prize in Physics (In memoriam M.A.B. Beg)".[7]

He died peacefully at his home in Manhattan, New York, on 30 January 1990, survived by his wife Nancie. An obituary was published in New York Times on 1 February 1990.

A memorial was published in his memory (widely known as The "M.A.B. Beg Memorial Volume") in 1991 by World Scientific, which includes several papers written by him as well as other prominent particle physicists.[8]

Notes

1. According to letter written by Dr. Abdus Salam, Beg was a Pakistan citizen who married an American citizen, Nancie. Dr. Salam's letter was published as a Foreword in his biography, MAB Beg Memorial Volume, written by Dr. P. Hoodhboy and Dr. A. Ali in 1991. A Green Card (or Permanent Resident Card), does not mean that individual is an American citizen. It's a legal permission to live in the United States. Acquiring US citizenship is also a matter of choice. In addition, British theorist, Dr. Sir. Rudolf Peierls also confirmed of his Pakistani citizenship, noting a bright Pakistani post-doctoral who lived a small flat with his American wife, Nancie, in his passage "Bird of Passage".

References

1. A, Ali; Pervez, Hoodbhoy (1991). MAB Beg Memorial Volume (google books) (1st ed.). New Jersey, U.S.: World Scientific. p. 290. ISBN 978-981-4555-96-8. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
2. "Mirza Abdul Beg, 55, A Professor of Physics". The New York Times. February 1990.
3. http://lib-docs.web.cern.ch/lib-docs/Archives/biographies/Beg_MAB-199205.pdf
4. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2017-03-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
5. "Mirza A. B. Beg | Physics & Astronomy | University of Pittsburgh". www.physicsandastronomy.pitt.edu. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
6. "Portrait of Beg Beg Mirza A1". 2014-02-24.
7. http://www.ensf-ngo.org/new/prizes.php
8. https://www.amazon.com/M-B-Beg-Memorial-Ali/dp/981020714X