Vinod Chohan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vinod Chohan
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| Born | 1 May 1949 |
| Died | 12 June 2017 (aged 68) Geneva, Switzerland
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Engineering |
| Institutions | CERN |
Vinod Chandrasinh Chohan (born May 1, 1949 – died June 12, 2017) was a brilliant engineer from Tanzania. He was an expert in particle accelerators, which are huge machines that speed up tiny particles. Vinod worked at CERN, a famous science lab in Switzerland, for almost 40 years.
He played a key role in building and running the Antiproton Accumulator at CERN. This machine helped scientists discover the W and Z bosons in 1983. This amazing discovery earned Carlo Rubbia and Simon van der Meer the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1984. Vinod worked very closely with Simon van der Meer on the antiproton machine.
Vinod Chohan also made big contributions to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). He led the team that tested and prepared over a thousand special superconducting magnets for this massive machine.
During his long career at CERN, he held many important jobs. These included working on how particle beams behave, designing instruments, and ensuring safety.
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Early Life and Education
Vinod Chohan was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania) on May 1, 1949. His family was Indian-Tanzanian and Hindu.
He started his high school education in Tanzania. In 1967, he moved to England to attend Colston's School in Bristol. Vinod then studied electrical and electronic engineering at University College, Cardiff. He earned his PhD from the University of Essex in 1974.
Career at CERN
Vinod Chohan joined CERN in January 1975. CERN is one of the world's largest and most respected centers for scientific research.
Working with Particle Accelerators
From 1977 to 1980, he worked at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. There, he focused on how particle beams move inside cyclotrons, which are a type of particle accelerator.
In 1980, he returned to CERN. He worked on beam diagnostics and safety for the Proton Synchrotron division. He also became the coordinator for the Antiproton Accumulator Complex. This complex created antiprotons, which are like antimatter versions of protons. These antiprotons were used in the Super Proton Synchrotron. This work was vital for the discovery of the W and Z bosons, which are fundamental particles.
Global Collaborations
During his time at CERN, Vinod also worked with other famous labs around the world. He helped with an antiproton source at Fermilab in the United States from 1985 to 1986. In 1989, he collaborated on a Proton Storage Ring at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. In 1993, he even taught a course on accelerator systems in India.
Building the Large Hadron Collider
In 2002, Vinod joined the team building the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The LHC is the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator. Vinod led the team responsible for testing hundreds of superconducting magnets for the LHC.
This was a huge job! There were 1706 superconducting magnets, each 14 meters long, that needed to be tested. It was a slow process at first, but it sped up when people from India joined the team as part of the CERN-India Collaboration. Over seven years, Vinod led this international team. They successfully tested and prepared about 1300 superconducting magnets for the LHC.
Public Recognition
During the LHC's construction, Vinod Chohan was featured in public exhibitions. In 2007, he was part of the Big Bang exhibition at the Science Museum, London. In 2008, he appeared in the BBC documentary series Horizon.
After the LHC started running in 2008, Vinod led the team that coordinated the technical work for all of CERN's other accelerators and beam experiment areas.
Vinod Chohan became a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology in 1981 and a fellow in November 2013.
