Basudeb Dasgupta
TIFR, Mumbai
Basudeb Dasgupta is a Professor in the Department of Theoretical Physics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai. A theoretical physicist, his research focuses on neutrinos, dark matter, and astroparticle physics. After earning his Ph.D. from TIFR in 2009, he held postdoctoral positions at the Max Planck Institute for Physics, Ohio State University, and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics. Since returning to TIFR, he has led pioneering studies on neutrino oscillations and particle cosmology, including conditions for collective flavor instabilities in supernovae and the early universe. His scientific contributions have been recognized with the ICTP Prize (2019) and the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize (2022).
Session 1E: Special Session
Chairperson: Amol Dighe, TIFR, Mumbai
Underground science laboratory: Neutrino and dark matter frontiers
Underground laboratories provide the low-background conditions essential for addressing fundamental questions in particle and astroparticle physics. By suppressing cosmic-ray–induced signals, they enable measurements that are otherwise impossible at the surface. A key opportunity is the deployment of a deuterated liquid scintillator (DLS) detector, which will allow solar and supernova neutrinos to be studied with pioneering sensitivity. Such measurements can open the next frontier in neutrino physics. Equally compelling is the search for dark matter, where unprecedented background control is required to push sensitivity to subtle and rare nuclear recoils. Advances in detector materials, shielding, and veto systems rely crucially on underground settings for probing candidate particles across a wide mass range. Together, these efforts define a core scientific case for a national Underground Science Laboratory.