The work that won Deepak Dhar the Dirac Medal | Explained
Theoretical physicist Deepak Dhar has been awarded the prestigious Dirac Medal for his pioneering work on the Abelian sandpile model. His research provides a mathematical framework for understanding self-organized criticality in complex systems.
Why it matters
Dhar's work is foundational for predicting complex natural phenomena, ranging from earthquakes to forest fires, and represents a significant achievement in theoretical physics.
The story so far: Theoretical physicist Deepak Dhar has been awarded the Dirac Medal for his contributions to statistical physics — an honour he is sharing with three other physicists, Bernard Derrida, Marc Mézard, and Haim Sompolinsky. The Dirac Medal is awarded by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, on the birthday of the late British physicist Paul A.M. Dirac, for significant contributions to theoretical physics.
Dhar has spent most of his career in India. He is also the second Indian winner of the Dirac Medal; the first was string theorist Ashoke Sen in 2012.
In physics circles, Dhar is known for his work on a concept called Abelian sandpiles.
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