Sukanya Chakrabarti elected APS fellow for dark‑matter research

Sukanya Chakrabarti elected APS fellow

Sukanya Chakrabarti, a Kolkata‑born astrophysicist now holding the Pei‑Ling Chan Endowed Chair at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has been named a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). The fellowship, one of the most prestigious recognitions in the physics community, acknowledges her innovative approaches to measuring the subtle gravitational influence of dark matter on stars throughout the Milky Way.

Why the award matters

In a statement, Chakrabarti said the honour reflects years of work combining extreme‑precision observations of stars, pulsars and eclipsing binaries. By detecting tiny accelerations caused by invisible dark‑matter clumps, her team hopes to distinguish between competing dark‑matter models – a question that sits at the heart of modern physics.

Mapping dark matter with stellar precision

Chakrabarti’s method leverages time‑domain astronomy: repeated measurements of stellar positions and motions allow her to infer the minute pull of dark matter. “By combining extreme‑precision measurements of stars, pulsars and eclipsing binaries, we are aiming to detect dark‑matter clumps on increasingly small scales,” she explained. The resulting “fingerprints” could reveal whether dark matter behaves as a particle, a field, or something altogether unexpected.

Career highlights that led to the fellowship

• Discovery of Gaia BH1 (2022): Chakrabarti led the team that identified the closest known black hole to Earth, Gaia BH1, located about 1,560 light‑years away.
• Academic journey: After moving to the United States at age ten, she earned a BSc in physics and philosophy from North Carolina State University, an MSc in physics from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a PhD in astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley.
• Post‑doctoral work: A stint at Harvard University sharpened her expertise in precision astrophysics before she joined UAH, where she now guides a research group that blends theory, observation and high‑performance computing.

Looking ahead

Chakrabarti says the APS fellowship will help expand collaborations with US and Indian institutions, allowing larger data sets from missions such as Gaia and upcoming observatories to be analysed with ever‑greater accuracy. “I am tremendously grateful for the support I have had at UAH, which lets me continue carrying out these measurements,” she added.

National significance

Chakrabarti’s achievement adds to a growing list of Indian‑origin scientists receiving top international accolades, underscoring the talent pipeline that begins in Indian schools and flourishes abroad while maintaining strong ties to India’s scientific community.