Vasant Natarajan

Vasant Natarajan (1965–2021) was an Indian experimental physicist and professor in the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, renowned for pioneering laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms in India, producing the country's first cold atoms in 2001.[1][3] His research spanned quantum optics, spectroscopy, optical tweezers, and tests of fundamental symmetries, earning him the Swarnajayanti Fellowship and Homi Bhabha Fellowship.[1][3] He authored 'Modern Atomic Physics' and contributed to programs like KVPY.[5][1]