Mohammad Qadir Hussain
Encyclopedia
Dr. Mohammad Qadir Hussain is a Pakistani nuclear physicist who specialized in High-energy nuclear physics
and nuclear reactor physics
. He is the former employee of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
(PAEC) who has claimed that the process using by PAEC to enrich uranium was developed and discovered by him during his stay at the Atomic Energy Agency where he worked as a senior researcher
in the field of enriched uranium
. Pakistan
is thought by some to be using the gas centrifuge
method which is believed to be currently being use at its nuclear laboratories.
Patent Office issued a patent
titled "Centrifuge
process to separate the isotope
s of uranium hexafluoride
" to Dr. Qadir in which it was acknowledged by the Patent Office that method gives a complete istopic separation
of U-235 from U-238
with a purity of almost 100% in a single stage. Details of this patent can be seen at the web site of the Patent Office under patent number 5,417,944.
According to Dawn
Wire Service, a leading Pakistan
i newspaper
, in its 24 August 1995 issue, '"The government of Pakistan
recently put Dr. M.Q. Hussain on the Exit Control List
and he is not allowed to travel
abroad to pursue the patent he has been granted by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Patent and Trademark Office. The grant of the patent to Dr. Hussain means that his process was genuine and Pakistan is using the same process for the enrichment of uranium
. Dr. Hussain is due for a massive compensation, US legal experts say.
The Dawn News
wrote further that:
"It may create an embarrassing situation for the PAEC as well as Abdul Qadeer Khan
. If Dr. Hussain could prove that his process was actually being used by Pakistani nuclear establishments".
It is not yet clear whether Dr. Hussain would be allowed to sell his invention to private consumers in the United States or abroad, since it relates to sensitive nuclear materials. After this incident, Mohammad Q. Hussian is put under strict restriction and he is not allowed to travel anywhere. He has also been monitored closely by the Government of Pakistan.
This patent (number 5,417,944) was offered for sale in 1997, by a person identified as "Muhammad Q. Husain" residing at 37-A Elliot Place, Smithtown, NY.
High-energy nuclear physics
High-energy nuclear physics is a field of study that examines nuclear matter in energy regimes typicallydelegated to high energy physics. The primary focus of this field is the study of heavy-ion collisions....
and nuclear reactor physics
Nuclear reactor physics
Nuclear reactor physics is the branch of science that deals with the study and application of chain reaction to induce controlled rate of fission for energy in reactors....
. He is the former employee of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, , is an administrative governmental and autonomous science and technology governmental department of Pakistan, responsible for development of nuclear energy and development of nuclear power sector in Pakistan...
(PAEC) who has claimed that the process using by PAEC to enrich uranium was developed and discovered by him during his stay at the Atomic Energy Agency where he worked as a senior researcher
Researcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
in the field of enriched uranium
Enriched uranium
Enriched uranium is a kind of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Natural uranium is 99.284% 238U isotope, with 235U only constituting about 0.711% of its weight...
. Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
is thought by some to be using the gas centrifuge
Gas centrifuge
A gas centrifuge is a device that performs isotope separation of gases. A centrifuge relies on the principles of centripetal force accelerating molecules so that particles of different masses are physically separated in a gradient along the radius of a rotating container.A prominent use of gas...
method which is believed to be currently being use at its nuclear laboratories.
Patent claim by Dr. Qadir
On May 23, 1995 the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Patent Office issued a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
titled "Centrifuge
Centrifuge
A centrifuge is a piece of equipment, generally driven by an electric motor , that puts an object in rotation around a fixed axis, applying a force perpendicular to the axis...
process to separate the isotope
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
s of uranium hexafluoride
Uranium hexafluoride
Uranium hexafluoride , referred to as "hex" in the nuclear industry, is a compound used in the uranium enrichment process that produces fuel for nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. It forms solid grey crystals at standard temperature and pressure , is highly toxic, reacts violently with water...
" to Dr. Qadir in which it was acknowledged by the Patent Office that method gives a complete istopic separation
Isotope separation
Isotope separation is the process of concentrating specific isotopes of a chemical element by removing other isotopes, for example separating natural uranium into enriched uranium and depleted uranium. This is a crucial process in the manufacture of uranium fuel for nuclear power stations, and is...
of U-235 from U-238
Uranium-238
Uranium-238 is the most common isotope of uranium found in nature. It is not fissile, but is a fertile material: it can capture a slow neutron and after two beta decays become fissile plutonium-239...
with a purity of almost 100% in a single stage. Details of this patent can be seen at the web site of the Patent Office under patent number 5,417,944.
According to Dawn
Dawn (newspaper)
Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
Wire Service, a leading Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, in its 24 August 1995 issue, '"The government of Pakistan
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary system, with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are...
recently put Dr. M.Q. Hussain on the Exit Control List
Exit Control List
The Exit Control List is maintained by the government of Pakistan under the Exit from Pakistan Ordinance. Those persons on the list are prohibited from leaving Pakistan....
and he is not allowed to travel
Travel
Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. 'Travel' can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.-Etymology:...
abroad to pursue the patent he has been granted by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Patent and Trademark Office. The grant of the patent to Dr. Hussain means that his process was genuine and Pakistan is using the same process for the enrichment of uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
. Dr. Hussain is due for a massive compensation, US legal experts say.
The Dawn News
Dawn (newspaper)
Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
wrote further that:
"It may create an embarrassing situation for the PAEC as well as Abdul Qadeer Khan
Abdul Qadeer Khan
Abdul Qadeer Khan , also known in Pakistan as Mohsin-e-Pakistan , D.Eng, Sc.D, HI, NI , FPAS; more widely known as Dr. A. Q...
. If Dr. Hussain could prove that his process was actually being used by Pakistani nuclear establishments".
It is not yet clear whether Dr. Hussain would be allowed to sell his invention to private consumers in the United States or abroad, since it relates to sensitive nuclear materials. After this incident, Mohammad Q. Hussian is put under strict restriction and he is not allowed to travel anywhere. He has also been monitored closely by the Government of Pakistan.
This patent (number 5,417,944) was offered for sale in 1997, by a person identified as "Muhammad Q. Husain" residing at 37-A Elliot Place, Smithtown, NY.