Sad farewell to physicist who transformed our understanding of the universe

From a Physics alumnus 1974. I join in the tributes to a wonderfully leading Physicist in our department during my years at Imperial College and, of course, well beyond that time. Many years later - only three or four years ago - I was deeply honoured to receive a reply to an email from me, in which he expressed his doubts as to whether he wanted the Higgs particple to be experimentally. confirmed - in case this somehow led to a kind of standstill.... He leaves a great legacy, and I am personally very grateful for his good influence.

I knew Tom for more than fifty years. He was the consummate gentleman and a brilliant scientist and I feel privileged to count him and his family as one of our best friends. His work will be forever remembered as laying the groundwork for the spontaneous breakdown mechanism in the standard model, and especially its application in non-Abelian theories. His research on gravitation also deserves wide acclamation in my opinion, though many tend to highlight his work on cosmic strings. I shall miss him greatly. Heartfelt condolences to Helen, Alison and Robert.

Around mid-70s, Prof Kibble taught us (BSc) Q-mechs; Classical Mechs and in M.Sc. he was responsible for the Thermodynamics of the Atmosphere sessions. He was a first rate University Professor - as good as it gets. Recently a couple years back, I was very lucky to have met him again on two occasions – Physics Alumni events in IC and CERN. He was impressive for his age - fit and alert, still able to hold a deep discussion about a couple topics I had the opportunity to discuss with him. He was absolutely remarkable person and that opinion is shared by every single person I met who knew him. It is a sad news to learn about his death. His memories about his greatness will remain with me forever.

I had the privilege to be taught by Sir Tom in 1964-65 when I was studying Theoretical Physics at Imperial. He was simply brilliant and very caring. A good friend of my husband, he came to dinner many years later. I didn't tell him that I was madly in love with him all those years ago. What a shame he wasn't awarded the Nobel prize.

Tom was one of our greats --and I knew him for over half a century. He was also a mensch in the widest sense: serious, modest, kind: always helpful--a rare, perhaps unique conjunction of talent and humanity. Of his physics, the spontaneous symmetry breaking work of the sixties is (almost) matched by his later solo demonstration that photons are massless--his epitaph might well, and for many reasons, be "Let there be light."

As a 3rd year undergraduate physicist at ICST in the mid '70s, I was privileged to benefit from an extempore lecture from Tom Kibble. The regular lecturer in hydrodynamics was absent, and Prof. Kibble filled in. He delivered a virtuoso and presumably 'off the cuff' discourse on 2nd order perturbation theory as applied to surface waves on water that I remain astonished by, nearly 40 years later. He was not only a brilliant Physicist but also a great teacher. Truly amazing!

Sad news indeed. As you may know, Tom was a keen cyclist, and I used to lock my bike next to his Dawes Galaxy every morning. Knowing he rode in past along my route I commented that I had not seen him. "I like to be at my desk by 8" was his reply. I think I may have mentioned that I tried to be out of bed by then! Was ever a man better suited to Isla Vista? True to his nature, he never said a word, after spending six months on Party Island at UCSB. I'm forever grateful for his supervision. Ride in Peace Tom.

This is very sad news. Apart from being an eminent physicist, Sir Tom was also a superb teacher and mentor – and a fine gentleman, exuding the quiet humility and dignity that comes from true greatness. I earned my Ph.D. at Imperial, under Abdus Salam. As any student of Salam will admit, his frequent absence from the university usually required his students to seek a surrogate supervisor. Tom occasionally filled this rôle. He was never too busy to hear my ideas or answer my questions, always replying with a combination of mathematical rigour and unique physical insight. I will always remember his gentle voice and fine sense of humour.

Saddened to learn about the death of Thomas Kibble. I had the privilege to meet Thomas Kibble, during the Salam Memorial Meeting at ICTP in 1997. I did correspond with him during the years immediately after the meeting. With warm regards + best wishes Sameen Ahmed KHAN Assistant Professor Department of Mathematics and Sciences College of Arts and Applied Sciences (CAAS) Dhofar University Salalah Sultanate of OMAN

I first knew Tom when he was a schoolboy wearing the scarlet blazer of Melville College. Later at Edinburgh University we both did the same undergraduate degree. By a fortunate coincidence I met Tom as I, a nervous fresher not sure where to go, was on my way to our very first applied maths. lecture, and so was he, so we went together – little did we know then where that would lead Tom in the future. Then in our 3rd and 4th year he and I were the only two from our year doing a particular course so we would often sit together; Tom always understood and remembered everything while I would sometimes struggle; it was only years later that I realised it was not that I was stupid but that he was ultra clever. He must have found undergraduate studies very undemanding. I also knew Anne from schooldays. She was a very supportive wife, and their marriage and family life meant a lot to them both. Tom was an only child, his parents still in India, so he had missed the rough and tumble of being part of a family, but Anne and their children remedied this. He was always proud of the achievements of his children and grandchildren. We kept in touch over the years with occasional visits and annual newsy Christmas cards. Tom was genuinely pleased when we managed to go to his 80th birthday celebration. And when I made him a card to congratulate him on his knighthood (based on the paths of particles embroidered in gold) he, typically, wrote a lovely long thankyou card. Tom was a true gentleman; you might say “a great guy”. His Christian upbringing permeated his whole life. A man of many parts, who wore his intellectual brilliance with humility and will be remembered by many for his friendship rather than his academic achievements.

I knew Sir Tom Kibble as a member of Richmond Ramblers. Like many others who enjoyed walking with Sir Tom I did not know of his prestigious academic profile. I remember saying to him on one occasion how much I and others appreciated the walks he lead - his answer 'it's great fun you know leading walks'. Thank you Tom for all the lovely walks you provided.

I first met Tom on walks organised by Richmond Ramblers some 12 years ago. He was one of the Group's finest walk leaders. His walks in Surrey and deepest Sussex were meticulously planned and always very interesting. At first I was not aware of how eminent he was in his field, and when I talked to him about my work as a physicist it soon dawned on me that he knew a great deal more about fundamental physics than I did. He was so popular and well-respected that he was elected as our chairman. Tom was so unassuming that news of his knighthood and his achievements came as a revelation to our group even though we had been walking with him for years. My abiding memory of him will be on a poetry walk one beautiful summer evening in a woodland glade in Bushy Park when Tom delighted us with his selection of poems by Robbie Burns in his soft Edinburgh accent. For all that and all that, It's coming yet for all that, That Man to Man the world o er, Shall brothers be for all that.

A terrible shock, really sad. In 3 periods for me as an undergrad in IC till 1968 and as a Pg in IC and later QMC astrophysics around 1981 visiting IC to attend his lectures, Tom was always the master of clarity of concept. Like a top lawyer arguing through the laws of man, Tom could cut to the essence of concepts in Physics better than any. I like Neil Turok (above) had the honour to apply his ideas on eg Cosmic strings (based on line discontinuities in the Higgs field). In my case that was to apply cosmic string loops to galaxy formation theory with some (published) success. Around then i recall he quizzed me on my MSc draft on novel ideas i had to relate energy densities in an expanding universe. He cut straight to the point "Why did you do......" I answered to his satisfaction but the point now is he thoroughly went through it and got to the essence of the essence rather than a superficial OK which other busy people may fall back on. Politically Tom was enormously important to me and I wont add to what others have said about SANA and BSSRS except to note that for a couple of years following when I had been president of the student union 1969 To 1970 I was involved in some serious conflicts with the college authorities which threatened my continuation there. Tom got to understand what it was all about and, i was informed, vigorously and forcefully argued my case against the very heavy intentions of other then more senior colleagues. Although a quiet man he could also take a princpled stand when it mattered. Tom we must all strive to maintain your example and standards!

In the final year of the Edinburgh BSc Physics course (1955-6), Tom Kibble joined us having already taken his MA in Mathematical Physics. Despite the quiet modesty manifested in his later career, it quickly became evident that he was not only more experienced but also a great deal cleverer than any of us. Somewhat more flamboyant in that austere Edinburgh society was Tom and Anne's courtship conducted by feeding each other the student cafeteria desserts. My subsequent meetings with him though intermittent were always inspiring.

Back in 94-95, I was a student at Imperial doing the Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces MSc. On the second semester, out of curiosity I attended one class of a course he was giving on quantizing general relativity. I haven't forgot it - In 40 mins he gave the most elegant and clear presentation of the path integral approach to quantum mechanics. For students like myself, that was one of the Eureka moments I'll treasure as part of my physics education. He had the skill of approaching teaching to make it understandable, effortlessly. I enjoyed that class so much that I went back! A couple of months latter, when I finished writing my MSc dissertation I had the pleasure to meet him in person. I remember I went to Graziela office and was going to handle my dissertation to her as my tutor was away. By chance, Tom must have overheard and he was very friendly to invite me to his office. I knew he was a very busy academic, so was a bit surprised by that. He was very kind to me and the I remember we talked about things that really mattered to me at the point in time, like how I was adapting to living in the UK, what I had found of the MSc, What we're my plans for the future, etc.. I left with the feeling that he really cared and was a really wonderful person. It's very said to hear he has passed away. The memory of him will live on with me.

Tom was an inspiring mentor to me at many stages of my career, an esteemed colleague with an extraordinary intellect, someone whose work has transformed our understanding of many fields of physics and one of the kindest and most honorable people I have known. I feel really fortunate to have known him as a colleague and a friend.

Another example of Tom’s active concern for the social responsibility of the scientist and especially about the nuclear arms race was his leading role (he was Chair of the Organising Committee) in the Second International Scientists' Congress, held at Imperial College in 1988. It was a bold initiative by organizations (the International Network of Engineers and Scientists; and, locally, Scientists Against Nuclear Arms) with little money but oodles of commitment. Major figures present included Robert McNamara, a former US Secretary of Defense who turned from poaching to gamekeeping, and, from the USSR, Roald Sagdeev, who worked with Mikhail Gorbachev to reverse the nuclear arms race. Tom was also a co-editor, with John Hassard and Patricia Lewis, of the published proceedings: Ways Out of the Arms Race: from the nuclear threat to mutual security (1989).

After his last discharge from hospital and before his final re-admission I went to visit Tom at his home in Richmond. He did not look well but was nevertheless in good spirits. I had brought a book for him, Bill Bryson’s history of the Royal Society, and he seemed genuinely pleased with it. He made me feel very welcome and over tea and cakes our conversation ranged over the Royal Society, reminiscences of Abdus Salam and gauge theories of gravity. He was debating about whether he should continue to drive his car or give up and my advice was not to take the risk. As I shook hands and bade farewell, I had the feeling it would be for the last time, and so it was to be. Stature, dignity, integrity,…Tom was their personification and will remain so in our memories.

Very sad to lose Tom. He'd probably hate us saying it but, as some of his other students and co-workers have already said, he really was that good. There's a world of difference between the journeyman physicist and the truly gifted. I'm sure many of us share fond memories of gathering in Tom's office to talk about new papers, experiments or what we were working on. For me, it seemed that while most of us were stumbling around trying to fumble our way to understanding Tom was playing an entirely different game. Less readily apparent to those who weren't fortunate enough to be his students is just how well he looked after us. Perhaps not even his family know quite how much compassion, discretion and support he showed to his students - I can't imagine him ever talking about it. One example only as I wouldn't want to embarrass him. How many other 24-year old students arrive at a conference and have a Nobel Laureate check that you found your hotel and breakfast was OK and then get invited to dinner by the Director of a major laboratory? Apparently Tom had asked people to keep an eye out for me. He wasn't just a great physicist. He was also a very fine human being. I can imagine Tom and Anne taking tea on a celestial cloud discussing the high and low roads to Scotland and being interrupted by some universal architect wanting to ask a few questions. A bottle of Johnnie Walker says Tom's reply would start with a wry smile and 'Ah - I think you'll find.....' Thank you Tom. You will be missed.

So sad to hear this. Tom was my special relativity professor in '89 and later during my PhD his office was opposite my postgrad lab. I hope the Nobel committee posthumously co-award him the Nobel with Higgs - it's verging on scandalous he didn't get it whilst alive. RIP Tom!

Tom was a truly wonderful person. An amazing scientist and a very modest person who cared about science on a broader platform than many of his peers. He was a founder and long standing member of the British Society for Social Responsibility in Science (BSSRS) where his wisdom and good humour as well as his commitment to socialist values shone. He was a beacon for many of us. He will be very , very missed.

Sad news indeed. I feel honored to have had Professor Kibble as my professor of quantum mechanics back in 1997. He was inspiring and very kind.

Sir Tom Kibble; a marvelous Scientist, a marvelous Professor, a marvelous friend.

I'm saddened beyond words by the news of Tom's passing away. Having had the good fortune of being one of Tom's PhD students, I cannot even begin to express in words how deeply Tom influenced my life and career by the way he did physics and by his limitless generosity. Tom was a rare combination of a great physicist and a great human being. Everyone I know who ever had the good fortune of interacting with Tom discussing physics with him came out awestruck by his deep insights and originality. Tom visited India several times, including twice to our Saha Institute in Calcutta: Once to deliver the "Meghnad Saha Memorial Lecture", and again (in December 2012) to deliver the "Rabindranath Tagore Lecture". My colleagues and I here at the Saha Institute will cherish for ever the memories of those lectures and subsequent interactions with him. While the world has lost one of the giants of the twentieth century physics, at a personal level, I've lost a father figure. R.I.P., Tom.

I have fond memories of Professor Kibble's first year lectures, and also still have his classical mechanics text helping my children through their studies. A privilege to have been taught by such a man and sad to hear of his passing.

Deeply saddened by Professor's Kibble's passing. Remembering fondly the quantum mechanics lectures and his sharing of insights during his office hours.

Sad news. Sir Tom was my personal tutor at IC. Rest in peace. Condolences to his family including his son whom I had the pleasure of meeting.

A marvelous physicist whose papers are of beauty and clarity.

Sad news, so happy that he lived to see the detection of the Higgs boson. My sympathy to his family and friends.

It's is shocking to come to know of the very sad demise of Tom Kibble. I had the opportunity to interact with him when I asked him to be a speaker at an event I organised in the honour of Late Abdus Salam. He was very helpful and supportive of it and was there to see me rehearse my part at the event, in front of him. He calmed me down when I got nervous after seeing the audience. A very humble man he was. His loss is a great loss to Imperial and the Physics community.

I feel honoured and fortunate to have worked with Prof Kibble for the past 27 years. As a boss he was always caring and understanding, ever so organised, a leader and at all times polite. An amazing person respected by many. A true gentleman and a father figure to me. I admired and respected him enormously. He will be missed immensely. My profound sentiments to his Family.

I am very saddened to learn that Tom Kibble has passed away. Tom was a trusted professor, collaborator, and later friend. A brilliant physicist, he shaped the fields of high energy physics and cosmology, and influenced generations of students. Tom was a quiet and somewhat reserved man, who seemed to possess infinite patience and was always kind to people. I fondly remember discussing physics with him in his office at Imperial and at various meetings, and we kept in regular email contact. I last saw Tom in 2014 at a meeting in Phoenix and remember standing on the rooftop of the hotel reminiscing about old times. Physicists around the world will treasure his memory.

It is heartbreaking to hear of Tom's demise. His unique and acute intelligence, wisdom and generosity set the very highest example to all of us fortunate to know him. He was a true giant of science and of humanity. We miss him sorely.

Tom will be sadly missed. I used his textbook on classical mechanics as an undergraduate but first got to know him in the 1980's when I was a new post doc at IC through his support of Scientists Aganst Nuclear Arms. Throughout his life Tom expressed his opposition to nuclear weapons and very recently to the upgrading of the Trident nuclear weapon system. He had a long standing belief in science working to improve society and ethical issues in science. He was a very kind and supportive man.

I am deeply saddened to hear of Tom Kibble's passing. I once had the honor of chairing a seminar he gave and I introduced him by saying that his immense achievements in physics were only surpassed by his humility about them. Those familiar with the breadth and depth of his contributions to physics will think this impossible, but those of us who met him in person know it to be true.

Sad to hear of this. Professor Kibble was very much respected by me and the other undergraduates when I knew him, only briefly and distantly. I still have his Classical Mechanics textbook and have used it to help my own kids through their learning.

Dad's family are grateful for the kind feelings and comments from the college he loved so much.

A wonderful scholar and a gentleman, Tom will be sadly missed by all who knew him at Imperial and beyond.

I was so sorry to hear of the passing of Sir Tom Kibble. He was a colleague and friend of my late husband Malcolm Haines, and he was exceedingly kind and thoughtful at my time of loss. He and his wife, Anne, were generous in their hospitality to the Physics Department and I have happy memories of many parties in their home. Tom had a gentle sense of humour and was a quiet fan of P.G. Wodehouse. His retirement speech, many years ago, had several Scottish-based amusing anecdotes, I still remember them today. My warm condolences to his Family, he will be much missed.