Durmuş Ali Demir ODTÜ Fizik Bölümünde yüksek lisans ve doktora öğrencilerine verdiğim İstatistik Fizik dersini alan öğrenciler arasındaydı. Sonra meslektaş olduğumuzda, Sabancı Üniversitesinde ve Bilim Akademisinde birlikte çalışırken Durmuş'u ayıran özelliklerini yakından gördüm. Saf, temiz, olağanüstü zeki, heyecanlı, yaratıcı ve kendini tamamen fiziğe vermiş bir değerli insandı. Çalışkanlıktan öte, kendini sevinçle, tutkuyla yaptığı işe, bilime adamıştı.

Durmuş Hocam bitmeyen heyecanıyla, eşsiz nezaketi ve alçakgönüllülüğü ile ilk tanıştığım günden beri beni etkilemiş bir bilim insanı ve çalışma arkadaşıydı. Yemekten dönerken odanıza uğrayıp ettiğimiz sohbetleri özlüyorum, özleyeceğim. Tekrardan başımız sağolsun.

Durmuş Ali Demir Hocam’ın ardından,

Profesör Durmuş Ali Demir, dünyanın en saygın teorik fizikçilerinden biri, bir entelektüel, bir öğretmendi. Ben onun öğrencisiyim. Tüm bu vasıfları ile hayatımdaki etkisi büyüktür. Güzel bir bilim insanı, hayat boyu mentor ve güzel bir dost idi.

Profesör Demir, öğrencilerine her zaman en doğru yolu göstermek için çaba harcayan bir öğretmen olmuştur. Birçok yüksek lisans ve doktora öğrencisi yetiştirmiştir; donanımlı birer araştırmacı olabilmeleri için çaba harcamıştır. Benim İYTE’de doktora tez hocamdı. Tezimi çalışırken literature yeni, öncü fikirler sunabilmenin nasıl bir heyecan olduğunu, bir tezin nasıl olması gerektiğini kendisiyle çalışarak deneyimledim. Kendisi kuantum alan kuramı, kuantum mekaniği ve genel relativite derslerini sıra dışı bir anlaşılırlıkla verebilen nadir kişilerdendi. Kendisiyle parçacık fiziği modelleme çalışmalarından emergent kütle çekim çalışmalarına uzanan değişik konularda çalışmalar yürüttüm. Kendisiyle çalıştığım her an bilgisinin, algısının derinliğini her seferinde tecrübe ettim. Kendisinin araştırmacılığım ve mentörlüğüm üzerindeki etkisi büyüktür.

Profesör Demir, Sabancı Üniversite'sinde çalıştığı yıllarda, çoğunlukla hafta sonu da dahil olmak üzere her gün mutlaka ofisine gelirdi. Kendisiyle Sabancı Üniversitesi’nde son güne kadar beraber çalışmaya devam ettim. Her gün mutlaka sistemli olarak görüşür interaktif çalışırdık, yurtiçi ve yurtdışı iş birliklerini yönetirdik. Kendisi sıra dışı yaratıcılığı ve derin bilgisiyle bu çalışmalar sırasında benim araştırmacı ve mentörlük yönüme çok büyük katkılarda bulunmuştur. Her zaman çalışma planlarına sadık kalmaya özen gösterirdi, “bir işin bitmesi gerekiyorsa, gerekirse sabaha kadar uyumayız” derdi. Yaptığı her şey sahici idi; kendisine duyduğum sonsuz saygı ve sevgiyle beraber, her gün bu çalışma temposuyla, hevesle çalışmaya devam ettim. Hocamla içinde olduğumuz birçok ulusal ve uluslararası iş birliklerimiz, projelerimiz, yetişen doktora öğrencisi bulunmaktadır. En yakınındaki kişi olarak, bu işlerin hepsinin içindeki biri olarak Hocamla beraber yaptığımız her işi kendisine her daim saygı ve sevgi duyarak yürütmek vazifemdir.

Son zamanına kadar hep tutkuyla, kendisinin temel yapısını attığı ve de ayrıca beraber de kurduğumuz alanında öncü, temel çalışmalar oldu; bunlar “Symmergent Kütleçekim kuramı” ve “Geometrik beşinci kuvvet” olmak üzere iki ana çalışma alanıydı ve birebir son zamana kadar beraber çalışma şansını yakaladım. Profesör Demir, “Symmergent Kütleçekim kuramı”’nda özgün ve tamamıyla kendisine ait olan, “kuantum alan kuramı”’ndan kütle çekimin Higgs mekanizmasına benzer bir şekilde zuhur ettiğini göstermiştir ve zamanımızın teorik fiziğinin kökten yapısal katkıya ihtiyaç duyduğu bu dönemde çok önemli bir yaklaşım sunmuştur. “Geometrik beşinci kuvvet” ise bir diğer dışarıya açıldığımız, literature yine ilk olarak beraber sunma şansını yakaladığım öncü bir yaklaşımdır.

Entelektüel biri idi, bilimden tarihe birçok konu konuşurduk. Aklımda yer eden anlarımızdan biri, eski Yunan’da olan bir durumdan bahsetmesiydi. Demişti ki, “eski Yunan’da, ölen kişi için “tutkusu neydi?” diye sorarlarmış, Beyhan”. Çok etkilenmiştim, tutkunun bir nevi timsali zaten karşımda duruyordu. Hayatı ve söyledikleri her zaman müsemma idi.

Profesör Demir’in temel bilimsel yaklaşımı, Türkiye’den her zaman özgün ve öncü çalışmalar sunabilmekti; derdi ki “Beyhan, dışarıdaki çalışmalara katılmak değildir mesele, mesele bizim buradan Türkiye’den yeni, özgün kendi fikrimizle dışarıya açılmamızdır ve biz bunu yapmaya çalışıyoruz, yaptığımız bu”. Bu benim koşulsuz benimsediğim bir yaklaşımdır ve saygıdeğer hocamın gösterdiği yolda devam etmek benim için bir onur olacaktır.

Öğrenciniz sizi her zaman sonsuz sevgi, saygı ve özlemle anacak sevgili Hocam.

Mayıs 2024
Beyhan Puliçe
Sabancı Üniversitesi

Durmuş Hoca'mızı 24 Şubat 2024 tarihinde aniden kaybettik. Hocamız, Sabancı Üniversitesi'nde bir öğretim üyesi olmadan önce de birçoğumuza dokunmuştu, mesela Ali (Alpar) hocanın öğrencisi, ODTÜ Fizik Bölümü'ne yeni başlamış benim ise ilk asistanımdı. Daha o zamanlar bir yıldızdı, Fizik Bölümü'ndeki hocalar Durmuş'tan çok büyük övgüyle bahsederlerdi. Sonraki yolculuğunda, Minnesota, Trieste, İzmir Yüksek Teknoloji Enstitüsü, bu başarıları üstüne koyarak devam ettirdi, yıldız parlamaya devam etti, ta ki belki de en parlak olduğu dönemde aniden sönene dek. Durmuş, sadece başarılı bir fizikçi değil, son derece mütevazi, son derece saf, çok iyi de bir insandı. Çalışkanlığı ve azmi ile birçok öğrenciye örnek oldu. Hepimiz onu arıyoruz ve özlüyoruz...

In ancient Greece, they wouldn't write obituaries for the deceased; instead, when laying them to rest, they would simply ask, "What was their passion in life?" This was a story that our beloved Durmuş Ali Demir occasionally shared with his students, and it seems he had made it a motto to live for a purpose in this life. As I navigate through these days of shock and profound sorrow, I find myself oscillating between the difficulty of writing about Durmuş Hoca and the necessity of saying much more about him. In this piece, I will discuss a topic that I believe would bring him joy: his passion in life. I also aim to include glimpses of his life, as I believe there are lessons to be drawn from it.

Durmuş Ali Demir was born in 1969 in a Yörük village in Silifke, amidst an unfortunate incident where his two-year-old brother passed away. He was given his brother's identity and seemed to have started life two years ahead of himself. Under such circumstances, no one could have imagined that someone starting life like this would later take on missions of advancing in the scientific world and becoming a pioneer. He once mentioned a physics professor who was also his father, saying, "His father wasn't an ordinary person like ours," as if forgetting that the real success story lay within himself.

Durmuş Hoca attended the Meteorology Technical High School in Ankara as a boarder due to compulsory service and graduated in 1986. He later attended the Electrical and Electronics Department at the Middle East Technical University (METU), where he would also serve his compulsory service by doing shifts at the General Directorate of Meteorology. While I do not know much about his earlier years, we know that his love for physics blossomed during his university years, as he pursued a minor in physics while studying engineering at METU. During those years, his physics professors, Metin Durgut and the late Namık Kemal

Pak, played a significant role in shaping his academic life. He managed to complete both his master's and doctoral programs in about four years and authored nearly 10 papers. One of the biggest factors behind this achievement was Durmuş Hoca's boundless energy and his almost 24/7 work ethic. In the later years, Namık Hoca would often refer to Durmuş Hoca as an example to me and other students, his eyes sparkling whenever he talked about him. During the years of his doctoral studies, Namık Hoca was working at TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey), and Durmuş Hoca had conducted most of his doctoral studies with dear T. M. Aliev. He used to talk about Aliev Hoca as his doctoral advisor, always acknowledging Namık Hoca's role and giving credit where it was due. From what I observed, he had a very special relationship with both of them, and they held a significant place in his life. I witnessed their affection for each other on numerous occasions. When we bid farewell to Namık Hoca for the last time on November 10, 2015, in Ankara, I couldn't understand Durmuş Hoca's feelings. I could see that he was facing his beloved teacher's loss with great composure. Later, I learned that it took him weeks to recover.

My first real encounter with Durmuş Hoca was in the late 1990s when he visited the Physics Department at METU from the United States. He, Aliev Hoca, and I sat on the grass, talking about physics and life. We had dinner together afterward. It was the first time I witnessed his incredible excitement and energy. Altuğ Özpineci expressed this beautifully during the Memorial Ceremony for Durmuş Hoca held at METU on March 29, 2024, by saying, "Perhaps not his success, but his enthusiasm was infectious." Indeed, it was impossible to remain indifferent to the topics he discussed. His influence immediately engulfed you, filling you with incredible positive energy and motivation. That was the first thing that caught your attention about him.

While I was working on two Higgs doublet models for my doctorate, Durmuş Hoca began working on supersymmetry. Supersymmetry would later bring us together and provide us with the opportunity to work together. If we discard the supersymmetric part of a supersymmetric theory, it reduces to a theory with two Higgs doublets. Therefore, my interest in supersymmetry increased during my post-doctoral period. In 2005, Durmuş Hoca offered to collaborate with me via email. This was, of course, very exciting for me. His positive energy, motivation, and profound knowledge of physics made our collaboration and experience satisfying in every way. I was known for writing very detailed and lengthy emails when it came to academic matters; however, until I started receiving emails from Durmuş Hoca, I was the lesser version in this regard. On the other hand, while it took me a long time to reply to an email, it was nearly impossible to keep up with Durmuş Hoca's speed. He would write at all hours of the night. Looking at the intervals between his emails, you could see that he slept for at most 3-4 hours a day. He once told me that he only needed little sleep. It was as if he saw sleep as a waste of time and couldn't keep himself from working and thinking about physics. We continued to work remotely for about four years without meeting face-to-face. In 2010, when I came to Turkey at the invitation of TÜBİTAK, I had the opportunity to meet him both in Izmir and Istanbul. In hindsight, I realize that Durmuş Hoca created all these opportunities. We spent a weekend at Kerem Cankoçak's mother's house, working, without even properly seeing my family. Among many other things, we laid the foundations for an article on the excess positron flux measurement of the PAMELA FERMİ-LAT experiment in the context of a two-component dark matter scenario. I didn't witness him sleeping that weekend. When it came to physics, he didn't see it as a job or profession; his real purpose was to understand nature in a true sense. It wasn't about writing papers; it was about understanding nature. At Durmuş Hoca's Memorial Meeting in Ankara, dear Ali Ulvi Yılmazer said, "For someone who tried to understand nature to such an extent, nature should have been much more tolerant and generous." I cannot disagree with that.

Durmuş Hoca had long believed that there was a connection between mass gravity theory and the Higgs field. In every conversation we had, he emphasized that there was no other option left to explain the Higgs, and it must be something geometrically derived from the quantum state of mass gravity theory. This was not a type of idea I encountered in the litera-ture. He clarified this in a publication in 2016, but he made his idea more explicit with a publi-cation in mid-2019, which he referred to as symmergent gravity. Essentially, this idea can be explained as an extension of the "induced gravity" idea put forward by Sakharov in 1967, ap-plied to gauge theories. In essence, it predicts that a classical mass gravity theory could have a fluid-like structure. Without linking the Standard Model to curved spaces, there can be no connection between mass gravity and quantum field theory. On the other hand, when consid-ering quantum field theory in curved space, it is impossible to define particles. Because of these problems, the approach of fluid mass gravity uses "effective quantum field theory." Essentially, we can think of this as the quantum-corrected version of classical field theory. Durmuş Hoca showed that when effective quantum field theory is transitioned from flat to curved space, curvature only appears in the gauge part. This situation also leads to the break-ing of gauge symmetry and currently does not include the theory of general relativity. When there is a cutoff energy scale in this sector and this cutoff is applied in quantum corrections, terms that break Poincare symmetry are also eliminated. Therefore, while we obtain the the-oryofgeneralrelativitycorrectly,termsthatbreakgaugesymmetryarealsoeliminated.Toobtain the theory of general relativity correctly, in addition to Standard Model particles, we need additional bosons and fermions. These additional particles do not have to interact with the Standard Model, and this new sector is called the dark or hidden sector. This structure, called fluid mass gravity theory, which Durmuş Hoca worked on until his last days, was to be examined in colliders, astrophysics, and cosmology. I believe that although he is no longer with us, his path will be continued by his students and colleagues, and it will be walked by other physicists.

On this occasion, I extend my deepest condolences to all of us and the scientific community for the untimely loss of our dear Durmuş Hoca. I believe that the legacy he created will be carried on by his students and colleagues.

Rest in peace, dear Durmuş Hoca.

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I am deeply saddened by the loss of our esteemed Durmuş Hocam at such a young age. First and foremost, I extend my condolences to his family and the physics community. This is a very difficult situation, but I would like to say a few words in the hope that our teacher's extraordinary life will be remembered and taken as an example.

One of the most interesting aspects of being human is the ability to reach the highest level of scientific production and thinking, regardless of the initial conditions of one’s life, no matter how difficult it may be. This is, of course, not a very common or easy situation. Being a good scientist is a tough job but starting life in one of the most disadvantaged parts of Anatolia, reaching the highest levels of science, and continuing high-level research there for a lifetime is also a challenging task. Durmuş Hoca is one of the rare people from our land who has managed to achieve this, which is why I think he had a very inspiring life.

I had a continuous dialogue with Durmuş Hoca since 2008. That year, I visited him at İYTE for a few days. He invited me because we knew each other indirectly (through our work), and we spent a few days together that summer. Our conversation, which started in the morning while taking the shuttle from Izmir to İYTE (mostly exchanging thoughts on specific problems in physics), continued until the end of dinner.

On this occasion, I also checked old emails starting from 2008. Many were exchanges of ideas on very challenging subjects, expressing the things that confused us, the difficulties in the clearest possible way... Actually, our research topics were not close, but we were still close enough to have meaningful conversations with each other. Not too distant, not too close. Interesting dialogues ranging from the formation of mass in quantum chromodynamics, the confinement of fundamental particles, tunneling events (what we call instantons), to the topological phases of gauge theories...

Many of the messages also started with "Hello from Copenhagen, hello from Aspen, hello from Paris," entering into a technical dialogue, and then somewhere along the way ending with a note of respect like, "Oh, by the way, we remembered you with Misha (both Voloshin and Shifman), we remembered you with Maxim (Pospelov), we remembered you with Tony (Gergetta), we remembered you with Fernando (Quevedo) (all of whom are top-level scientists)." In some way, I also knew his circle in Minnesota well both socially and scientifically, which was always a common point between us.

And from time to time, companionship against difficulties, supporting each other, good will wishes. Our paths were actually similar. But we never talked about this even once. There was no need.

On the other hand, some people who do good theoretical physics actually exhibit a more modest attitude when left alone with themselves regarding life. A kind of dervish-like stance in our culture. The thing is, no matter how much we think we understand about nature, and this excites us greatly, the awareness of the magnitude/multiplicity of things we do not understand and the smallness of the things we understand is actually a burden we must carry. This also causes a person to exhibit a somewhat humble stance, at least some people. In other words, what gives meaning to our journey also reminds us of how small we are.

I don't know if he would remember, but in 1995, when I was a second-year physics student at Bilkent University, I used to go to Namık Kemal Pak's quantum mechanics classes at METU on Saturdays. At that time, Namık Hoca was the president of TÜBİTAK, and a very young Durmuş Hoca was the assistant for this class. Both the lecture and the problem-solving sessions were quite advanced, and I can say it was an excellent experience. The textbook was by Merzbacher, a person with ties to our land. His family had taken refuge in Turkey from Germany before World War II in 1935 and lived in Turkey until 1947. In my personal story, my initial interest in the WKB analysis and asymptotic analyses in quantum mechanics started during this class. During one of the problem-solving sessions, I liked a method discussed by Durmuş Hoca so much that I started studying Migdal's book "Qualitative (Approximate, Non-Sharp) Methods in Quantum Mechanics." About 20 years after this class, I began to understand that these analyses were actually not approximations but exact methods, as described in textbooks. In the last ten years, these methods have enabled the solution of some difficult questions in quantum mechanics and quantum field theory and are currently a research topic that attracts many deep researchers in both theoretical physics and mathematics.

I owe a deep debt of gratitude to both of them for this class. Additionally, we all owe gratitude to our Republic, which upholds the principle of providing equal opportunities in education, allowing people like Durmuş Hoca and others from the remote parts of Anatolia to reach the highest levels of science and contribute to humanity.

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“He was not only kind and helpful but also a remarkably insightful colleague. I genuinely valued his guidance and friendship during our lunch and coffee chats, which were particularly valuable for new PIs like myself.”

Professor Durmus Ali Demir's impact extended far beyond his research in theoretical physics. He had a profound curiosity for understanding nature, with physics serving as one avenue for this exploration. It was impossible not to be influenced by his enthusiasm for observing physical phenomena in natural processes.

When I first joined Sabanci University in 2021, during the pandemic, Prof. Demir was also relatively new to the university. He was not only kind and helpful but also a remarkably insightful colleague. I genuinely valued his guidance and friendship during our lunch and coffee chats, which were particularly valuable for new PIs like myself. Our conversations ranged across various subjects, including biology and physics. During one of these meetings, he mentioned his collaboration with Gizem Celebi Torabfam, a very clever PhD student at Sabanci University, on an intriguing project related to quantum tunneling time delay during biological processes. As a bioengineer with a modest background in physics, I couldn't grasp all the physics details of the project, but it captured my attention, nonetheless. I soon learned that Prof. Demir's interests extended beyond particle physics; his aim was to comprehend nature on a grander scale. This was a significant challenge for all scientists, and only a few dared to tackle it. He was one of the brave ones.

At the time of our meeting, he had already published several articles on quantum biology, revolutionizing our understanding of how quantum physics can induce mutations and instability in the human genome. Initially, he focused on addressing the long-standing claim that point mutations in the DNA double helix are caused by proton tunneling. He introduced a new formula, "entropic tunneling time," to calculate the resulting time during tunneling phenomena [1, 2]. This entropic time, based on energy-time uncertainty in quantum theory, provided a novel quantal measure relevant for tunneling processes in DNA mutations. His research estimated the proton tunneling time in the Guanine-Cytosine (G-C) base pair of the DNA double helix and the guanine base of single-stranded DNA to be a few picoseconds, suggesting that attosecond or femtosecond laser technology could potentially resolve DNA mutations [1, 3]. Building upon these findings, he turned his attention to larger particles than protons, an idea not commonly encountered in the field. He studied the tunneling of 87Rb atoms through a 1.3-micrometer-thick optical barrier, a phenomenon previously explored [4].

Applying the entropic time calculation to another crucial DNA structure, the guanine-rich quadruplex, he computed the time delay of potassium ions (K+), the main stabilizer of the structure. The ion tunneling through the cavity of the G-quadruplex structure localized on human telomeric regions, associated with aging, exhibited a picosecond time scale. This indicated that the entropic tunneling time closely aligned with the conformational times of biological molecules [5]. It was during this time that our paths with Prof. Demir and Gizem Celebi became more entangled, prompting us to initiate "Quantum and Brain meetings" on Fridays. In these gatherings, we quickly realized that we were merely scratching the surface of this profound question. Initially, we delved into studying ion transitions using Prof. Demir’s time formulas, recognizing their potential to illuminate numerous remaining biological questions. His work laid the foundation for exploring other biological mysteries, such as consciousness, by blending theoretical physics with biology. Our meetings became scientific pleasures, where discussions on neurons, biology, and physics intertwined, offering reciprocal learning experiences. Prof. Demir demonstrated to us how to relish and become excited like children when encountering new pieces of knowledge and understanding.

In following Prof. Demir’s footsteps toward understanding the intricate nature of quantum physics in life, Gizem and I believe that we can honor his memory by continuing to explore the hidden quantum fingerprints behind biological processes. Recently, thanks to his guidance, we discovered that an external magnetic field could influence intracellular ionic activity in neurons. Addressing the effects of the external magnetic field, we utilized Larmor frequency for K+ and Ca+ ions. Furthermore, we combined his previous quantum tunneling time calculations with experiments involving external magnetic fields to gain deeper insights into how our brains function. Our focus on the potassium ion channel as a model system for analyzing ion transitions, applying entropic time calculations, revealed intriguing results that sustain his legacy of curiosity and passion for understanding life. We are committed to continuing his research, imbued with his passion, as a legacy that transcends physics.

_{^{[1] Celebi et.al, 2021. Time delay during the proton tunneling in the base pairs of the DNA double helix. Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, 167,96-103.  
[2] Demir&Güner, 2017. Statistical approach to tunneling time in attosecond experiments. Annals of Physics, 386, 291-304. 
[3] Özçelik et.al, 2022. Time delay during intra-base proton tunneling in the guanine base of the single stranded DNA. Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, 173, 4-10. 
[4] Ramos et.al, 2020. Measurement of the time spent by a tunnelling atom within the barrier region. Nature, 583(7817), 529-532.  
[5] Celebi Torabfam et. al, 2023. Quantum tunneling time delay investigation of K+ ion in human telomeric G-quadruplex systems. JBIC Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, 28(2), 213-224.}} 

I was very much saddened to learn of Durmus' much too early death. I remember him well from his postdoctoral stay at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a lively collaborator (along with Mirjam Cvetic, Jose Espinosa, and Lisa Everett) on an important paper showing that an additional neutral gauge boson could solve a serious problem with minimal supersymmetry. Later Durmus, Lisa and I collaborated at a distance on a mechanism for small Dirac neutrino masses in supersymmetry. I always enjoyed interacting with Durmus and will miss him.

Our dear Professor Durmuş, unfortunately, left us at a very young age suddenly. His passing is not only a great loss for his family, friends, and loved ones, but also for the physics community in Turkey and the world. Durmuş Hoca was an exemplary scientist and a true physicist. He was not only fully knowledgeable in his field but also well-versed in distant branches of physics, articulate, curious, with sharp insight, and simultaneously humble. You could see his excitement when discussing physics in his eyes. Although he has left us, his legacy remains, and as long as humanity exists, I hope it will remain accessible and continue to influence other scientists and future generations. I believe this is one of the most beautiful aspects of being a creative professional.

Here, I would like to briefly mention Durmuş's contributions to theoretical physics. Originally a theoretical particle physicist, Durmuş was particularly inclined towards the particle phenomenology side, which examines the experimental results of the generally accepted basic theory of particle physics known as the standard model, shaping experimental particle physics. Not only did he examine the results of the standard model, but he also researched its possible different extensions, such as more advanced "supersymmetric" extensions, supergravity theories that unite particle physics with gravity, and completely different alternatives, becoming an expert in these fields.

He also contributed to thousands of cited experimental and phenomenological particle physics articles as a representative and active member of the CMS collaboration at CERN. However, from what I know, Durmuş would probably want to be remembered for his purely theoretical articles.

Two of his best-known works are on the supersymmetric version of the standard model. Let's try to explain this a bit. One of the essential properties of fundamental particles is their "spin." Think of this as the essence of particles, like quantum magnets, determining in which quantum state they are under rotation or a magnetic field. For example, while an electron can be in two spin states, i.e., "half-spin," the Higgs boson in the standard model is spinless, or in other words, "zero-spin." Particles are divided into half-spin (electron, proton, neutrino, etc.) or full-spin (Higgs boson, gauge bosons, graviton). Supersymmetry is a transformation that converts these two different types of spins into each other. So, in the supersymmetric standard model, half-spin and full-spin particles actually manifest as different quantum states of the same particle. When we reach very high energies, such as those achieved in proton collisions at CERN, it is highly possible for the universe to possess this supersymmetry property, which is a beautiful and attractive principle for a theorist as it can solve puzzles that the standard model cannot. In a paper he wrote during his postdoctoral research at ICTP in 1999, Durmuş calculated specific quantum corrections (in phases that simultaneously break electric charge and parity symmetry) affecting the dynamics of the Higgs particle in the supersymmetric standard model. He was one of the first people to do so. A year earlier, in a paper he co-authored with Cvetic and others at the University of Pennsylvania, he investigated the diffraction of weak nuclear force in supersymmetric gravity theory, another significant paper that became a standard reference. He has many other internationally recognized papers like these.

Durmuş was an overflowing, highly creative physicist. Let's remember that he had around 30 single-authored papers with many citations. For example, in one of his recent works, he proposed a striking idea that when we elevate the standard model to the highest energy level, we encounter a condensate determining the curvature of spacetime, and this could also occur in string theories. I remember this outstanding physicist with love and respect, who managed to embody his boundless imagination in his work. His work will continue to live on.

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