Homi J. Bhabha - at Cambridge University

At Cambridge University

While At Cambridge, Bhabha benefited with great minds of physics, and interacted with many physicists would played a pivotal role in the rise of physics. At Cambridge, Bhabha closely interacted and befriended with his fellow countrymen and influential theoretical physicist Raziuddin Siddiqui who would later go on to participate in secret Tube Alloys— a codename of British nuclear program. With Siddiqui being his friend, Bhabha's interests gradually shifted to theoretical physics and in 1928, Bhabha directed a letter to his father and uncle.

Bhabha's father understood his son's predicament, and he agreed to finance his studies in mathematics provided that he obtain first class on his Mechanical Sciences Tripos exam. Bhabha took the Tripos exam in June 1930 and passed with first class. Afterwards, he embarked on his mathematical studies under Paul Dirac to complete the Mathematics Tripos. Meanwhile, he worked at the Cavendish Laboratory while working towards his doctorate in theoretical physics. At the time, the laboratory was the center of a number of scientific breakthroughs. James Chadwick had discovered the neutron, John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton transmuted lithium with high-energy protons, and Patrick Blackett and Giuseppe Occhialini used cloud chambers to demonstrate the production of electron pairs and showers by gamma radiation.

During the 1931–1932 academic year, Bhabha was awarded the Salomons Studentship in Engineering. In 1932, he obtained first class on his Mathematical Tripos and was awarded the Rouse Ball traveling studentship in mathematics. However, with Siddiqui moving to Germany, Bhabha significantly lost his edge and love for theoretical physics but moved towards the nuclear physics. The long mainstream theories and the rigorous mathematics involved had impatience Bhabha, although he did regard theoretical physics as "important and backbone" of physics. Instead, Bhabha found himself enjoying conducting atomic experiments, directly involving the subatomic energetic rays.

During this time, the nuclear physics was attracting the greatest minds and it was one of the most significantly emerging fields as compared to theoretical physics, the opposition towards theoretical physics attacked the fields as it was lenient towards theories rather than proving the natural phenomenon through experiments. Conducting experiments on particles which also released tremendous amount of radiation, was lifelong passion of Bhabha, and his leading edge research and experiments brought great laurels to Indian physicists who particularly switched their fields to nuclear physics. One of the notable being the Piara Singh Gill who would contribute in his field of interest.