Scientist trio wins Nobel Prize in Physics
STOCKHOLM: Scientists Alain Aspect, John Clauser and Anton Zeilinger won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for “experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science,” the award-giving body said on Tuesday.
The more than century-old prize, worth 10 million Swedish crowns ($902,315), is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Physics is the second Nobel to be awarded this week ater Swedish geneticist Svante Paabo won the prize for Physiology or Medicine on Monday.
The prestigious prizes for achievements in science, literature and peace were created in the will of Alfred Nobel, who made a fortune from his invention of dynamite, and have been awarded since 1901 with a some interruptions, primarily the two world wars.
The physics prize has oten taken centre stage among the awards, featuring household names of science such as Albert Einstein, Max Planck, Pierre Curieandmariecurie,andrewardingbreakthroughs that have reshaped how we see the world.
Last year, scientists Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi shared the physics prize for their work on complex physical systems such as Earth’s changing climate, key in understanding global warming.
Announced over consecutive weekdays in early October, the physics prize announcement will be followed by awards for chemistry, literature, peace and economics, the later added in 1969 to the original line-up.
“Quantum information science is a vibrant and rapidly developing field,” said Eva Olsson, a member of the Nobel commitee.
“It has broad and potential implications in areas such as secure information transfer, quantum computing and sensing technology.”
“Its origin can be traced to that of quantum mechanics,” she said.
“Its predictions have opened doors to another world, and it has also shaken the very foundations of how we interpret measurements.”
While physicists oten tackle problems that appear at first glance to be far removed from everyday concerns - tiny particles and the vast mysteries of space and time - their research provides the foundations for many practical applications of science. The Nobel season continues this week with the announcement of the winners of the Chemistry Prize on Wednesday, followed by the much-anticipated prizes for Literature on Thursday and Peace on Friday.