For their advancements in quantum mechanics on the behavior of subatomic particles, scientists Alain Aspect, John Clauser, and Anton Zeilinger were awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics. This work paved the way for the development of supercomputers and encrypted communication.
The award-giving agency stated on Tuesday that the prizes were presented for “experiments with entangled photons, showing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science.”
The winners—Frenchman Aspect, American Clauser, and Austrian Zeilinger—according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences—enabled additional fundamental research and may have even paved the door for brand-new useful technologies.
According to a statement from the organization, “there is currently a huge field of research that includes quantum computers, quantum networks, and secure quantum encrypted communication.”
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences bestows the more than a century-old award, which is worth 10 million Swedish crowns ($902,315).
After Swedish geneticist Svante Paabo won the prize for Physiology or Medicine on Monday, physics is the second Nobel prize to be given this week.
The coveted prizes have been given out since 1901 with a few interruptions, mostly between the two world wars, and were established in the will of Alfred Nobel, who amassed wealth through the development of dynamite.
The physics prize has frequently taken center stage among the prizes, honoring scientific advances that have changed the way we perceive the world and featuring well-known figures like Albert Einstein, Max Planck, Pierre Curie, and Marie Curie.
Scientists Giorgio Parisi, Klaus Hasselmann, and Syukuro Manabe won the physics award last year for their research on complex physical systems like the Earth’s changing climate, which is essential to comprehending global warming.
The physics prize announcement will be followed by those for chemistry, literature, peace, and economics, the latter of which was added to the original lineup in 1969. These announcements will take place over a few consecutive weekdays in early October.
SwedenÂ’s Svante Paabo Wins 2022 Nobel Prize In Medicine