The Swedish Nobel Prize for Physics, Chemistry, and Applied Physics of Spinning Electrons: Anne L’Huillier and Pierre Agostini
Anne L’Huillier of Lund University in Sweden won the award along with Pierre Agostini of The Ohio State University.
On Tuesday, the physics prize went to French-Swedish physicist Anne L’Huillier, French scientist Pierre Agostini and Hungarian-born Ferenc Krausz for producing the first split-second glimpse into the superfast world of spinning electrons.
The cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor is the equivalent of $1 million. The money comes from a bequest left by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1896.
Last year, three scientists jointly won the physics prize for proving that tiny particles could retain a connection with each other even when separated. The phenomenon was once doubted but is now being explored for potential real-world applications such as encrypting information.
The physics prize comes just a day after American Drew Weissman and Hungarian-American Katalin Klausen were awarded the gold medal for medicine for their discoveries that helped to develop the vaccine against Colovid-19.
The chemistry prize and the literature prize will be announced this week. The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday and the economics award on Oct. 9.
Last year, two Americans and a scientist from Europe won a chemistry prize for their work on snapping molecule together to explore genes and design drugs to fight diseases.
How to win a Nobel Prize for Physics with Small Particles or Atoms? The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awards small particles for their work with light
A committee for each prize then discusses candidates in a series of meetings throughout the year. At the end of the process, the committee presents one or more proposals to the full academy for a vote. The deliberations, including the names of nominees other than the winners, are confidential for 50 years.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the physics, chemistry and economics prizes, asks for nominations a year in advance from thousands of university professors and other scholars around the world.
They received an award for their work with the tiny particles that are just a few atoms in diameter and have constrained movement. This effects how they absorb and release visible light, allowing for very bright colors. There are many uses for them in electronics.