In an announcement on October 9, French scientist Serge Haroche and his American counterpart David Wineland were named this year’s winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Wineland and Haroche, both 68, were honoured for their work in “quantum optics,” a field that explores the use of basic units of light and matter. Haroche, from France’s prestigious École Normale Superieure, and David Wineland, of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in
Boulder, Colorado, have been awarded the distinction for “ground-breaking experimental methods” that led to the development of laser-cooled atomic clocks, quantum computers, and event encryption decoders.
Scientists have projected that Haroche and Wineland’s work could lead to significant advancements in communication and computation.
“[These] Nobel laureates have opened the door to a new era of experimentation with quantum physics,” said the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, “Quantum physics uses advanced mathematics to understand the strange behaviour of tiny particles that serve as “building blocks” of the universe. Mr. Haroche and Mr. Wineland’s work may pave the way for ‘quantum computers’ capable of complex operations to further study in the field.”
When asked how he planned to celebrate, Mr. Haroche replied, “I will have champagne, of course.” The two scientists will share the USD1.2 million prize.
