Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: The Nobel Prize for Physics (2023) has been jointly won by Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L’ Huillier, and the one for Chemistry has gone to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus, and Alexei I. Ekimov.
Announcing the Prizes, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the Prize for Physics has gone to the three scientists “for their experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter.” They were acknowledged for their exploration of the world of electrons within atoms and molecules.
They achieved the remarkable feat of generating ultrashort bursts of light, which can potentially gauge the swift processes by which electrons shift and alter their energy levels.
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus, and Alexei I. Ekimov “for their discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.” They have all been pioneers in the exploration of the nanoworld.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Academy appeared to have inadvertently published the names of three scientists it said had won this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet published a copy of an email it said was from the Academy naming the laureates as Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus, and Alexei I. Ekimov.
On Monday, The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet announced the award of the 2023 Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medine jointly to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
The Nobel Foundation raised the prize money by 10 percent this year to 11 million kronor (about USD 1 million). Besides, winners will receive an 18-carat gold medal and diploma when they collect their Nobel Prizes at the award ceremonies in December.
The Nobel Prizes in Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences are yet to be revealed, with daily announcements scheduled until October 9.
These annual Nobel Prizes, which encompass Physics, Chemistry, Physiology/Medicine, Literature, and Peace, are rooted in the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor known for dynamite, who passed away in 1896.
In 1968, the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was established by Sweden’s central bank.
The Nobel Laureates for these prestigious awards are traditionally unveiled in Stockholm in October, except for the Peace Prize, which is announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.