Three get Nobel Prize in physics for work on quantum science

Stockholm, October 4

Three scientists jointly won this year’s Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for their work on quantum information science that has significant applications, for example in the field of encryption.

Positive shock

I am still shocked at hearing that I had received the award. But it’s a positive shock. In future, we will have quantum communication all over the world. — Anton Zeilinger (Austrian)

Fantastic field

Quantum physics, which has been fantastic field that has been on the agenda for more than a century, still offers a lot of mysteries to discover. — Alain Aspect (French)

Started this in ’69

I’m very happy…I first started this work back in ’69 and I’m happy to be alive to be able get the prize. I have seen my work snowball into larger experiments. — John Clauser (American)

Frenchman Alain Aspect, American John F Clauser and Austrian Anton Zeilinger were cited by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for discovering the way that particles known as photons can be linked, or “entangled,” with each other even when they are separated by large distances.

“Quantum information science is a vibrant and rapidly developing field,” said Eva Olsson, a member of the Nobel committee. “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. Its predictions have opened doors to another world, and it has also shaken the very foundations of how we interpret measurements,” she said.Speaking by phone to a news conference after the announcement, Zeilinger said he was “still kind of shocked” at hearing he had received the award. “But it’s a very positive shock,” said Zeilinger, 77, who is based at the University of Vienna.

Clauser, Aspect, and Zeilinger have figured in Nobel speculation for more than a decade. In 2010 they won the Wolf Prize in Israel, seen as a possible precursor to the Nobel.

While physicists often 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 committee said Clauser, 79, developed quantum theories first put forward in the 1960s to a practical experiment. — Agencies