Expatica: German scientist shares Nobel Prize for Physics

Expatica

German scientist shares Nobel Prize for Physics

The Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded to U.S. scientists Roy J. Glauber and John L. Hall and to Theodor W. Haensch of Germany for their work in the field of optics, it was announced Tuesday in Stockholm. Glauber, 80, of Harvard University was awarded half the prize money of 10 million kronor (EUR 1.1 million) "for his contribution to the quantum theory of optical coherence," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said. Glauber's groundbreaking work, reported back in 1963, is in the theoretical description of the behaviour of light particles. His contributions were described as "pioneering work in applying quantum physics to optical phenomena," the Academy said. Hall, 71, of Colorado University and Haensch, 63, of the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics and Munich's Ludwig Maximilian University, share the other half of the prize "for their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique". Haensch told reporters in Stockholm via telephone that he was at his Munich office when he learned he had won the prize. "I was speechless and very, very ecstatic," he said. "I'm now trying to get used to the idea.Hall and Haensch's work was on the determination of the colour of the light of atoms and molecules with extreme precision. They also built on work by 1981 Physics laureates Nicolaas Bloembergen and Arthur L. Schawlow, both U.S. nationals. "Glauber was the pioneer and door-opener. He was the first to understand that we also needed a quantum theory that encompasses light. Hall and Haensch worked on that," Borje Johansson, Physics Professor at Uppsala University and member of the Academy said. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said Hall and Haensch had "made it possible to measure frequencies with an accuracy of fifteen digits".