2016 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to Three British Scientists

On Tuesday, October 5, the Nobel Academy in Sweden awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics to three British scientists residing in the United States. According to a statement from the Nobel Academy reported by Reuters, David Thouless, Duncan Haldane, and Michael Kosterlitz received this prestigious award for their research and studies on 'exotic states of matter, including superconductors.' The statement also noted that 'thanks to the pioneering work of these three scientists, humanity is now seeking new and unusual states of matter.' Half of the approximately one million dollar prize for Physics 2016 goes to David Thouless, while the other two share the remaining prize equally. David Thouless, 82 years old and born in Scotland, began his research in the 1970s. Duncan Haldane, 65 years old and born in London, and Michael Kosterlitz, born in 1942 in Aberdeen, also conduct research in the United States. The research of these three British scientists, all of whom teach in America, has applications in materials science and electronics. As reported by The Guardian, these scientists have shown that other states of matter are also possible by utilizing a branch of mathematics called 'topology.' The Physics Prize is the second award announced in this year's Nobel Prize series, following the announcement on Monday of Yoshinori Ohsumi from Japan receiving the Nobel Prize for his activities in the field of medicine.