Nobel Prize Winners in Physics Announced

Three physicists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday, October 3, for their study and research on how electrons move within atoms in attoseconds, a fraction of a second. The work of Pierre Agostini and Anne L'Huillier from France, and Ferenc Krausz from Hungary, could lead to better electronic systems and more accurate disease detection. To understand how an electron moves, scientists had to look at a very short time frame, specifically an attosecond. This time, known as 'attosecond', is derived from dividing a second six times by a thousand. Mats Larsson, a member of the Nobel Committee, explained the significance of the findings of these three physicists by stating, 'Electrons are very fast. When you understand and can control electrons, you have taken a very big step forward.' Mark Pierce, a physicist on the Nobel Committee, noted, 'In every second, there are as many attoseconds as there are seconds since the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago.' However, when scientists 'see' the electron in this very short time, they can only say whether it is on one side of the molecule or the other, and what they see is still very blurry. Mr. Pierce said, 'Electrons are more like waves than particles, and what we are trying to measure with our technique is the position of the crown of these waves.' It is expected that the discoveries of these physicists will lead to practical results in electronic industries, disease detection, and basic chemistry. Anne L'Huillier from Lund University in Sweden stated that her work demonstrates the importance of working on fundamental sciences, regardless of their practical outcomes in the future, as she has worked on this project for 30 years without even being able to find a word to explain her work. Ms. L'Huillier, who was teaching when she received the news of the Nobel Prize, said, 'This is the most prestigious award in our work, and I am very happy to receive it. It is amazing.' She added, 'There are not many women who have received this award. Therefore, this award is very special.' Ferenc Krausz, who works at the Institute of Quantum Optics and Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, mentioned that today is a holiday in Germany and 'my colleagues are enjoying their holiday, but I hope we see each other tomorrow, open a bottle of champagne, and celebrate.' Mr. Agostini also works at Ohio State University in the USA. The Nobel Prizes include a cash award of one million dollars (11 million Swedish crowns), funded by the remaining assets of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor. Each year, winners are invited to receive their awards at a ceremony on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. One day before the announcement of the Nobel Prize winners in Physics, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their discoveries regarding vaccines. The winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry will be announced on Wednesday, October 4, Literature on Thursday, October 5, Peace on Friday, October 6, and Economics on October 17. The 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to two scientists from the University of Pennsylvania in the USA, an American researcher and a Hungarian scientist. Speculation about the Nobel Peace Prize winner; Narges Mohammadi is among the considered candidates.