At around 5 pm on October 4, Beijing time, the results of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics were announced. This year's awards were awarded to French physicist Alain Aspect, American theoretical and experimental physicist John Clauser and Austrian quantum theory physicist Anton Zeilinger.
Nobel Prize Officials said that Alan Aspe, John Crowther and Anton Salinger demonstrated the potential of studying and controlling entangled particles through groundbreaking experiments. A bunch of entangled particles, even if they are far apart and cannot influence each other, can determine the changes that will occur to the other party. The development of relevant experimental tools by the three winners laid the foundation for a new era of quantum technology.
It is reported that Asper, Crowther and Salinger respectively used entangled quantum states to conduct breakthrough experiments. Their results cleared the way for new technologies based on quantum information and allowed the incredible quantum mechanics to find practical applications. And it has created a huge research field, including quantum computer , quantum networks and secure quantum encrypted communication. One of the key factors that contribute to this development is that quantum mechanics allows two or more particles to exist in so-called entangled states. What happens on one particle in the entangled pair determines what happens on another particle.
In the 1960s, John Bell proposed mathematical inequality named after him. This shows that if there are hidden variables, the correlation between a large number of measurements will never exceed a certain value. However, quantum mechanics predict that some type of experiment would violate the Bell inequality, resulting in stronger correlations than others.
Crowther developed John Bell's idea and designed a practical experiment. When using this experiment for measurement, he supported quantum mechanics by explicitly violating the experimental results of Bell's inequality. This means that quantum mechanics cannot be replaced by a theory that uses hidden variables. After Clauser's experiment, there are still some loopholes. Asper developed this experiment to use it to make up for an important loophole. After he tangled the pair away from its source, he switched the measurement settings so that when they were fired, the previously existing settings did not affect their results. Using a series of experiments and clever tool setups, Salinger began using entangled quantum states, and his team has proved a phenomenon called quantum transmission , which makes the transfer of quantum states between particles possible. "We can see that the winners' work on entangled state is of great significance, even beyond the basic questions about quantum mechanics explanations."
Regarding why these three candidates were chosen to represent this rapidly developing, star-studded and also very eye-catching field, the Nobel Prize Committee said that when they screen, they hope to reward those who make the most basic contributions. It is worth noting that the three professors have won the Wolf Prize in Physics in 2010. Below, we will introduce the specific achievements of the three winners to readers.
John Clauser: Prove the clear particle characteristics of photons for the first time
Figure | John F. Clauser
John F. Clauser, American theoretical and experimental physicist. He is known for his contributions to the basis of quantum mechanics, especially Clause-Hone-Simone-Holt inequality (CHSH). In his early years, he graduated from , Caltech, and Columbia University respectively. Since 1969, he has worked mainly at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the University of California, Berkeley.
In 1972, Crowther collaborated with Stuart Freedman to conduct the first experiment on the CHSH-Bell theorem, the first to observe that a violation of the Bell inequality was violated.The Bell inequality, proposed by the late John Bell in 1964, provides a way to distinguish between predictions of quantum mechanics and predictions of a large number of alternative theories, so it is also called the "local hidden variable theory". Such tests require testing of photons separated in the opposite direction to find the correlation between certain physical properties of them. But the problem is that to derive the Bell inequality, it is necessary to assume "locality", and the information cannot move at a speed that exceeds the speed of light. In 1974, in his collaboration with Michael Horne, he demonstrated the universal application of Bell's theorem . In 1974, Clauser first observed the subpoisson photon statistics, which proved the clear particle characteristics of the photon for the first time. In 1976, he conducted a second global experimental test on the CHSH-Bell theoretical hypothesis.
Alain Aspect: A road was opened for the experimental control of entangled quantum states
Figure |Alain Aspect (Alain Aspect)
Alain Aspect, a French physicist, is famous for his experimental work in quantum entanglement. His work opened the way for the experimental control of entangled quantum states and became a basic element of quantum information processing. Aspe was widely recognized for his experimental test of Bell's inequality, which was conducted at the French Institute of Optical Theory (Institut d'Optique) from 1981 to 1982, a work considered part of the foundation of quantum information science.
Asper's main contribution is to propose a feasible experimental scheme to perform these measurements by rapidly changing the direction of the polarizer as the photon passes through the device. The photons he measured in his experiments came from a single atom and formed what was called the "entanglement" state in quantum mechanics. Observing the state of one photon, you can predict the measurement results of another photon's state. This is itself a case of qubit (Qubit).
At the same time, a quantum system may exist in two states and correspond to two polarized states. Asper's experiment has attracted great attention and has triggered a lot of theoretical and experimental work on quantum entanglement. Later, new ways to implement algorithms for quantum computing were explored, and photons, cold atoms, cold trapped ions were generated in the laboratory and entangled states of photons, cold captured ions, and later solid state systems. Later, this work was considered part of building the foundations of quantum information science.
In addition, Aspe also proved the wave-particle duality of single photons for the first time through experiments. The asteroid 33163 Alainaspect discovered by astronomers in 1998 is named after Aspe in honor of his achievements.
Anton Zeilinger: Makes pioneering contributions to multiphoton entanglement and quantum transmission
Figure |Anton Zeilinger
Anton Zeilinger is an Austrian physicist and currently the president of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. His paper has been cited more than 94,000 times and was included in Thomson Reuters' "High Citation Scientists" list in 2014.
Salinger has been engaged in quantum physics and quantum information research for a long time. He is a pioneer and important pioneer in the field of basic quantum physics inspection and quantum information in the international field. Whether it is theory or experiment, Salinger has made inventive achievements in basic quantum physics testing. He and his collaborators have taken the lead in quantum interference experiments for neutrons , atoms, and macromolecules in the world, realizing non-locality tests for quantum mechanics without localized vulnerabilities and detection efficiency loopholes, and proposed and prepared the first multi-particle entangled state (GHZ state) in the experiment, which plays a key role in the basic test of quantum mechanics and quantum information.
Based on the basic test of quantum physics, Salinger and his colleagues developed multi-photon interference metrics, which further widely used them in quantum information processing, including quantum intensive coding, long-distance quantum communication, optical quantum computing and other fields.Among them, he first realized quantum teleportation in 1997, which is recognized as the "foundation of the Quantum Information Experimental Research".
Since 1983, Salinger has been regularly exchanged and cooperated with Chinese Academy of Sciences , Chinese Academy of Engineering and other institutions. Through the "Mozi" quantum science experimental satellite , Salinger's team participated in the intercontinental quantum communication experiment led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in a cooperative form. Moreover, it has also made the world a first for the first time that quantum confidential communication between Beijing and Vienna possible. This result was selected as the "Top Ten Progress in International Physics of 2018" selected by the American Physics Society. It is also reported that Salinger was also hired as an honorary professor at the University of Science and Technology of China, Nanjing University, and Xi'an Jiaotong University. It is worth noting that Pan Jianwei, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was the tutor of Salinger when he was studying in Austria in his early years.
Nobel Prize Committee directly connected with Salinger on the spot. He was surprised to win the Nobel Prize, but his voice sounded very calm. As one of the award-winning hottest in several years, he may be ready. His award was closely related to his student Pan Jianwei's satellite scale that proved that the technology he invented was closely related to the satellite scale.
In media interviews, Salinger thanked everyone who made experiments that only existed in theory become reality. He hopes that his award will encourage more young people to discover the joy of quantum mechanics and thus enter this field. He also said that we still have a lot of unknowns in our understanding of time and space. Since quantum mechanics is a science that we often hear but is very difficult to truly understand, the reporter on the spot asked a series of basic questions, and Salinger also patiently explained it.
"behind the scenes" about the Nobel Prize in Physics
Therefore, in the Nobel Prize system, a part will be issued to scientific researchers who have made outstanding contributions in the field of physics, which is the Nobel Prize in Physics.
There are many great people who have changed the physical world, such as Albert Einstein who theoretically explained the photoelectric effect of , Erwin Schrödinger, who discovered new mathematical expressions in atomic theory, Li Zhengdao, who jointly proposed the theory of parity non-conservation, and Zhu Diwen, who developed the method of laser cooling and capturing atoms.
The first Nobel Prize in Physics was promulgated in 1901. Next, let’s take a look at the “behind the scenes” about the Nobel Prize in Physics from 1901 to 2021.
◆ 1901 ~ 2021 most popular Nobel Prize winner in physics
Albert Einstein
(Albert Einstein)
born:
died:
was the Caesar-Wilheim Institute Physics Institute (now Max Planck Institute), Berlin, Germany
Award Comment: Comment His "contributions to theoretical physics, especially the discovery of the law of photoelectric effect"
Research field: Theoretical physics
Award status:
As a legendary scientist, Albert Einstein only won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921. The reason for the award may be the relatively "smallest" of his many theories.His many achievements in space-time, gravity theory, etc., were even now "too advanced". This may be the reason why Nobel Prize only presented him with the award for "explaining the photoelectric effect".
Einstein grew up in Munich, where his father set up an electrical engineering company. After graduating from ETH Zurich, Einstein entered the Patent Office of Bern, Switzerland. During this period, he published a series of forward-looking articles in the field of physics.
Scientific achievements: At that time, scientists discovered that when exposing metal electrodes to light, it helped to generate electric sparks between the electrodes. To produce this "photoelectric effect", light must be higher than a certain frequency. However, according to the physical theory at that time, the intensity of light was the important factor. In 1905, Einstein published several epoch-making papers. In one of them, Einstein proposed that light is composed of light quantum - the energy of light quantum is related to its frequency. Electrons can only be excitated from metal when the frequency of the light quantum reaches a certain threshold.
Niels Henrik David Bohr
(Niels Henrik David Bohr)
Born on:
Diet in:
Works when he won the award: Host University, , Denmark,
Wonderful comments: Commend him for his "research on atomic structure and atomic radiation"
Research field: Theoretical nuclear physics
Wonderful award status:
Scientific achievements:
Born:
(Marie Curie, née Sklodowska)
Born:
died:
Award review: Commend them for their "excellent achievements in studying the ionizing radiation phenomenon discovered by Becquerell"
Research field: Nuclear physics
Award status:
Marie Skwodovska was born in a teacher's home that pays great attention to education in Warsaw, Poland. To continue her studies, she moved to France and met Pierre Curie there. Later, he became her husband and her research partner in the field of radiation. The Curie and his wife won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903. Unfortunately, Madame Curie lost her husband in 1906, but she did not stop their research and was once again awarded the Nobel Prize in 1911.
Scientific achievements: was inspired by the ionizing radiation phenomenon discovered by Becquerel in 1896, and Mary and Pierre decided to further study this phenomenon.In order to obtain radio signals, they conducted experiments on many substances and elements. They found that asphalt uranium ore is more radioactive than pure uranium, so it should contain other radioactive substances . From the bitumen uranium ore they extracted two previously unknown elements: polonium and radium, both of which are more radioactive than uranium.
After the first discovery of the radioactive elements polonium and radium, Madame Curie conducted a more in-depth study on the properties of these two elements. In 1910, she successfully separated radium, thus proving the existence of radium, and since then there has been no doubt in the industry. She also reported on the properties of radium and its compounds. Radioactive materials, as radioactive sources, are becoming increasingly important in the field of scientific experiments and cancer treatment.
James Chadwick
(James Chadwick)
born on:
died on:
When the award was won by: University of Liverpool, UK
Wonderful comments: Commend him for "discovering neutrons"
Research field: Nuclear physics
Grade award status:
Scientific achievements:
Joseph John Thomson
(Joseph John Thomson)
Born on:
Diet:
When the award was won by: Cambridge University, UK
Greeting comments: Commend him for "theoretical and experimental research on gas conductivity"
Research field: Atomic physics
Greeting status:
Scientific achievements:
Erwin Schrödinger
(Erwin Schrödinger)
born:
died:
Works when he won the award: University of Berlin ,
Wonderful comments: Commend him for "discovering a fruitful new form of atomic theory"
Research field: Quantum mechanics
Wonderful status:
Scientific achievements: In Bohr's atomic theory, when electrons transition from one atomic orbit to another, they absorb or emit light of a specific wavelength. This theory can well describe the spectral characteristics of hydrogen atoms. But to describe more complex atoms and molecules, corrections are needed. Based on the premise that matter (such as electrons) have both volatility and particle nature, in 1926, Schrödinger gave the famous Schrödinger equation, which can correctly describe the quantum behavior of the wave function . His explanation of the quantum superposition of state is also the source of the familiar " Schrödinger's Cat " thought experiment.
Robert Andrew Millikan
(Robert Andrews Millikan)
born:
died:
When you won the award, the place where you work: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA,
Winning comments: html l3 commends him for "work done in basic charge and photoelectric effects"
Research fields: Electromagnetic effect , particle physics
Award status:
Werner Karl Heisenberg
(Werner Karl Heisenberg)
born:
died:
Works when he won the award: University of Leipzig,
Wonderful comments: Commend him for "founding quantum mechanics and thus promoting the discovery of allotropes of hydrogen"
Research field: Quantum physics
Wonderful status:
Scientific achievements:
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen
(Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen)
Born on:
Diet:
Work place of work when he won the award: University of Munich,
Wonderful comments: Recognizes his "discovering of meaningful rays and doing outstanding work in them. This new ray is named Rongen Ray"
Research field: Atomic physics, X-ray
Grade award status:
It is worth mentioning that although X-rays brought him the Nobel Prize, he donated all the prize money to University of Würzburg , and also gave up his patent rights, and eventually died of cancer in poverty.
Scientific achievements:
Born:
(Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck)
Born:
died:
When the place of work was won by the award: University of Berlin, Germany,
Reason for winning: Commend him for "making outstanding contributions to the development of physics due to the discovery of energy quantum"
Research: Quantum mechanics
Graduate status:
Scientific achievements: When an bold is heated, the electromagnetic radiation irradiated to the surface of the bold will be absorbed by the bold and converted into thermal radiation . Its spectral characteristics are only related to the temperature of the bold but not to its material. However, using the laws of physics known at that time to calculate thermal radiation will lead to meaningless results: the energy of thermal radiation in high-frequency regions will tend to be infinite. Max Planck solved this problem in 1900 by introducing energy quantization theory. That is, the energy magnitude of any electromagnetic radiation is related to a constant, which later generations named as the Planck constant.
◆ Number of Nobel Prizes in Physics
From 1901 to 2021, a total of 115th Nobel Prizes in Physics were awarded. Among them, it was not issued for six years due to war reasons, namely 1916, 1931, 1934, 1940, 1941 and 1942. Nobel Prize in Physics exclusive and shared by
? We can find the answer in the Nobel Committee charter: "If two nominees have equally excellent work, they can share the prize equally. If the prize results are completed by two to three people, the prize should be awarded to the project co-finalists. But the Nobel Prize cannot be shared by more than three people."
◆ Number of winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics
Figure丨1956, 1972 Nobel Prize in Physics winner John Bading
◆ The youngest winner of the physics award
To date, the youngest winner of the Nobel Prize in physics was Lawrence Bragg, who was only 25 years old at the time. He won the award in 1915 with his father.
◆ Female winner
Figure丨1963 Nobel Prize winner Maria Geppet Meyer
Among all Nobel Prize winners in physics, only four are women, they are:
◆ The winner of the whole family's "cow"
Couple & Children's File:
Picture丨Curie's family
Marie Curie and her husband Marie Curie and Pierre Curie won the Physics Award in 1903. Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry again in 1911.
Moreover, their eldest daughter Irène J oliot-Curie and her husband Frédéric Joliot won the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Father and son who won the Physics Award:
Picture丨Prague father and son: William Bragg and Lawrence Bragg won the award in 1915
Picture丨Bolster and son: Niels Bohr and AageN. Bohr in 1922 and 1975 respectively The yearly awarded
Photos丨SiGbahn and Kai M.SiGbahn won the awarded
Photos丨Thomson and son: Joseph Thomson and George Paget Thomson won the awarded
◆ The last Nobel Prize winner in physics
Syukuro Manabe
was born:
, when the award was won: , Princeton University, New Jersey, USA,
Reason for winning: "Commend their contributions to physical modeling of the earth's climate, quantifying climate variability, and predicting reliability of global warming"
bonus share:
pic | Syukuro Manabe) (Source: Nobel Prize Official Website)
Klaus Hasselmann
Born:
, the organization that was awarded: , Max Planck Meteorological Research Institute, Hamburg, Germany,
, the reason for winning: , "Commend their contributions to physical modeling of the earth's climate, quantifying climate variability, and predicting reliability of global warming"
, the prize share:
Figure丨Klaus Hasselmann (Klaus Hasselmann) (Source: Nobel Official Website)
Giorgio Parisi)
Born:
won the award: The first university of Rome, Italy,
Reason for winning: " From the atomic scale to the planetary scale, physics was discovered Interaction between disorder and fluctuation of the system ”
Bonus share :
Figure丨George Parisi (Giorgio Parisi) (Source: Nobel Official Website)
◆ Physics Prize Medal
Physics Medal was designed by Swedish sculptor Erik Lindberg, and it was engraved with a beautiful scene: the embossed goddess of nature emerged from the clouds, holding the sheep's horns symbolizing prosperity in her hand, a science guardian goddess is gently uncovering Isis's veil, revealing her cold face.
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