Nobel Prize in Physics

The Nobel Prize in Physics is considered the highest honor of achievement in the field of physics. It is awarded annually together with the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, chemistry and literature as well as the Alfred Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences on December 10, the anniversary of the death of the founder Alfred Nobel in Stockholm.

After Alfred Nobel's testament the income of for the price provided by him funds will go to those who have brought the human race in the past year the most benefit. The price is divided into five categories to which the prize money will be divided equally. The Physics Prize should go to the person who " has made in the field of physics, the most important discovery or invention ". As Nobel award institution has determined the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Nomination process

The nomination process for the Nobel Prize begins in September, ie before the announcement of last year's winners, with the dispatch of invitations to scientists in many countries by the Swedish Academy of Sciences, in which they are invited to make proposals for candidates for the Nobel Prize next year. Specifically, these are

Swedish and Foreign Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Members of the Nobel Committee for Physics
Previous winners of the Nobel Prize for Physics
Ordinary and Extraordinary professors of physics at the universities and technical institutes in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway and the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm
Holders of similar chairs at least six other universities or technical colleges - the selection is made by the Academy of Sciences, so that an appropriate diversification is ensured across countries and disciplines.
Other scientists who holds the academy appropriate.

The is described persons have the right to submit proposals to the Nobel Committee by February 1. Although many candidates are suggested several times, the number of nominations came in recent years to about 250 to 350 per year.

The Nobel committee, which has been extended in recent years by associate members with equal voting rights, determined five members who sift through the nominations in the spring and summer and check with the assistance of independent experts. The committee decided in early fall its recommendations to the Academy, which tunes the beginning of October on the proposals. The academy may award the prize to one, two or three people and are their decision is final and without appeal, to the winners and the press on. Information on the nominations, tests and opinions concerning the award is kept secret for 50 years.

Nobel Committee for Physics

The Nobel Committee for Physics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 2014 to include:

Per Delsing, Professor of Physics, Chair
Lars Bergström, Professor of Theoretical Physics, secretary
Olga Botner, Professor of Experimental Particle Physics
Thors Hans Hansson, Professor of Theoretical Physics
Olle Inganäs, professor of biomolecular and organic electronics
Anne L' Huillier, Professor of Atomic Physics

Prize-giving

On December 10, the winners will be invited along with the chemistry, medicine and literature laureates to Stockholm for the official ceremony by the Swedish king. You get in these celebrations the Nobel medal, a personal diploma and the prize money from the current (2012 ) 8 million Swedish crowns, shared by the winners of a category.

Controversies

In the more than one hundred year history of the Nobel Prize some decisions provoked reactions ranging from incomprehension to outrage. In physics was less the awarding of the prize to certain scientists, the reason for criticism, but especially the non-consideration of various scientists at the award ceremony.

Chung- Yao Chao was able to prove in 1930 as the first positron from the electron-positron pair production (even if he did not know what it was ), the prize for the discovery but Carl David Anderson was excellent. Chao died in 1998, the Nobel Prize was denied him.
Lise Meitner was not awarded despite three nominations to the Nobel Prize. She died in 1968.
Chien- Shiung Wu, who was also called the "First Lady of Physics", refuted the conservation of parity and was awarded the first Wolf Prize in Physics, the Nobel Prize for her but remained failed. She died in 1997.
Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered the first radio pulsar as a student, but was not considered for the award ceremony in 1974. A prominent advocate of the claims Bells was Fred Hoyle.
Fred Hoyle was not included in the award ceremony in 1983, although even the winners William Alfred Fowler benefits Hoyles for the development of the concept of stellar nucleosynthesis explicitly acknowledged.

Nobel symposia

The Nobel Committee carries out since 1965 symposia that deal with topics that are in transition, or which are central to cultural or social significance. Of the 144 events held ( of which 12 anniversary events ) dealt with 30 subjects from physics, of which the first in 1968 with the " elementary theory ". The last physical Symposium in June 2006 was dedicated to the topic "Cosmic Chemistry and Molecular Astrophysics ".

Award winners

The first prize winner in 1901 was the German Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen
The youngest recipient was 25 years William Lawrence Bragg ( 1915)
The previously oldest recipient was 88 years junior to Raymond Davis ( 2002)
John Bardeen was awarded the only prize winners twice awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics (1956 and 1972); Marie Curie was awarded the next Nobel Prize for Physics (1903 ) and the Nobel Prize for Chemistry (1911 )
Among the 193 winners to 2012 there are only two women, Marie Curie (1903 ) and Maria Goeppert- Mayer ( 1963), the Nobel Prize for physics thus has the lowest proportion of women of all Nobel Prizes on. Also, the economic price, but not one of the endowed by Alfred Nobel prizes, has now a higher proportion of women because he is only awarded since 1969 and is currently the only female winner, Elinor Ostrom, thereby 68 male winners facing (as of 2012).
As far the only couple were in 1903 Marie and Pierre Curie Award ( her daughter Irène Joliot- Curie was awarded in 1935 with her husband Frédéric awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry )
It been four father and son were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics: William Henry Bragg and William Lawrence Bragg ( 1915), Niels Bohr ( 1922) and Aage Niels Bohr ( 1975), Manne Siegbahn (1924 ) and Kai Siegbahn ( 1981) and Joseph John Thomson ( 1906) and George Paget Thomson ( 1937)
There were 47 times a sole winners (most recently Georges Charpak 1992), 31 times and 29 times was shared by two three people the price.
Most successful is the USA won with 87.5 prices ( when a price support has several nationalities, then every country is a half price credited ), followed by Germany ( 23.5 ) and the UK ( 22.5 ). In general, all winners from 18 different nations come.

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