Nobel Prize in Physics

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For a list of laureates, see List of Nobel laureates in Physics.

The Nobel Prize in Physics

(Swedish: Nobelpriset i fysik)

Awarded for Outstanding contributions for mankind in the field of

Physics

Date 10 December 1901; 119 years ago

Location Stockholm, Sweden

Presented by Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Reward(s) 9 million SEK (2017)[1]

First awarded 1901

Currently held Dr. Roger Penrose, Dr. Reinhard Genzel and

by Dr. Andrea Ghez
 Most awards John Bardeen (2)

Website nobelprize.org

 ← 2019

Wilhelm Röntgen (1845–1923), the first recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics.

The Nobel Prize in Physics is a yearly award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of

Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions for mankind in
the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred
Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others being the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and Nobel Prize in Physiology
or Medicine.
The first Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to physicist Wilhelm Röntgen in
recognition of the extraordinary services he rendered by the discovery of X-rays. This
award is administered by the Nobel Foundation and is widely regarded as the most
prestigious award that a scientist can receive in physics. It is presented in Stockholm at
an annual ceremony on 10 December, the anniversary of Nobel's death. Through 2020,
a total of 215 individuals have been awarded the prize. [2]

Contents

 1Background
 2Nomination and selection
 3Prizes
o 3.1Medals
o 3.2Diplomas
o 3.3Award money
 o 3.4Ceremony
 4See also
 5References
o 5.1Citations
o 5.2Sources
 6External links

Background[edit]
Alfred Nobel, in his last will and testament, stated that his wealth should be used to
create a series of prizes for those who confer the "greatest benefit on mankind" in the
fields of physics, chemistry, peace, physiology or medicine, and literature.[3] Though
Nobel wrote several wills during his lifetime, the last one was written a year before he
died and was signed at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris on 27 November 1895.[4]
[5]
 Nobel bequeathed 94% of his total assets,
31 million Swedish  kronor (US$198 million, Euro€176 million in 2016), to establish and
endow the five Nobel Prizes.[6] Owing to the level of skepticism surrounding the will, it
was not until April 26, 1897 that it was approved by the Storting (Norwegian
Parliament).[7][8] The executors of his will were Ragnar Sohlman and Rudolf Lilljequist,
who formed the Nobel Foundation to take care of Nobel's fortune and organise the
prizes.
The members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee who were to award the Peace Prize
were appointed shortly after the will was approved. The other prize-awarding
organisations followed: the Karolinska Institutet on June 7, the Swedish Academy on
June 9, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on June 11.[9][10] The Nobel
Foundation then established guidelines for awarding the prizes. In 1900, the Nobel
Foundation's newly created statutes were promulgated by King Oscar II.[8][11] According to
Nobel's will, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences would award the Prize in
Physics.[11]

Nomination and selection[edit]

Three Nobel Laureates in Physics. Front row L-R: Albert A. Michelson (1907 laureate), Albert Einstein (1921
laureate) and Robert A. Millikan (1923 laureate).
A maximum of three Nobel laureates and two different works may be selected for the
Nobel Prize in Physics.[12][13] Compared with other Nobel Prizes, the nomination and
selection process for the prize in Physics is long and rigorous. This is a key reason why
it has grown in importance over the years to become the most important prize in
Physics.[14]
The Nobel laureates are selected by the Nobel Committee for Physics, a Nobel
Committee that consists of five members elected by The Royal Swedish Academy of
Sciences. During the first stage that begins in September, a group of about 3,000
selected university professors, Nobel Laureates in Physics and Chemistry, and others
are sent confidential nomination forms. The completed forms must arrive at the Nobel
Committee by 31 January of the following year. The nominees are scrutinized and
discussed by experts and are narrowed to approximately fifteen names. The committee
submits a report with recommendations on the final candidates to the Academy, where,
in the Physics Class, it is further discussed. The Academy then makes the final
selection of the Laureates in Physics by a majority vote. [15]
The names of the nominees are never publicly announced, and neither are they told
that they have been considered for the Prize. Nomination records are sealed for fifty
years.[16] While posthumous nominations are not permitted, awards can be made if the
individual died in the months between the decision of the committee (typically in
October) and the ceremony in December. Prior to 1974, posthumous awards were
permitted if the candidate had died after being nominated. [17]
The rules for the Nobel Prize in Physics require that the significance of achievements
being recognized has been "tested by time". In practice, that means that the lag
between the discovery and the award is typically on the order of 20 years and can be
much longer. For example, half of the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded
to Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar for his work on stellar structure and evolution that
was done during the 1930s. As a downside of this tested-by-time rule, not all scientists
live long enough for their work to be recognized. Some important scientific discoveries
are never considered for a prize, as the discoverers die by the time the impact of their
work is appreciated.[18][19]

Prizes[edit]
A Physics Nobel Prize laureate earns a gold medal, a diploma bearing a citation, and a
sum of money.[20]
Medals[edit]
The Nobel Prize medals, minted by Myntverket[21] in Sweden and the Mint of Norway
since 1902, are registered trademarks of the Nobel Foundation. Each medal has an
image of Alfred Nobel in left profile on the obverse. The Nobel Prize medals for Physics,
Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature have identical obverses, showing the
image of Alfred Nobel and the years of his birth and death (1833–1896). Nobel's portrait
also appears on the obverse of the Nobel Peace Prize medal and the Medal for the
Prize in Economics, but with a slightly different design. [22][23] The image on the reverse of
a medal varies according to the institution awarding the prize. The reverse sides of the
 Nobel Prize medals for Chemistry and Physics share the same design of the Goddess
of Nature, whose veil is held up by the Genius of Science. These medals, along with
those for Physiology/Medicine and Literature, were designed by Erik Lindberg in 1902.[24]
Diplomas[edit]

1903 Nobel Prize diploma, awarded to Marie Curie and Pierre Curie

Nobel laureates receive a diploma directly from the hands of the King of Sweden. Each
diploma is uniquely designed by the prize-awarding institutions for the laureate who
receives it.[25] The diploma contains a picture with the name of the laureate and normally
a citation explaining their accomplishments. [25]
Award money[edit]
At the awards ceremony, the laureate is given a document indicating the award sum.
The amount of the cash award may differ from year to year, based on the funding
available from the Nobel Foundation. For example, in 2009 the total cash awarded was
10 million SEK (US$1.4 million),[26] but in 2012 following the Great Recession, the
amount was 8 million Swedish Kronor, or US$1.1 million.[27] If there are two laureates in
a particular category, the award grant is divided equally between the recipients, but if
there are three, the awarding committee may opt to divide the grant equally, or award
half to one recipient and a quarter to each of the two others. [28][29][30][31]
Ceremony[edit]
The committee and institution serving as the selection board for the prize typically
announce the names of the laureates during the first week of October. The prize is then
awarded at formal ceremonies held annually in Stockholm Concert Hall on 10
December, the anniversary of Nobel's death. The laureates receive a diploma, a medal
and a document confirming the prize amount. [32]

See also[edit]

 Physics portal

 Fundamental Physics Prize

 List of physics awards
 Sakurai Prize, presented by the American Physical Society