Nobel Prize in Physics

Context

  • Recently, the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2022 was awarded to Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger for their work on quantum mechanics.

About

  • The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded “for experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities, and pioneering quantum information science.” 

Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. 

It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, quantum field theory, quantum technology, and quantum information science.

Individual Contributions

  • John Clauser:
    • He  built an apparatus that emitted two entangled photons at a time, each towards a filter that tested their polarisation. 
  • Alain Aspect: 
    • He developed a setup to close an important loophole. 
    • He was able to switch the measurement settings after an entangled pair had left its source, so the setting that existed when they were emitted could not affect the result.
  • Anton Zeilinger:
    • He researched entangled quantum states. 
    • His area of research has demonstrated a phenomenon called quantum teleportation, which makes it possible to transfer a quantum state from one particle to one at a distance.

Source:TH