Nobel Prize in Physics

The Nobel Prize in Physics was established by the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor and industrialist, who died in 1896. His will stipulated that the interest from his fortune should be distributed annually to those who "have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind" in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace.¹ The prize is administered by the Nobel Foundation, while the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences selects the laureates through its Nobel Committee for Physics.² The first prize was awarded in 1901 to Wilhelm Röntgen for his discovery of X-rays.³

The selection process is rigorous and confidential. Each year, the Nobel Committee sends invitations to qualified nominators—professors of physics, previous laureates, and members of academies—to submit nominations. The committee evaluates the nominations and presents a shortlist to the Royal Swedish Academy, which makes the final decision by majority vote.² The prize is awarded for a specific discovery or invention, not for a lifetime of work, and it can be shared among up to three individuals.⁴ The nominations are kept secret for 50 years, ensuring that the process remains free from external pressure.

Over the decades, the prize has recognized landmark achievements: Albert Einstein (1921) for the photoelectric effect, Niels Bohr (1922) for the atomic model, and the discovery of the Higgs boson (2013) by François Englert and Peter Higgs. The prize has also honored pioneers in quantum mechanics, particle physics, and cosmology, including Marie Curie (1903), who was the first woman to win, and John Bardeen, the only person to win twice in physics (1956 and 1972).⁵

Several lesser-known facts add depth to the prize's history. In 1973, Leo Esaki declined the prize in protest of the Vietnam War, but he later accepted it under pressure from the Nobel Foundation.⁶ The prize has been awarded to only four women as of 2023, a reflection of historical gender biases in science. Additionally, the prize has occasionally been awarded for applied physics, such as the 2009 prize for the charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, which revolutionized digital photography.⁷ The youngest laureate was Lawrence Bragg, who won in 1915 at age 25, while the oldest was Arthur Ashkin, who won in 2018 at age 96.⁵

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

The body that selects Nobel laureates in physics and chemistry.

Nobel Committee for Physics

A working group within the Academy that evaluates nominations.

Photoelectric effect

The emission of electrons from a material when light shines on it, explained by Einstein.