List of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Physics

By Team ABJ

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Welcome to a journey through the brilliant minds of some of the most outstanding physicists in history! The Nobel Prize for Physics is one of the most prestigious awards in the scientific community, and it is given to individuals who have made groundbreaking contributions to the field. From the discovery of radioactivity to the development of the laser, the list of Nobel Prize winners in Physics spans over a century of groundbreaking research and innovation. In this blog, we will take a closer look at some of the most fascinating stories behind the winners of this prestigious award, and explore the scientific discoveries that have shaped our understanding of the universe.

Also read: Dadasaheb Phalke Award Winners 2023 List

List of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Physics

Here is the list of winners of the Nobel Prize for Physics:

1. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1901), Country: Germany – the discovery of X-rays

2. Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1902), Country: Netherlands – investigation of the influence of magnetism on radiation

3. Pieter Zeeman (1902), Country: Netherlands – investigation of the influence of magnetism on radiation

4. Henri Becquerel (1903), Country: France – the discovery of spontaneous radioactivity

5. Marie Curie (1903), Country: France – investigations of radiation phenomena discovered by Becquerel

6. Pierre Curie (1903), Country: France – investigations of radiation phenomena discovered by Becquerel

7. Lord Rayleigh (1904), Country: United Kingdom – the discovery of argon

8. Philipp Lenard (1905), Country: Germany – research on cathode rays

9. Sir J.J. Thomson (1906), Country: United Kingdom – researches into electrical conductivity of gases

10. A.A. Michelson (1907), Country: United States – spectroscopic and metrological investigations

11. Gabriel Lippmann (1908), Country: France – photographic reproduction of colors

12. Ferdinand Braun (1909), Country: Germany – development of wireless telegraphy

13. Guglielmo Marconi (1909), Country: Italy – development of wireless telegraphy

14. Johannes Diederik van der Waals (1910), Country: Netherlands – research concerning the equation of state of gases and liquids

15. Wilhelm Wien (1911), Country: Germany – discoveries regarding laws governing heat radiation

16. Nils Dalén (1912), Country: Sweden – the invention of automatic regulators for lighting coastal beacons and light buoys

17. Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1913), Country: Netherlands – an investigation into the properties of matter at low temperatures; production of liquid helium

18. Max von Laue (1914), Country: Germany – the discovery of the diffraction of X-rays by crystals

19. Sir Lawrence Bragg (1915), Country: United Kingdom – analysis of crystal structure by means of X-rays

20. Sir William Bragg (1915), Country: United Kingdom – analysis of crystal structure by means of X-rays

21. Charles Glover Barkla (1917), Country: United Kingdom – the discovery of characteristic X-radiation of elements

22. Max Planck (1918), Country: Germany – the discovery of the elemental quanta

23. Johannes Stark (1919), Country: Germany – the discovery of the Doppler effect in positive ion rays and division of spectral lines in an electric field

24. Charles Édouard Guillaume (1920), Country: Switzerland – the discovery of anomalies in alloys

25. Albert Einstein (1921), Country: Switzerland – work in theoretical physics

26. Niels Bohr (1922), Country: Denmark – investigation of atomic structure and radiation

27. Robert Andrews Millikan (1923), Country: United States – work on elementary electric charge and the photoelectric effect

28. Karl Manne Georg Siegbahn (1924), Country: Sweden – work in X-ray spectroscopy

29. James Franck (1925), Country: Germany – the discovery of the laws governing the impact of an electron upon an atom

30. Gustav Hertz (1925), Country: Germany – the discovery of the laws governing the impact of an electron upon an atom

31. Jean Perrin (1926), Country: France – work on the discontinuous structure of matter

32. Arthur Holly Compton (1927), Country: United States – the discovery of wavelength change in diffused X-rays

33. C.T.R. Wilson (1927), Country: United Kingdom – method of making visible the paths of electrically charged particles

34. Sir Owen Willans Richardson (1928), Country: United Kingdom – work on electron emission by hot metals

35. Louis de Broglie (1929), Country: France – the discovery of the wave nature of electrons

36. Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (1930), Country: India – work on light diffusion; discovery of the Raman effect

37. Werner Heisenberg (1932), Country: Germany – the creation of quantum mechanics

38. P.A.M. Dirac (1933), Country: United Kingdom – introduction of wave equations in quantum mechanics

39. Erwin Schrödinger (1933), Country: Austria – introduction of wave equations in quantum mechanics

40. Sir James Chadwick (1935), Country: United Kingdom – the discovery of the neutron

41. Carl David Anderson (1936), Country: United States – the discovery of the positron

42. Victor Francis Hess (1936), Country: Austria – the discovery of cosmic radiation

43. Clinton Joseph Davisson (1937), Country: United States – experimental demonstration of the interference phenomenon in crystals irradiated by electrons

44. Sir George Paget Thomson (1937), Country: United Kingdom – experimental demonstration of the interference phenomenon in crystals irradiated by electrons

45. Enrico Fermi (1938), Country: Italy – disclosure of artificial radioactive elements produced by neutron irradiation

46. Ernest Orlando Lawrence (1939), Country: United States – the invention of the cyclotron

47. Otto Stern (1943), Country: United States – the discovery of the magnetic moment of the proton

48. Isidor Isaac Rabi (1944), Country: United States – resonance method for registration of various properties of atomic nuclei

49. Wolfgang Pauli (1945), Country: Austria – the discovery of the exclusion principle of electrons

50. Percy Williams Bridgman (1946), Country: United States – discoveries in the domain of high-pressure physics

51. Sir Edward Victor Appleton (1947), Country: United Kingdom – the discovery of the Appleton layer in the upper atmosphere

52. Patrick M.S. Blackett (1948), Country: United Kingdom – discoveries in the domain of nuclear physics and cosmic radiation

53. Yukawa Hideki (1949), Country: Japan – prediction of the existence of mesons

54. Cecil Frank Powell (1950), Country: United Kingdom – photographic method of studying nuclear processes; discoveries concerning mesons

55. Sir John Douglas Cockcroft (1951), Country: United Kingdom – work on the transmutation of atomic nuclei by accelerated particles

56. Ernest Thomas Sinton Walton (1951), Country: Ireland – work on the transmutation of atomic nuclei by accelerated particles

57. Felix Bloch (1952), Country: United States – the discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance in solids

58. E.M. Purcell (1952), Country: United States – the discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance in solids

59. Frits Zernike (1953), Country: Netherlands – method of phase-contrast microscopy

60. Max Born (1954), Country: United Kingdom – statistical studies of atomic wave functions

61. Walther Bothe (1954), Country: West Germany – the invention of the coincidence method

62. Polykarp Kusch (1955), Country: United States – measurement of the magnetic moment of the electron

63. Willis Eugene Lamb, Jr. (1955), Country: United States – discoveries in the hydrogen spectrum

64. John Bardeen (1956), Country: United States – investigations on semiconductors and invention of the transistor

65. Walter H. Brattain (1956), Country: United States – investigations on semiconductors and invention of the transistor

66. William B. Shockley (1956), Country: United States – investigations on semiconductors and invention of the transistor

67. Tsung-Dao Lee (1957), Country: China – the discovery of violations of the principle of parity

68. Chen Ning Yang (1957), Country: China – the discovery of violations of the principle of parity

69. Pavel Alekseyevich Cherenkov (1958), Country: United StatesS.R. – discovery and interpretation of the Cherenkov effect

70. Ilya Mikhaylovich Frank (1958), Country: United StatesS.R. – discovery and interpretation of the Cherenkov effect

71. Igor Yevgenyevich Tamm (1958), Country: United StatesS.R. – discovery and interpretation of the Cherenkov effect

72. Owen Chamberlain (1959), Country: United States – confirmation of the existence of the antiproton

73. Emilio Segrè (1959), Country: United States – confirmation of the existence of the antiproton

74. Donald A. Glaser (1960), Country: United States – development of the bubble chamber

75. Robert Hofstadter (1961), Country: United States – determination of the shape and size of atomic nucleons

76. Rudolf Ludwig Mössbauer (1961), Country: West Germany – the discovery of the Mössbauer effect

77. Lev Davidovich Landau (1962), Country: United StatesS.R. – contributions to the understanding of condensed states of matter

78. J. Hans D. Jensen (1963), Country: West Germany – development of the shell model theory of the structure of atomic nuclei

79. Maria Goeppert Mayer (1963), Country: United States – development of the shell model theory of the structure of atomic nuclei

80. Eugene Paul Wigner (1963), Country: United States – principles governing the interaction of protons and neutrons in the nucleus

81. Nikolay Gennadiyevich Basov (1964), Country: United StatesS.R. – work in quantum electronics leading to the construction of instruments based on maser-laser principles

82. Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Prokhorov (1964), Country: United StatesS.R. – work in quantum electronics leading to the construction of instruments based on maser-laser principles

83. Charles Hard Townes (1964), Country: United States – work in quantum electronics leading to the construction of instruments based on maser-laser principles

84. Richard P. Feynman (1965), Country: United States – basic principles of quantum electrodynamics

85. Julian Seymour Schwinger (1965), Country: United States – basic principles of quantum electrodynamics

86. Tomonaga Shin’ichiro (1965), Country: Japan – basic principles of quantum electrodynamics

87. Alfred Kastler (1966), Country: France – the discovery of optical methods for studying Hertzian resonances in atoms

88. Hans Albrecht Bethe (1967), Country: United States – discoveries concerning the energy production of stars

89. Luis W. Alvarez (1968), Country: United States – work with elementary particles, the discovery of resonance states

90. Murray Gell-Mann (1969), Country: United States – classification of elementary particles and their interactions

91. Hannes Alfvén (1970), Country: Sweden – work in magnetohydrodynamics and in antiferromagnetism and ferrimagnetism

92. Louis-Eugène-Félix Néel (1970), Country: France – work in magnetohydrodynamics and in antiferromagnetism and ferrimagnetism

93. Dennis Gabor (1971), Country: United Kingdom – the invention of holography

94. John Bardeen (1972), Country: United States – development of the theory of superconductivity

95. Leon N. Cooper (1972), Country: United States – development of the theory of superconductivity

96. John Robert Schrieffer (1972), Country: United States – development of the theory of superconductivity

97. Leo Esaki (1973), Country: Japan – tunneling in semiconductors and superconductors

98. Ivar Giaever (1973), Country: United States – tunneling in semiconductors and superconductors

99. Brian D. Josephson (1973), Country: United Kingdom – tunneling in semiconductors and superconductors

100. Antony Hewish (1974), Country: United Kingdom – work in radio astronomy

101. Sir Martin Ryle (1974), Country: United Kingdom – work in radio astronomy

102. Aage N. Bohr (1975), Country: Denmark – work on the atomic nucleus that paved the way for nuclear fusion

103. Ben R. Mottelson (1975), Country: Denmark – work on the atomic nucleus that paved the way for nuclear fusion

104. James Rainwater (1975), Country: United States – work on the atomic nucleus that paved the way for nuclear fusion

105. Burton Richter (1976), Country: United States – the discovery of a new class of elementary particles (psi, or J)

106. Samuel C.C. Ting (1976), Country: United States – the discovery of a new class of elementary particles (psi, or J)

107. Philip W. Anderson (1977), Country: United States – contributions to understanding the behavior of electrons in magnetic, noncrystalline solids

108. Sir Nevill F. Mott (1977), Country: United Kingdom – contributions to understanding the behavior of electrons in magnetic, noncrystalline solids

109. John H. Van Vleck (1977), Country: United States – contributions to understanding the behavior of electrons in magnetic, noncrystalline solids

110. Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa (1978), Country: United StatesS.R. – invention and application of a helium liquefier

111. Arno Penzias (1978), Country: United States – the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation, providing support for the big-bang theory

112. Robert Woodrow Wilson (1978), Country: United States – the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation, providing support for the big-bang theory

113. Sheldon Lee Glashow (1979), Country: United States – the unification of electromagnetism and the weak interactions of subatomic particles

114. Abdus Salam (1979), Country: Pakistan – the unification of electromagnetism and the weak interactions of subatomic particles

115. Steven Weinberg (1979), Country: United States – the unification of electromagnetism and the weak interactions of subatomic particles

116. James Watson Cronin (1980), Country: United States – demonstration of simultaneous violation of both charge-conjugation and parity-inversion symmetries

117. Val Logsdon Fitch (1980), Country: United States – demonstration of simultaneous violation of both charge-conjugation and parity-inversion symmetries

118. Nicolaas Bloembergen (1981), Country: United States – applications of lasers in spectroscopy

119. Arthur Leonard Schawlow (1981), Country: United States – applications of lasers in spectroscopy

120. Kai Manne Börje Siegbahn (1981), Country: Sweden – electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis

121. Kenneth Geddes Wilson (1982), Country: United States – analysis of continuous phase transitions

122. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1983), Country: United States – contributions to understanding the evolution and devolution of stars

123. William A. Fowler (1983), Country: United States – contributions to understanding the evolution and devolution of stars

124. Simon van der Meer (1984), Country: Netherlands – the discovery of subatomic particles W and Z, which supports the electroweak theory

125. Carlo Rubbia (1984), Country: Italy – the discovery of subatomic particles W and Z, which supports the electroweak theory

126. Klaus von Klitzing (1985), Country: West Germany – the discovery of the quantized Hall effect, permitting exact measurements of electrical resistance

127. Gerd Binnig (1986), Country: West Germany – development of electron microscopes

128. Heinrich Rohrer (1986), Country: Switzerland – development of electron microscopes

129. Ernst Ruska (1986), Country: West Germany – development of electron microscopes

130. J. Georg Bednorz (1987), Country: West Germany – the discovery of new superconducting materials

131. Karl Alex Müller (1987), Country: Switzerland – the discovery of new superconducting materials

132. Leon Max Lederman (1988), Country: United States – research in subatomic particles

133. Melvin Schwartz (1988), Country: United States – research in subatomic particles

134. Jack Steinberger (1988), Country: United States – research in subatomic particles

135. Hans Georg Dehmelt (1989), Country: United States – development of methods to isolate atoms and subatomic particles for study

136. Wolfgang Paul (1989), Country: West Germany – development of methods to isolate atoms and subatomic particles for study

137. Norman Foster Ramsey (1989), Country: United States – development of the atomic clock

138. Jerome Isaac Friedman (1990), Country: United States – the discovery of quarks

139. Henry Way Kendall (1990), Country: United States – the discovery of quarks

140. Richard E. Taylor (1990), Country: Canada – the discovery of quarks

141. Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (1991), Country: France – the discovery of general rules for the behavior of molecules

142. Georges Charpak (1992), Country: France – the invention of a detector that traces subatomic particles

143. Russell Alan Hulse (1993), Country: United States – identifying binary pulsars

144. Joseph H. Taylor, Jr. (1993), Country: United States – identifying binary pulsars

145. Bertram N. Brockhouse (1994), Country: Canada – development of neutron-scattering techniques

146. Clifford G. Shull (1994), Country: United States – development of neutron-scattering techniques

147. Martin Lewis Perl (1995), Country: United States – the discovery of the tau subatomic particle

148. Frederick Reines (1995), Country: United States – the discovery of the neutrino

149. David M. Lee (1996), Country: United States – the discovery of superfluidity in the isotope helium-3

150. Douglas D. Osheroff (1996), Country: United States – the discovery of superfluidity in the isotope helium-3

151. Robert C. Richardson (1996), Country: United States – the discovery of superfluidity in the isotope helium-3

152. Steven Chu (1997), Country: United States – the process of trapping atoms with laser cooling

153. Claude Cohen-Tannoudji (1997), Country: France – the process of trapping atoms with laser cooling

154. William D. Phillips (1997), Country: United States – the process of trapping atoms with laser cooling

155. Robert B. Laughlin (1998), Country: United States – the discovery of the fractional quantum Hall effect

156. Horst L. Störmer (1998), Country: United States – the discovery of the fractional quantum Hall effect

157. Daniel C. Tsui (1998), Country: United States – the discovery of the fractional quantum Hall effect

158. Gerardus ‘t Hooft (1999), Country: Netherlands – the study of the quantum structure of electroweak interactions

159. Martinus J.G. Veltman (1999), Country: Netherlands – the study of the quantum structure of electroweak interactions

160. Zhores I. Alferov (2000), Country: Russia – development of fast semiconductors for use in microelectronics

161. Jack S. Kilby (2000), Country: United States – development of the integrated circuit (microchip)

162. Herbert Kroemer (2000), Country: Germany – development of fast semiconductors for use in microelectronics

163. Eric A. Cornell (2001), Country: United States – achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms; early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates

164. Wolfgang Ketterle (2001), Country: Germany – achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms; early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates

165. Carl E. Wieman (2001), Country: United States – achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms; early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates

166. Raymond Davis, Jr. (2002), Country: United States – detection of neutrinos

167. Riccardo Giacconi (2002), Country: United States – seminal discoveries of cosmic sources of X-rays

168. Koshiba Masatoshi (2002), Country: Japan – detection of neutrinos

169. Alexei A. Abrikosov (2003), Country: United States – discoveries regarding superconductivity and superfluidity at very low temperatures

170. Vitaly L. Ginzburg (2003), Country: Russia – discoveries regarding superconductivity and superfluidity at very low temperatures

171. Anthony J. Leggett (2003), Country: United States – discoveries regarding superconductivity and superfluidity at very low temperatures

172. David J. Gross (2004), Country: United States – the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction

173. H. David Politzer (2004), Country: United States – the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction

174. Frank Wilczek (2004), Country: United States – the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction

175. Roy J. Glauber (2005), Country: United States – contributions to the field of optics

176. John L. Hall (2005), Country: United States – contributions to the development of laser spectroscopy

177. Theodor W. Hänsch (2005), Country: Germany – contributions to the development of laser spectroscopy

178. John C. Mather (2006), Country: United States – the discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation

179. George F. Smoot (2006), Country: United States – the discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation

180. Albert Fert (2007), Country: France – the discovery of giant magnetoresistance

181. Peter Grünberg (2007), Country: Germany – the discovery of giant magnetoresistance

182. Kobayashi Makoto (2008), Country: Japan – the discovery of the origin of the broken symmetry which predicts the existence of at least three families of quarks in nature

183. Maskawa Toshihide (2008), Country: Japan – the discovery of the origin of the broken symmetry which predicts the existence of at least three families of quarks in nature

184. Yoichiro Nambu (2008), Country: United States – the discovery of the mechanism of spontaneously broken symmetry in subatomic physics

185. Willard Boyle (2009), Country: Canada/United States – the invention of the CCD sensor, an imaging semiconductor circuit

186. Charles Kao (2009), Country: United Kingdom/United States – achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication

187. George E. Smith (2009), Country: United States – the invention of the CCD sensor, an imaging semiconductor circuit

188. Andre Geim (2010), Country: Netherlands – experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene

189. Konstantin Novoselov (2010), Country: Russia/United Kingdom – experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene

190. Saul Perlmutter (2011), Country: United States – the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe through observations of distant supernovae

191. Brian P. Schmidt (2011), Country: United States/Australia – the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe through observations of distant supernovae

192. Adam G. Riess (2011), Country: United States – the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe through observations of distant supernovae

193. Serge Haroche (2012), Country: France – development of methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems

194. David J. Wineland (2012), Country: United States – development of methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems

195. François Englert (2013), Country: Belgium – the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to the understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles

196. Peter Higgs (2013), Country: United Kingdom – the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to the understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles

197. Akasaki Isamu (2014), Country: Japan – the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes, which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources

198. Amano Hiroshi (2014), Country: Japan – the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes, which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources

199. Shuji Nakamura (2014), Country: United States – the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes, which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources

200. Kajita Takaaki (2015), Country: Japan – the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which show that neutrinos have mass

201. Arthur B. McDonald (2015), Country: Canada – the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which show that neutrinos have mass

202. David Thouless (2016), Country: United Kingdom – theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter

203. Duncan Haldane (2016), Country: United Kingdom – theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter

204. Michael Kosterlitz (2016), Country: United Kingdom – theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter

205. Barry C. Barish (2017), Country: United States – decisive contributions to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory detector and the observation of gravitational waves

206. Kip S. Thorne (2017), Country: United States – decisive contributions to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory detector and the observation of gravitational waves

207. Rainer Weiss (2017), Country: United States – decisive contributions to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory detector and the observation of gravitational waves

208. Arthur Ashkin (2018), Country: United States – the invention of optical tweezers and their application to biological systems

209. Gérard Mourou (2018), Country: France – the invention of a method of generating high-intensity ultra-short optical pulses

210. Donna Strickland (2018), Country: Canada – the invention of a method of generating high-intensity ultra-short optical pulses

211. James Peebles (2019), Country: Canada/United States – theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology

212. Michel Mayor (2019), Country: Switzerland – the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star

213. Didier Queloz (2019), Country: Switzerland – the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star

214. Reinhard Genzel (2020), Country: Germany – the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy

215. Andrea Ghez (2020), Country: United States – the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy

216. Roger Penrose (2020), Country: United Kingdom – a discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity

217. Klaus Hasselmann (2021), Country: Germany – development of the foundation for human knowledge of the Earth’s climate and how humanity influences it

218. Manabe Syukuro (2021), Country: Japan/United States – development of the foundation for human knowledge of the Earth’s climate and how humanity influences it

219. Giorgio Parisi (2021), Country: Italy – the discovery of the interplay of disorder and fluctuations in physical systems from atomic to planetary scales

220. Alain Aspect (2022), Country: France – experiments with quantum entanglement that laid the foundation for a new era of quantum technology

221. John F. Clauser (2022), Country: United States – experiments with quantum entanglement that laid the foundation for a new era of quantum technology

222. Anton Zeilinger (2022), Country: Austria – experiments with quantum entanglement that laid the foundation for a new era of quantum technology

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Image source: Nobel Prize

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