Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to trio of scientists for 'pioneering' work in quantum science

Alain Aspect, John Clauser and Anton Zeilinger won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on quantum information science, it was announced Tuesday at a ceremony in Stockholm.

Aspect is from France, Clauser the United States and Zeilinger is Austrian. The scientist were honoured for "experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science."

"Quantum information science is a vibrant and rapidly developing field," said Eva Olsson, a member of the Nobel committee. "It has broad and potential implications in areas such as secure information transfer, quantum computing and sensing technology."

She went on to say: "Its origin can be traced to that of quantum mechanics. Its predictions have opened doors to another world, and it has also shaken the very foundations of how we interpret measurements."

'A very positive shock'

Speaking by phone to a news conference after the announcement, Zeilinger said he was "still kind of shocked" at hearing he had received the award.

"But it's a very positive shock," said Zeilinger, 77, who is based at the University of Vienna.

Clauser, Aspect and Zeilinger have figured in Nobel speculation for more than a decade. In 2010 they won the Wolf Prize in Israel, seen as a possible precursor to the Nobel.

While physicists often tackle problems that appear at first glance to be far removed from everyday concerns — tiny particles and the vast mysteries of space and time — their research provides the foundations for many practical applications of science.

'It's not like Star Trek'

The Nobel committee said Clauser, 79, developed quantum theories first put forward in the 1960s into a practical experiment. Aspect, 75, was able to close a loophole in those theories, while Zeilinger demonstrated a phenomenon called quantum teleportation that effectively allows information to be transmitted over distances.

"Using entanglement you can transfer all the information which is carried by an object over to some other place where the object is, so to speak, reconstituted," said Zeilinger. He noted that this only works for tiny particles.

"It is not like in the Star Trek films transporting something, certainly not the person, over some distance," he said.

When he began his research, Zeilinger said the experiments were "completely philosophical without any possible use or application."

Since then, the laureates' work has been used to develop the fields of quantum computers, quantum networks and secure quantum encrypted communication.

A week of Nobel Prize announcements kicked off Monday with Swedish scientist Svante Pääbo receiving the award in medicine for unlocking secrets of Neanderthal DNA that provided key insights into our immune system.

They continue with chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday and the economics award on Oct. 10.

The prizes carry a cash award of 10 million Swedish kronor (equivalent to just over $1.2 million Cdn) and will be handed out on Dec. 10. The money comes from a bequest left by the prize's creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895.

Albert Einstein was once a winner of the prestigious physics prize, with six Canadians honoured with at least a share of the top prize since 1990.