Nobel Prize winners in Physics since 1901 and upto till date

The Nobel Prize in Physics award has been granted annually since 1901 to scientists who make remarkable breakthroughs in the field of technology and science.  

To this date, it is one of the most prestigious awards within the scientific community.

What It’s About 

• Prizes are awarded to individuals who aid mankind in comprehending the world, from the minutest atom to non-ending space.

• New laws of physics are discovered by some winners like Einstein’s theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, which is the science of tiny particles.

• Other winners created powerful inventions that are foundational to technology today, such as lasers and transistors.

Some of the famous Nobel Prize Winners in Physics

• Albert Einstein (1921) – Photoelectric effect, foundation of quantum mechanics.

• Marie Curie (1903) – Discovery of radioactivity, first woman to win a Nobel Prize.

• Niels Bohr (1922) – Bohr model of the atom, key contributions to quantum theory.

• Werner Heisenberg (1932) – Uncertainty Principle, fundamental to quantum mechanics.

• Erwin Schrödinger (1933) – Wave mechanics and Schrödinger’s equation.

• Paul Dirac (1933) – Dirac equation, predicted antimatter.

• Enrico Fermi (1938) – Nuclear reactions, key to nuclear power and atomic bomb.

• Richard Feynman, Julian Schwinger, Sin-Itiro Tomonaga (1965) – Quantum electrodynamics (QED).

• Abdus Salam, Sheldon Glashow, Steven Weinberg (1979) – Unification of weak and electromagnetic forces.

• Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1983) – Chandrasekhar limit, black hole formation.

• John Bardeen (1956 & 1972) – Only physicist to win twice; work on semiconductors and superconductivity.

• Peter Higgs, François Englert (2013) – Predicted the Higgs boson, discovered at CERN.

• Donna Strickland (2018) – Ultra-short laser pulses, third woman to win in physics.

• Roger Penrose (2020) – Mathematical proof of black hole formation.

Let's see the list of all Nobel Laureates in Physics

Year	Laureates	Achievement
1901	Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen	Discovery of X-rays (Röntgen rays)
1902	Hendrik A. Lorentz, Pieter Zeeman	Research into the influence of magnetism on radiation phenomena
1903	Henri Becquerel	Discovery of spontaneous radioactivity
1903	Pierre Curie, Marie Curie	Researches on radiation phenomena discovered by Henri Becquerel
1904	Lord Rayleigh	Investigations of gas densities and discovery of argon
1905	Philipp Lenard	Work on cathode rays
1906	J.J. Thomson	Theoretical and experimental investigations on the conduction of electricity by gases
1907	Albert A. Michelson	Optical precision instruments and spectroscopic/metrological investigations
1908	Gabriel Lippmann	Method of reproducing colors photographically based on interference
1909	Guglielmo Marconi, Ferdinand Braun	Contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy
1910	Johannes Diderik van der Waals	Work on the equation of state for gases and liquids
1911	Wilhelm Wien	Discoveries regarding the laws governing the radiation of heat
1912	Gustaf Dalén	Invention of automatic regulators for use in conjunction with gas accumulators for illuminating lighthouses and buoys
1913	Heike Kamerlingh Onnes	Investigations on the properties of matter at low temperatures, leading to the production of liquid helium
1914	Max von Laue	Discovery of the diffraction of X-rays by crystals
1915	William Bragg, Lawrence Bragg	Services in the analysis of crystal structure by means of X-rays
1916	No award	Prize money allocated to the Special Fund
1917	Charles Glover Barkla	Discovery of the characteristic Röntgen radiation of the elements
1918	Max Planck	Discovery of energy quanta, advancing the field of Physics
1919	Johannes Stark	Discovery of the Doppler effect in canal rays and the splitting of spectral lines in electric fields
1920	Charles Edouard Guillaume	Discovery of anomalies in nickel steel alloys, aiding precision measurements in physics
1921	Albert Einstein	Photoelectric effect law
1929	Louis de Broglie	Wave nature of electrons
1930	C.V. Raman	Raman scattering discovery
1932	Werner Heisenberg	Quantum mechanics and hydrogen allotropes
1933	Erwin Schrödinger, Paul Dirac	New atomic theory contributions
1935	James Chadwick	Discovery of the neutron
1936	Victor Hess, Carl Anderson	Discovery of cosmic rays; Discovery of positron
1937	Clinton Davisson, George P. Thomson	Electron diffraction by crystals
1938	Enrico Fermi	Discovery of neutron-induced radioactivity and nuclear reactions
1939	Ernest Lawrence	Cyclotron invention and artificial radioactive elements
1940 - 42	No Prize Awarded	Due to World War II
1943	Otto Stern	Molecular ray method and proton magnetic moment discovery
1944	Isidor Isaac Rabi	Resonance method for atomic nuclei magnetic properties
1945	Wolfgang Pauli	Exclusion Principle discovery
1946	Percy W. Bridgman	High-pressure physics and experimental apparatus development
1947	Edward V. Appleton	Physics of the upper atmosphere, discovery of the Appleton layer
1948	Patrick M.S. Blackett	Wilson cloud chamber developments and nuclear physics discoveries
1949	Hideki Yukawa	Prediction of mesons from nuclear force theory
1950	Cecil Powell	Photographic method for nuclear processes, meson discoveries
1951	John Cockcroft, Ernest T.S. Walton	Nuclear transmutation via accelerated particles
1952	Felix Bloch, E. M. Purcell	Nuclear magnetic precision measurement methods
1953	Frits Zernike	Phase contrast method and microscope invention
1954	Max Born, Walther Bothe	Quantum mechanics statistical interpretation; Coincidence method in nuclear physics
1955	Willis E. Lamb, Polykarp Kusch	Hydrogen fine structure; Electron's magnetic moment determination
1956	William B. Shockley, John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain	Discovery of the transistor effect
1957	Chen Ning Yang, Tsung-Dao Lee	Investigations of parity laws, leading to discoveries in elementary particles
1958	Pavel A. Cherenkov, Il´ja M. Frank, Igor Y. Tamm	Discovery and interpretation of the Cherenkov effect
1959	Emilio Segrè, Owen Chamberlain	Discovery of the antiproton
1960	Donald A. Glaser	Invention of the bubble chamber
1961	Robert Hofstadter, Rudolf Mössbauer	Electron scattering studies of nuclei; Discovery of Mössbauer effect
1962	Lev Landau	Theories of condensed matter, especially liquid helium
1963	Eugene Wigner, Maria Goeppert Mayer, J. Hans D. Jensen	Fundamental symmetry principles; Nuclear shell structure
1964	Charles H. Townes, Nicolay G. Basov, Aleksandr M. Prokhorov	Work in quantum electronics, leading to maser-laser principles
1965	Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Julian Schwinger, Richard P. Feynman	Quantum electrodynamics with deep implications for particle physics
1966	Alfred Kastler	Optical methods for studying Hertzian resonances in atoms
1967	Hans Bethe	Contributions to nuclear reaction theory, especially energy production in stars
1968	Luis Alvarez	Development of hydrogen bubble chamber techniques and discovery of resonance states
1969	Murray Gell-Mann	Classification of elementary particles and their interactions
1970	Hannes Alfvén, Louis Néel	Discoveries in magnetohydrodynamics and plasma physics; Antiferromagnetism and ferrimagnetism
1971	Dennis Gabor	Invention and development of the holographic method
1972	John Bardeen, Leon N. Cooper, Robert Schrieffer	Development of the BCS theory of superconductivity
1973	Leo Esaki, Ivar Giaever, Brian D. Josephson	Discoveries in tunneling phenomena in semiconductors and superconductors; Josephson effects
1974	Martin Ryle, Antony Hewish	Pioneering research in radio astrophysics, aperture synthesis technique, and pulsar discovery
1975	Aage N. Bohr, Ben R. Mottelson, James Rainwater	Connection between collective and particle motion in atomic nuclei, leading to nuclear structure theory
1976	Burton Richter, Samuel C.C. Ting	Discovery of a heavy elementary particle of a new kind
1977	Philip W. Anderson, Sir Nevill F. Mott, John H. Van Vleck	Theoretical investigations of electronic structures in magnetic and disordered systems
1978	Pyotr Kapitsa, Arno Penzias, Robert Woodrow Wilson	Inventions in low-temperature physics; Discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation
1979	Sheldon Glashow, Abdus Salam, Steven Weinberg	Contributions to the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction theory
1980	James Cronin, Val Fitch	Discovery of violations of fundamental symmetry principles in the decay of neutral K-mesons
1981	Nicolaas Bloembergen, Arthur L. Schawlow, Kai M. Siegbahn	Development of laser spectroscopy; High-resolution electron spectroscopy
1982	Kenneth G. Wilson	Theory for critical phenomena in phase transitions
1983	Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, William A. Fowler	Theoretical studies of stellar structure and evolution; Studies of nuclear reactions forming chemical elements
1984	Carlo Rubbia, Simon van der Meer	Decisive contributions leading to the discovery of the W and Z bosons, mediators of weak interaction
1985	Klaus von Klitzing	Discovery of the quantized Hall effect
1986	Ernst Ruska, Gerd Binnig, Heinrich Rohrer	Fundamental work in electron optics, first electron microscope; Design of the scanning tunneling microscope
1987	J. Georg Bednorz, K. Alex Müller	Breakthrough in the discovery of superconductivity in ceramic materials
1988	Leon M. Lederman, Melvin Schwartz, Jack Steinberger	Neutrino beam method and discovery of the muon neutrino, demonstrating the doublet structure of leptons
1989	Norman F. Ramsey, Hans G. Dehmelt, Wolfgang Paul	Invention of the separated oscillatory fields method; Development of the ion trap technique
1990	Jerome I. Friedman, Henry W. Kendall, Richard E. Taylor	Pioneering investigations of deep inelastic scattering, crucial for the quark model in particle physics
1991	Pierre-Gilles de Gennes	Generalizing methods for studying order phenomena in simple systems to complex matter like liquid crystals and polymers
1992	Georges Charpak	Invention and development of particle detectors, particularly the multiwire proportional chamber
1993	Russell A. Hulse, Joseph H. Taylor Jr.	Discovery of a new type of pulsar, opening new possibilities for gravitation studies
1994	Bertram N. Brockhouse, Clifford G. Shull	Development of neutron spectroscopy; Development of neutron diffraction technique
1995	Martin L. Perl, Frederick Reines	Discovery of the tau lepton; Detection of the neutrino
1996	David M. Lee, Douglas D. Osheroff, Robert C. Richardson	Discovery of superfluidity in helium-3
1997	Steven Chu, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, William D. Phillips	Development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light
1998	Robert B. Laughlin, Horst L. Störmer, Daniel C. Tsui	Discovery of a new form of quantum fluid with fractionally charged excitations
1999	Gerardus 't Hooft, Martinus J.G. Veltman	Elucidating the quantum structure of electroweak interactions in physics
2000	Zhores Alferov, Herbert Kroemer, Jack Kilby	For basic work on information and communication technology, including semiconductor heterostructures and the integrated circuit
2000	Zhores Alferov, Herbert Kroemer	Development of semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed- and opto-electronics
2000	Jack Kilby	Invention of the integrated circuit
2001	Eric Cornell, Wolfgang Ketterle, Carl Wieman	For the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms
2001	Eric Cornell, Wolfgang Ketterle, Carl Wieman	Achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms and early fundamental studies of condensate properties
2002	Raymond Davis Jr., Masatoshi Koshiba, Riccardo Giacconi	For pioneering contributions to astrophysics, including the detection of cosmic neutrinos and X-ray sources
2002	Raymond Davis Jr., Masatoshi Koshiba	Pioneering contributions to astrophysics, particularly for the detection of cosmic neutrinos
2002	Riccardo Giacconi	Pioneering contributions to astrophysics, leading to the discovery of cosmic X-ray sources
2003	Alexei Abrikosov, Vitaly L. Ginzburg, Anthony J. Leggett	For pioneering contributions to the theory of superconductors and superfluids
2003	Alexei Abrikosov, Vitaly L. Ginzburg, Anthony J. Leggett	Pioneering contributions to the theory of superconductors and superfluids
2004	David J. Gross, H. David Politzer, Frank Wilczek	For the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction
2004	David J. Gross, H. David Politzer, Frank Wilczek	Discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction
2005	Roy J. Glauber, John L. Hall, Theodor W. Hänsch	For contributions to the quantum theory of optical coherence and laser-based precision spectroscopy
2005	Roy J. Glauber	Contribution to the quantum theory of optical coherence
2005	John L. Hall, Theodor W. Hänsch	Contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique
2006	John C. Mather, George F. Smoot	For their discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation
2006	John C. Mather, George F. Smoot	Discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation
2007	Albert Fert, Peter Grünberg	For the discovery of Giant Magnetoresistance
2007	Albert Fert, Peter Grünberg	Discovery of Giant Magnetoresistance
2008	Yoichiro Nambu, Makoto Kobayashi, Toshihide Maskawa	For the discovery of the mechanism of spontaneous broken symmetry in subatomic physics
2008	Yoichiro Nambu	Discovery of the mechanism of spontaneous broken symmetry in subatomic physics
2008	Makoto Kobayashi, Toshihide Maskawa	Discovery of the origin of the broken symmetry, predicting the existence of at least three families of quarks in nature
2009	Charles K. Kao, Willard S. Boyle, George E. Smith	For groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication
2009	Charles K. Kao	Groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication
2009	Willard S. Boyle, George E. Smith	Invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit - the CCD sensor
2010	Andre Geim, Konstantin Novoselov	For groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene
2010	Andre Geim, Konstantin Novoselov	Groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene
2011	Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt, Adam G. Riess	For the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae
2011	Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt, Adam G. Riess	Discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae
2012	Serge Haroche, David J. Wineland	For ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems
2012	Serge Haroche, David J. Wineland	Groundbreaking experimental methods enabling measurement and manipulation of individual quantum systems
2013	François Englert, Peter Higgs	For the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, confirmed through experiments at CERN
2013	François Englert, Peter Higgs	Theoretical discovery of a mechanism contributing to the origin of mass of subatomic particles, confirmed by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN
2014	Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, Shuji Nakamura	For the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources
2014	Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, Shuji Nakamura	Invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes enabling bright and energy-saving white light sources
2015	Takaaki Kajita, Arthur B. McDonald	For the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass
2015	Takaaki Kajita, Arthur B. McDonald	Discovery of neutrino oscillations, showing that neutrinos have mass
2016	David J. Thouless, F. Duncan M. Haldane, J. Michael Kosterlitz	For theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter
2016	David J. Thouless, F. Duncan M. Haldane, J. Michael Kosterlitz	Theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter
2017	Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish, Kip S. Thorne	For decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves
2017	Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish, Kip S. Thorne	Decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves
2018	Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Mourou, Donna Strickland	For groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics
2018	Arthur Ashkin	Optical tweezers and their application to biological systems
2018	Gérard Mourou, Donna Strickland	Method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses
2019	James Peebles, Michel Mayor, Didier Queloz	For contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos
2019	James Peebles	Theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology
2019	Michel Mayor, Didier Queloz	Discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star
2020	Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel, Andrea Ghez	For the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity
2021	Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann, Giorgio Parisi	For groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of complex physical systems
2022	Alain Aspect, John Clauser, Anton Zeilinger	For experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science
2023	Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, Anne L’Huillier	For experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter
2024	John J. Hopfield, Geoffrey Hinton	For foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks

 

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