The Nobel Prize for physics has recognised some incredible advances in lasers, and has seen the first woman in 55 years to be award the coveted prize.
Announced every year, the Nobel Prize recognises achievements in science which come out of a number of fields.
Prizes are awarded to discoveries and advances, which means teams working on research can win and share them together.
This year, a woman is sharing the award with two other men in the field, for remarkable advancement in laser physics.
Advancement in lasers in the physics development of the year according to the Nobel Prize Committee.
This year’s key award has gone to Doctors Donna Strickland, Arthur Ashkin, and Gerard Mourou.
Based out of the University of Waterloo in Canada, Ecole Plytechnique in France, and Bell Labs respectively, the scientists are being recognised for laser-based tools.
Dr Ashkin secured a whole half of the £770,000 ($1million) prize, for creating a tool named ‘laser tweezers’ which allow scientists to manipulate particles inside a laser beam.
Mourou and Strickland worked together and secured the rest of the prize for their work on laser amplification, allowing lasers themselves to be used as more effective tools.
Who is Dr Donna Strickland?
Dr Donna Strickland is only the third woman to win a Nobel Prize for physics since its inception.
She is an associate professor at the Canadian University of Waterloo, where she focusses her research on laser development.
Her department biography states: “Dr. Strickland’s ultrafast laser group develops high-intensity laser systems for nonlinear optics investigations.”
Dr Strickland’s research has enabled the development of a high intensity laser capable of producing short bursts of energy, vital in accelerating understanding of molecular particles.
Only two other women before Dr Strickland have won the Nobel Prize; Marie Curie and Maria Goeppert-Mayer.
She was preceded by legendary physicist Marie Curie in 1903 and Maria Goeppert-Mayer in 1963.
Marie Curie was the first woman ever to win the prize, given for her work with radiation phenomena.
Maria Goeppert-Mayer was awarded her prize for proposing the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus.
What is the Nobel Prize?
The Nobel Prize isn’t just for physics, as it is introduced in six different categories for significant scientific advancement.
These include Chemistry, Literature, Peace, Physics, and Physiology or Medicine and were laid out in the will of scientist Alfred Nobel.
On his death, significant funds from the Nobel family business – rooted in oil – were put towards rewarding those who serve humanity.
The Nobel Foundation was established in 1895 with shares of 94 percent of his fortune, and is the primary economy of the prize, which rewards scientists who have made advancements serving humanity with a sum of £770,000 ($1 million) every year.