J. Georg Bednorz

Facts

J. Georg Bednorz

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

J. Georg Bednorz
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1987

Born: 16 May 1950, Neuenkirchen, West Germany (now Germany)

Affiliation at the time of the award: IBM Zurich Research Laboratory, Rüschlikon, Switzerland

Prize motivation: “for their important break-through in the discovery of superconductivity in ceramic materials”

Prize share: 1/2

Work

When certain metals are cooled to extremely low temperatures, they become superconductors, conducting electrical current entirely without resistance. However, very low temperatures, just a few degrees above absolute zero, are required for this phenomenon to occur. In 1986 Georg Bednorz and Alex Müller discovered that a material composed of copper oxide with lantanum and barium additives became superconducting at a significantly higher temperature than previously tested materials. This sparked extensive research into similar materials.

To cite this section
MLA style: J. Georg Bednorz – Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024. Thu. 14 Nov 2024. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1987/bednorz/facts/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.

See them all presented here.

Illustration

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.