The Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded 117 times to 225 Nobel Prize laureates between 1901 and 2023. John Bardeen is the only laureate who has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics twice, in 1956 and 1972. This means that a total of 224 individuals have received the Nobel Prize in Physics. Click on the links to get more information.
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The Nobel Prize in Physics 2024
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 will be announced on Tuesday 8 October, 11:45 CEST at the earliest.
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2023
“for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2022
“for experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2021
“for groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of complex physical systems”
“for the physical modelling of Earth’s climate, quantifying variability and reliably predicting global warming”
“for the discovery of the interplay of disorder and fluctuations in physical systems from atomic to planetary scales”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2020
“for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity”
“for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2019
“for contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos”
“for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology”
“for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2018
“for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics”
“for the optical tweezers and their application to biological systems”
“for their method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2017
“for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2016
“for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2015
“for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2014
“for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2013
“for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2012
“for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2011
“for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2010
“for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2009
“for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication”
“for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit - the CCD sensor”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2008
“for the discovery of the mechanism of spontaneous broken symmetry in subatomic physics”
“for the discovery of the origin of the broken symmetry which predicts the existence of at least three families of quarks in nature”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2007
“for the discovery of Giant Magnetoresistance”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2006
“for their discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2005
“for his contribution to the quantum theory of optical coherence”
“for their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2004
“for the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2003
“for pioneering contributions to the theory of superconductors and superfluids”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2002
“for pioneering contributions to astrophysics, in particular for the detection of cosmic neutrinos”
“for pioneering contributions to astrophysics, which have led to the discovery of cosmic X-ray sources”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2001
“for the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, and for early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2000
“for basic work on information and communication technology”
“for developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed- and opto-electronics”
“for his part in the invention of the integrated circuit”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1999
“for elucidating the quantum structure of electroweak interactions in physics”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1998
“for their discovery of a new form of quantum fluid with fractionally charged excitations”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1997
“for development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1996
“for their discovery of superfluidity in helium-3”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1995
“for pioneering experimental contributions to lepton physics”
“for the discovery of the tau lepton”
“for the detection of the neutrino”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1994
“for pioneering contributions to the development of neutron scattering techniques for studies of condensed matter”
“for the development of neutron spectroscopy”
“for the development of the neutron diffraction technique”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1993
“for the discovery of a new type of pulsar, a discovery that has opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1992
“for his invention and development of particle detectors, in particular the multiwire proportional chamber”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1991
“for discovering that methods developed for studying order phenomena in simple systems can be generalized to more complex forms of matter, in particular to liquid crystals and polymers”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1990
“for their pioneering investigations concerning deep inelastic scattering of electrons on protons and bound neutrons, which have been of essential importance for the development of the quark model in particle physics”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1989
“for the invention of the separated oscillatory fields method and its use in the hydrogen maser and other atomic clocks”
“for the development of the ion trap technique”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1988
“for the neutrino beam method and the demonstration of the doublet structure of the leptons through the discovery of the muon neutrino”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1987
“for their important break-through in the discovery of superconductivity in ceramic materials”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1986
“for his fundamental work in electron optics, and for the design of the first electron microscope”
“for their design of the scanning tunneling microscope”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1985
“for the discovery of the quantized Hall effect”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1984
“for their decisive contributions to the large project, which led to the discovery of the field particles W and Z, communicators of weak interaction”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1983
“for his theoretical studies of the physical processes of importance to the structure and evolution of the stars”
“for his theoretical and experimental studies of the nuclear reactions of importance in the formation of the chemical elements in the universe”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1982
“for his theory for critical phenomena in connection with phase transitions”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1981
“for their contribution to the development of laser spectroscopy”
“for his contribution to the development of high-resolution electron spectroscopy”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1980
“for the discovery of violations of fundamental symmetry principles in the decay of neutral K-mesons”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1979
“for their contributions to the theory of the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including, inter alia, the prediction of the weak neutral current”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1978
“for his basic inventions and discoveries in the area of low-temperature physics”
“for their discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1977
“for their fundamental theoretical investigations of the electronic structure of magnetic and disordered systems”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1976
“for their pioneering work in the discovery of a heavy elementary particle of a new kind”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1975
“for the discovery of the connection between collective motion and particle motion in atomic nuclei and the development of the theory of the structure of the atomic nucleus based on this connection”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1974
“for their pioneering research in radio astrophysics: Ryle for his observations and inventions, in particular of the aperture synthesis technique, and Hewish for his decisive role in the discovery of pulsars”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1973
“for their experimental discoveries regarding tunneling phenomena in semiconductors and superconductors, respectively”
“for his theoretical predictions of the properties of a supercurrent through a tunnel barrier, in particular those phenomena which are generally known as the Josephson effects”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1972
“for their jointly developed theory of superconductivity, usually called the BCS-theory”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1971
“for his invention and development of the holographic method”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1970
“for fundamental work and discoveries in magnetohydro-dynamics with fruitful applications in different parts of plasma physics”
“for fundamental work and discoveries concerning antiferromagnetism and ferrimagnetism which have led to important applications in solid state physics”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1969
“for his contributions and discoveries concerning the classification of elementary particles and their interactions”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1968
“for his decisive contributions to elementary particle physics, in particular the discovery of a large number of resonance states, made possible through his development of the technique of using hydrogen bubble chamber and data analysis”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1967
“for his contributions to the theory of nuclear reactions, especially his discoveries concerning the energy production in stars”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1966
“for the discovery and development of optical methods for studying Hertzian resonances in atoms”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1965
“for their fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics, with deep-ploughing consequences for the physics of elementary particles”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1964
“for fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics, which has led to the construction of oscillators and amplifiers based on the maser-laser principle”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1963
“for his contributions to the theory of the atomic nucleus and the elementary particles, particularly through the discovery and application of fundamental symmetry principles”
“for their discoveries concerning nuclear shell structure”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1962
“for his pioneering theories for condensed matter, especially liquid helium”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1961
“for his pioneering studies of electron scattering in atomic nuclei and for his thereby achieved discoveries concerning the structure of the nucleons”
“for his researches concerning the resonance absorption of gamma radiation and his discovery in this connection of the effect which bears his name”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1960
“for the invention of the bubble chamber”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1959
“for their discovery of the antiproton”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1958
“for the discovery and the interpretation of the Cherenkov effect”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1957
“for their penetrating investigation of the so-called parity laws which has led to important discoveries regarding the elementary particles”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1956
“for their researches on semiconductors and their discovery of the transistor effect”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1955
“for his discoveries concerning the fine structure of the hydrogen spectrum”
“for his precision determination of the magnetic moment of the electron”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1954
“for his fundamental research in quantum mechanics, especially for his statistical interpretation of the wavefunction”
“for the coincidence method and his discoveries made therewith”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1953
“for his demonstration of the phase contrast method, especially for his invention of the phase contrast microscope”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1952
“for their development of new methods for nuclear magnetic precision measurements and discoveries in connection therewith”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1951
“for their pioneer work on the transmutation of atomic nuclei by artificially accelerated atomic particles”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1950
“for his development of the photographic method of studying nuclear processes and his discoveries regarding mesons made with this method”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1949
“for his prediction of the existence of mesons on the basis of theoretical work on nuclear forces”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1948
“for his development of the Wilson cloud chamber method, and his discoveries therewith in the fields of nuclear physics and cosmic radiation”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1947
“for his investigations of the physics of the upper atmosphere especially for the discovery of the so-called Appleton layer”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1946
“for the invention of an apparatus to produce extremely high pressures, and for the discoveries he made therewith in the field of high pressure physics”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1945
“for the discovery of the Exclusion Principle, also called the Pauli Principle”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1944
“for his resonance method for recording the magnetic properties of atomic nuclei”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1943
“for his contribution to the development of the molecular ray method and his discovery of the magnetic moment of the proton”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1942
“No Nobel Prize was awarded this year. 1/3 of the prize money was allocated to the main fund and 2/3 was allocated to the special fund of this prize section”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1941
“No Nobel Prize was awarded this year. 1/3 of the prize money was allocated to the main fund and 2/3 was allocated to the special fund of this prize section”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1940
“No Nobel Prize was awarded this year. 1/3 of the prize money was allocated to the main fund and 2/3 was allocated to the special fund of this prize section”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1939
“for the invention and development of the cyclotron and for results obtained with it, especially with regard to artificial radioactive elements”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1938
“for his demonstrations of the existence of new radioactive elements produced by neutron irradiation, and for his related discovery of nuclear reactions brought about by slow neutrons”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1937
“for their experimental discovery of the diffraction of electrons by crystals”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1936
“for his discovery of cosmic radiation”
“for his discovery of the positron”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1935
“for the discovery of the neutron”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1934
“No Nobel Prize was awarded this year. 1/3 of the prize money was allocated to the main fund and 2/3 was allocated to the special fund of this prize section”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1933
“for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1932
“for the creation of quantum mechanics, the application of which has, inter alia, led to the discovery of the allotropic forms of hydrogen”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1931
“No Nobel Prize was awarded this year. The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1930
“for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the effect named after him”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1929
“for his discovery of the wave nature of electrons”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1928
“for his work on the thermionic phenomenon and especially for the discovery of the law named after him”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1927
“for his discovery of the effect named after him”
“for his method of making the paths of electrically charged particles visible by condensation of vapour”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1926
“for his work on the discontinuous structure of matter, and especially for his discovery of sedimentation equilibrium”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1925
“for their discovery of the laws governing the impact of an electron upon an atom”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1924
“for his discoveries and research in the field of X-ray spectroscopy”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1923
“for his work on the elementary charge of electricity and on the photoelectric effect”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1922
“for his services in the investigation of the structure of atoms and of the radiation emanating from them”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921
“for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1920
“in recognition of the service he has rendered to precision measurements in Physics by his discovery of anomalies in nickel steel alloys”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1919
“for his discovery of the Doppler effect in canal rays and the splitting of spectral lines in electric fields”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1918
“in recognition of the services he rendered to the advancement of Physics by his discovery of energy quanta”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1917
“for his discovery of the characteristic Röntgen radiation of the elements”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1916
“No Nobel Prize was awarded this year. The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1915
“for their services in the analysis of crystal structure by means of X-rays”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1914
“for his discovery of the diffraction of X-rays by crystals”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1913
“for his investigations on the properties of matter at low temperatures which led, inter alia, to the production of liquid helium”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1912
“for his invention of automatic regulators for use in conjunction with gas accumulators for illuminating lighthouses and buoys”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1911
“for his discoveries regarding the laws governing the radiation of heat”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1910
“for his work on the equation of state for gases and liquids”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1909
“in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1908
“for his method of reproducing colours photographically based on the phenomenon of interference”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1907
“for his optical precision instruments and the spectroscopic and metrological investigations carried out with their aid”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1906
“in recognition of the great merits of his theoretical and experimental investigations on the conduction of electricity by gases”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1905
“for his work on cathode rays”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1904
“for his investigations of the densities of the most important gases and for his discovery of argon in connection with these studies”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1903
“in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by his discovery of spontaneous radioactivity”
“in recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1902
“in recognition of the extraordinary service they rendered by their researches into the influence of magnetism upon radiation phenomena”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1901
“in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the remarkable rays subsequently named after him”