The invention of laser won the Nobel Prize in Physics 2018

An American scientist and two Canadian scholars won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics with a prize worth one million dollars.

The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to researcher Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics, according to the Guardian. The award was announced by Göran K. Hansson, General Secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences at 4:55 PM Hanoi time. Award-winning scholars will win a $ 1 million reward.

Picture 1 of The invention of laser won the Nobel Prize in Physics 2018
The Nobel laureate will be awarded an 18K gold medal.(Photo: Phys.org).

Arthur Ashkin , an American physicist, was awarded half the prize for his discovery of optical tweezers , a kind of light trap that allows light to control small particles. Ashkin's optical tweezers secure particles, atoms and molecules with laser fingers. It can test and control viruses, bacteria and other living cells without hurting, creating opportunities to observe and control living organizations.

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Steps to perform light traps.(Photo: Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences).

Two physicists Gérard Mourou (French) and Donna Strickland (Canadian) received the remaining half for the method of creating super-short optical pulses with intense intensity . This technique has the name of Amplifying ultra-short laser pulse or CPA . Sharp laser beams can cut or drill holes through various materials with extremely high precision, even with living matter. The technique helps make eye surgeries for millions of people every year.

Picture 3 of The invention of laser won the Nobel Prize in Physics 2018
Explanation of the method of amplifying extremely short pulse laser.(Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences).

This year's Nobel Prize winner has revolutionized laser physics, helping researchers discover microscopic objects and the process is fast. These extremely precise devices open up new areas of research, with many applications in industry and medicine.

Strickland at the University of Waterloo, Ontairo, became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physics since Maria Goeppert Mayer received this honor in 1963 for research on nuclear shell structure. She is the third woman in history to win the prestigious Nobel Prize in Physics.

Last year, the award was given to three researchers Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish and Kip Thorne with the discovery of gravitational waves, ripples in the space-time field, generated by intense events such as wax black holes import.

Nobel is an international award established by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm in 1901 based on the assets of Alfred Nobel, Swedish inventor and businessman.

The award is awarded annually to outstanding individuals and organizations in the fields of Medicine, Chemistry, Physics, Literature and Peace.

In 1968, the Swedish Central Bank created the Swedish Bank Prize for Economic Science in honor of Nobel, also known as the Nobel Prize in Economics. Each award includes a medal, a personal certificate and a bonus. From 1901-2017, the prize was awarded 585 times to 923 individuals and organizations around the world.