Morocco World News
Morocco World News
New York, October 12, 2012
Morocco-Born Jewish Physicist Serge Haroche, jointly with American David Wineland, has been awarded the Nobel Prize 2012 in Physics.
According to the website of the Nobel Prize, the two scientists won the Prize on the basis of their “ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems.”
By developing an insight into a microscopic world, formerly the province of scientific theory, the scientists, came up with solutions to pick, manipulate and measure photons and ions individually, the BBC reported.
68-year-old Haroche, who was born in Casablanca, Morocco, was surprised to hear the news of his winning the Prize and would share a $1.2 million grant with Wineland.
In its citation, the Nobel Physics jury acclaimed Haroche and Wineland for “measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems.”
According to the jury, “their groundbreaking methods have enabled this field of research to take the very first steps towards building a new type of super-fast computer based on quantum physics.”
During an interview published on the Nobel committee website, Wineland said, “I think many of us feel that our breakthrough will eventually happen.”
Leading to the construction of extremely precise clocks that could become the future basis for a new standard of time, the research has won the scientist much appreciation and recognition in the physics field.
French President Francois Hollande congratulated Haroche on his win and deemed the event a “source of pride for our country.”
Working independently, the two scientists, specialists in optics, have now enabled the quantum state to be examined and manipulated at ultra-low temperatures.
Now, thanks to both Wineland and Haroche who are specialized in quantum entanglement, it is possible to measure and control very fragile quantum states, previously deemed inaccessible.
The Institute of Physics society in London highly acclaimed the award, commenting that “Haroche and Wineland have made tremendous advances in our understanding of quantum entanglement.”
Haroche is a professor at College de France and Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris.
Wineland is a group leader at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado.
