The Nobel Prize in Physics
Awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physics, Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-radiation. This X-ray tube became a frequently used instrument in medicine after this discovery.
© Nobel Media. Photo: Alexander Mahmoud
About the prize
“The said interest shall be divided into five equal parts, which shall be apportioned as follows: /- – -/ one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics …” (Excerpt from the will of Alfred Nobel)
Physics was the prize area which Alfred Nobel mentioned first in his will from 1895. At the end of the nineteenth century, many people considered physics as the foremost of the sciences, and perhaps Nobel saw it this way as well. His own research was also closely tied to physics.
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded bythe Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden.
Seeall physics laureates or learn more about the nomination process.
Quick facts
- Physics prizes: 119
- Physics laureates: 230
- Awarded women: 5
- Youngest laureate: 25
- Oldest laureate: 96
Nobel Prize in Physics 2025
A major question in physics is the maximum size of a system that can demonstrate quantum mechanical effects. This year’s Nobel Prize laureates conducted experiments with an electrical circuit in which they demonstrated both quantum mechanical tunnelling and quantised energy levels in a system big enough to be held in the hand.
This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics has provided opportunities for developing the next generation of quantum technology, including quantum cryptography, quantum computers, and quantum sensors.
Press release
Popular information: Quantum properties on a human scale
Scientific background: “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit”
© Johan Jarnestad/The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
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Questions and answers
The Nobel Prize categories are physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace and were laid out in the will of Alfred Nobel. Find out more in the FAQ.
The Nobel Prize medal.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Clément Morin.
Nobel Prizes and laureates
A slide rule that physics laureate Toshihide Maskawa used as a high school student.
© Nobel Media. Photo: Alexander Mahmoud
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Featured laureates
Albert Einstein
Nobel Prize in Physics 1921for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen
Nobel Prize in Physics 1901in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the remarkable rays subsequently named after him.
Andrea Ghez
Nobel Prize in Physics 2020for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy.
Leo Esaki
Nobel Prize in Physics 1973for their experimental discoveries regarding tunneling phenomena in semiconductors and superconductors, respectively.
Erwin Schrödinger
Nobel Prize in Physics 1933for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory.
Anne L’Huillier
Nobel Prize in Physics 2023for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter.
Discover more
“I want to take this space to tell any budding scientist that, however bleak the future may seem due to illness or other problems, one cannot say you will not be successful.” Kosterlitz was diagnosed with MS in 1978.
J. Michael Kosterlitz, Nobel Prize in Physics 2016
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Alexander Mahmoud
Discover how the 2014 physics laureates tamed the unruly semiconductor gallium nitride, paving the way for blue LEDs. This efficient, versatile light source has been a boon to areas without electricity grids.
The blue LED: an energy- efficient, environmentally-friendly light source
Photo: Public domain
Read what caused the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to exclaim, “Here, at last!” The Higgs particle completed the Standard Model of particle physics which describes building blocks of the universe.
Portrait of Peter Higgs, during a visit to CERN in 2008
© CERN 2008. Photo: Claudia Marcelloni
Nobel Prize in Physics 1901
The very first Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Wilhelm Röntgen for his discovery of X-rays. They are still used to diagnose bone fractures, locate embedded bullets and more.
Credit: Wellcome Collection.
Nobel Prize in Physics 2009
The charge-coupled device invented by Willard Boyle and George Smith was a breakthrough for digital camera technology, and continues to play a crucial role for scientific imaging.
Group of cameras on tripod during photographing urban skyline at twlight. View from Elephant Mountain in Taipei.
Credit: Jaromir/Getty Images
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