Three British scientists have won the Nobel prize in physics for their work on exotic states of matter that may pave the way for quantum computers and other revolutionary technologies.
David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz will share the 8m Swedish kronor (£718,000) prize announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm today.
The researchers were credited for their theoretical work on “topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter”. Together, their discoveries transformed how scientists think about materials.
Working separately, the three laureates conceived a new way to understand the topology of materials, as the study of shapes that change in increments is called. At its simplest, a sheet of paper can have many sides, depending upon the topology of its folds. At an atomic level, however, variations in the structural topology of electrons can yield materials with properties unknown among the commonplace solids, fluids and gases of the ordinary world.