Austrian quantum physicist Anton Zeilinger received a speech from King Carl XVI of Sweden on Saturday afternoon. Gustaf received the Nobel Prize in Physics. He was honored at the Stockholm Concert Hall with his fellow physics laureates, Alain Aspect and John Clauser. At the beginning of the second quantum revolution, it was “remarkable how the circle started in Austria and closed in Austria,” the physics laureates said at the presentation.
The solemn ceremony with around 1560 invited guests started with the arrival of the royal family – next to King Carl XVI. Gustaf and Queen Silvia also Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel – and the Swedish royal song “Kungssången”. For the president of the Nobel Foundation, Carl-Henrik Heldin, in the face of a myriad of crises and challenges, such as the war in Europe, the energy crisis and climate change, “dedicated scientists tirelessly seeking the truth and pushing the boundaries of our knowledge” are required.
In his opening speech, he referred to the “higher purpose” of the prize: “Nobel laureates are part of a community that has profoundly changed the world. They demonstrate the capacity we have as human beings to shape our own destiny.”
“The circle started in Austria and was closed in Austria”
Prior to the award ceremony itself, “Laus Canticum” by Swedish composer Andrea Tarrodi, a work commissioned by the Nobel Foundation, was premiered. She wanted to honor the 2020 and 2021 Nobel laureates, who were unable to receive the prize in Stockholm due to the pandemic and were therefore invited to this year’s award ceremony.
Mats Larsson, a member of the Nobel Committee for Physics at the Swedish Academy of Sciences, then paid tribute to the three physics laureates. He recalled that for Austrian physicist and Nobel laureate Erwin Schrödinger, entanglement was “the defining feature of quantum mechanics”. Zeilinger and his team have shown “how the elusive concept of quantum entanglement can be useful. This was a huge leap forward from Zeilinger’s Austrian predecessor, Schrödinger, and it is remarkable how the circle started in Austria and closed in Austria,” said Larsson. This marked the beginning of “the second quantum revolution”.
King Carl Gustaf presented the award to Zeilinger
Just before 4.30 pm, the physicists were the first to receive from the king the insignia associated with the award: the Nobel Prize medal and certificate. The ceremony takes place in alphabetical order according to a strict protocol: After receiving the certificate and medal, the prize winners shook hands with the king and made three bows: once to the king, then to the academy and finally to the public.
Aspect, Clauser, and Zeilinger were recognized “for experiments on entangled photons, evidence of violations of Bell’s inequalities, and pioneering quantum information science.” They share the Nobel Prize, which has been awarded ten million Swedish kronor (about 900,000 euros).
After the physicists, the prize winners for chemistry, medicine, literature and economics were honored before the ceremony concluded with the Swedish national anthem.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
