AS IT IS 2016-10-05 Nobel in Physics Awarded for ‘Strange States’ of Matter

AS IT IS 2016-10-05 Nobel in Physics Awarded for ‘Strange States’ of Matter

Three British-born scientists have won the 2016 Nobel Prize for Physics.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the award on Tuesday.

The academy is recognizing David J. Thouless, F. Duncan Haldane and J. Michael Kosterlitz for their work in topology, an advanced field of mathematics. Topology describes the properties of objects.

Thouless, aged¹ 82, once taught at the University of Washington, but is now a professor emeritus². Haldane, 65, is a physics professor at Princeton University in New Jersey³. Kosterlitz, 73, is a physics professor at Brown University in Rhode Island.

The men launched their experiments in the 1970s. The academy said their research projects brought about a new and unexpected understanding of the way solid materials behave. It said they also developed their own mathematical equations to explain the behaviors.

In a statement, the Nobel judges said, “This year's laureates opened the door on an unknown world where matter can assume strange states. Thanks to their pioneering work, the hunt is now on for new and exotic phases of matter."

The judges said there is hope that topological materials will help create new generations of electronics and superconductors.

Haldane told reporters he was “very surprised and very gratified” to win the award. “A lot of tremendous new discoveries that are based on this original work are now happening.”

He added that the discoveries came by accident, which is often the case with science. “You stumble on it and you have the luck to recognize what you've found is something very interesting.”

The Associated Press spoke⁴ by telephone with Kosterlitz, who was in Finland. He said he was “a little bit dazzled” and “still trying to take it in.”

The Nobel Prize for Physics comes with a monetary⁵ prize of $930,000, which is split among the winners. The Nobel laureates will also collect a medal and diploma at an award ceremony on December 10.

The first Nobel Prize of this year – for Physiology⁶ or Medicine - was announced Monday. That award went to Japanese scientist Yushinori Ohsumi for experiments related to baker’s yeast⁷.

Other Nobel prizes will be announced this week and next week.

Words in This Story

equation – n. mathematical statement that shows two amounts are equal

laureate – n. person given a prize for achievement

pioneering – adj. one of the first to develop new ideas or methods

exotic – adj. very different, strange, often foreign

superconductor – n. substance capable of allowing electricity to easily flow through it

stumble – v. to come upon unexpectedly or by chance

dazzled – adj. greatly surprised, excited or impressed

baker’s yeast – n. the common name given to organisms used to help bread or baking products rise when heated

1 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

2 emeritus   

adj.名誉退休的

参考例句：

• "Perhaps I can introduce Mr.Lake Kirby,an emeritus professor from Washington University?"请允许我介绍华盛顿大学名誉教授莱克柯尔比先生。
• He will continue as chairman emeritus.他将会继续担任荣誉主席。

3 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

6 physiology   

n.生理学，生理机能

参考例句：

• He bought a book about physiology.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。

7 yeast   

n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫

参考例句：

• Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
• The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。