Alain Aspect, John Clauser, Anton Zeilinger share Physics Nobel for work in quantum mechanics

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics 2022 to Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger for experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science.

All three have each conducted groundbreaking experiments using entangled quantum states, where two particles behave like a single unit even when they are separated. Their results of their development of experimental tools have laid foundation for a new era of quantum technology.

 

Nobel Prize in Physics jointly won by Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger “for experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science.” pic.twitter.com/fGh2ImBqX4

— ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2022

 

John Clauser developed John Bell’s ideas, leading to a practical experiment. When he took the measurements, they supported quantum mechanics by clearly violating a Bell inequality. This means that quantum mechanics cannot be replaced by a theory that uses hidden variables, the academy said in a statement.

Some loopholes remained after John Clauser’s experiment. Alain Aspect developed the setup, using it in a way that closed an important loophole. He was able to switch the measurement settings after an entangled pair had left its source, so the setting that existed when they were emitted could not affect the result.

The academy further added, "Using refined tools and long series of experiments, Anton Zeilinger started to use entangled quantum states. Among other things, his research group has demonstrated a phenomenon called quantum teleportation, which makes it possible to move a quantum state from one particle to one at a distance."