Nobel Prize in Physics for 2019 awarded for work on cosmology

The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2019 was awarded “for contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos.” One half was awarded to James Peebles of the Princeton University, the United States of America “for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology”, the other half jointly to Michel Mayor of the University of Geneva, Switzerland and Didier Queloz of University of Geneva, Switzerland and University of Cambridge, UK “for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star.”

James Peebles has developed a theoretical framework through which our basis of the contemporary ideas about the universe has been transformed. It is the cornerstone for our understanding of the history of the universe, from the Bing Bang to the present day.

Meanwhile, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz announced the first discovery of an exoplanet, a planet outside the solar system. This was the origin of a revolution in the field of astronomy, and 4,000 exoplanets have been found in the Milky Way since.

For their brilliant discoveries, the amount of 9 million Swedish Krona will be divided between the three, with one half going to Peebles and the other half jointly awarded to Mayor and Queloz.

Read the official press release by the Nobel Committee here.

The Nobel Prize for 2019 for various fields is being awarded. Keep reading to know the recipients of the awards in the other categories.