in chemistry Wednesday for their work on quantum dots — tiny particles just a few atoms in diameter that can release very bright colored light and whose applications in every day life include electronics and medical imaging.
Quantum dots’ electrons have constrained movement, which affects how they absorb and release visible light, allowing for very bright colors. In a highly unusual leak, Swedish media reported the names of the winners before the prize was announced. A committee for each prize then discusses candidates in a series of meetings throughout the year. At the end of the process, the committee presents one or more proposals to the full academy for a vote. The deliberations, including the names of nominees other than the winners, are kept confidential for 50 years.
“The community realized the implications in the mid 90s, that there could potentially be some real world applications,” Bawendi said.On Tuesday, the physics prize went to French-Swedish physicist Anne L’Huillier, French scientist Pierre Agostini and Hungarian-born Ferenc Krausz for producing the first split-second glimpse into the superfast world of spinning electrons.