Nobel Physics Prize awarded to 2 men, 1 woman for breakthroughs in laser technology

2018 Nobel Prize in Physics handed out
(Image credit: Hanna Franzen/AFP/Getty Images)

On Tuesday morning, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics to three scientists "for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics." American Arthur Ashkin was awarded half of the Nobel for inventing "optical tweezers and their application to biological systems," while Gérard Mourou of France and Canadian Donna Strickland were jointly awarded the other half "for their method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.