# Nobel Prize in Physics laureates of the 2000s

Every Nobel Prize in Physics laureate between 2000 and 2009, with the year and the Nobel Foundation's official citation. Which discovery do you think mattered most?

- 352 votes · 28 items
- Aug 12, 2019 · Andrew Pierce
- https://even.best/en/l/1216/nobel-prize-in-physics-laureates-of-the-2000s

## Top 28

1. **Zhores I. Alferov** (33 · ▲35 ▼2) — 2000. For developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed- and opto-electronics.
2. **Eric A. Cornell** (20 · ▲22 ▼2) — 2001. For the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, and for early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates.
3. **Jack S. Kilby** (16 · ▲17 ▼1) — 2000. For his part in the invention of the integrated circuit.
4. **Alexei A. Abrikosov** (16 · ▲17 ▼1) — 2003. For pioneering contributions to the theory of superconductors and superfluids.
5. **Herbert Kroemer** (15 · ▲20 ▼5) — 2000. For developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed- and opto-electronics.
6. **Riccardo Giacconi** (15 · ▲17 ▼2) — 2002. For pioneering contributions to astrophysics, which have led to the discovery of cosmic X-ray sources.
7. **Wolfgang Ketterle** (14 · ▲16 ▼2) — 2001. For the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, and for early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates.
8. **Carl E. Wieman** (11 · ▲14 ▼3) — 2001. For the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, and for early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates.
9. **Raymond Davis Jr.** (11 · ▲12 ▼1) — 2002. For pioneering contributions to astrophysics, in particular for the detection of cosmic neutrinos.
10. **Anthony J. Leggett** (10 · ▲11 ▼1) — 2003. For pioneering contributions to the theory of superconductors and superfluids.
11. **Vitaly L. Ginzburg** (8 · ▲10 ▼2) — 2003. For pioneering contributions to the theory of superconductors and superfluids.
12. **Roy J. Glauber** (8 · ▲9 ▼1) — 2005. For his contribution to the quantum theory of optical coherence.
13. **John L. Hall** (8 · ▲8 ▼0) — 2005. For their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique.
14. **Masatoshi Koshiba** (7 · ▲9 ▼2) — 2002. For pioneering contributions to astrophysics, in particular for the detection of cosmic neutrinos.
15. **George E. Smith** (7 · ▲9 ▼2) — 2009. For the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit - the CCD sensor.
16. **Yoichiro Nambu** (6 · ▲6 ▼0) — 2008. For the discovery of the mechanism of spontaneous broken symmetry in subatomic physics.
17. **Charles Kuen Kao** (6 · ▲6 ▼0) — 2009. For groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication.
18. **Peter Grünberg** (5 · ▲7 ▼2) — 2007. For the discovery of Giant Magnetoresistance.
19. **Makoto Kobayashi** (5 · ▲6 ▼1) — 2008. For the discovery of the origin of the broken symmetry which predicts the existence of at least three families of quarks in nature.
20. **Toshihide Maskawa** (5 · ▲6 ▼1) — 2008. For the discovery of the origin of the broken symmetry which predicts the existence of at least three families of quarks in nature.
21. **Willard S. Boyle** (5 · ▲6 ▼1) — 2009. For the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit - the CCD sensor.
22. **Theodor W. Hänsch** (4 · ▲8 ▼4) — 2005. For their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique.
23. **David J. Gross** (4 · ▲6 ▼2) — 2004. For the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction.
24. **John C. Mather** (4 · ▲6 ▼2) — 2006. For their discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation.
25. **Albert Fert** (3 · ▲4 ▼1) — 2007. For the discovery of Giant Magnetoresistance.
26. **Frank Wilczek** (2 · ▲4 ▼2) — 2004. For the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction.
27. **George F. Smoot** (0 · ▲5 ▼5) — 2006. For their discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation.
28. **H. David Politzer** (0 · ▲4 ▼4) — 2004. For the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.