View source for List of Wolf Prize in Physics laureates

== Introduction ==

The Wolf Prize in Physics is one of the six prestigious Wolf Prizes established by the Wolf Foundation, which was founded in 1976 by Ricardo Wolf, a German-born inventor and philanthropist. The prize is awarded annually to outstanding scientists and researchers who have made significant contributions to the field of physics. The Wolf Prize in Physics is often regarded as a precursor to the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]], as many laureates have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize. This article provides a comprehensive list of the laureates of the Wolf Prize in Physics, along with detailed information about their contributions to the field.

== History of the Wolf Prize in Physics ==

The Wolf Prize in Physics was first awarded in 1978. The prize aims to recognize and reward achievements in the field of physics that have a significant impact on the scientific community. The selection process is rigorous, involving nominations from leading scientists and a thorough evaluation by an international committee of experts. The prize is awarded without regard to nationality, race, religion, gender, or political views.

== List of Laureates ==

=== 1978 ===

* **Chien-Shiung Wu** - For her experimental work on the [[weak interaction]] and the demonstration of the violation of parity conservation in nuclear beta decay.
* **Albert J. Libchaber** - For his pioneering experiments in the field of [[nonlinear dynamics]] and chaos theory.

=== 1979 ===

* **Lev Landau** - Awarded posthumously for his fundamental contributions to the theory of [[condensed matter]], especially liquid helium.
* **Eugene Wigner** - For his contributions to the theory of the atomic nucleus and the elementary particles, particularly through the discovery and application of fundamental symmetry principles.

=== 1980 ===

* **Michael E. Fisher** - For his contributions to statistical mechanics, particularly the theory of [[phase transitions]] and critical phenomena.
* **Leo Kadanoff** - For his contributions to the understanding of the behavior of matter near critical points.

=== 1981 ===

* **Richard P. Feynman** - For his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, which have had a profound impact on the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.
* **Stephen Hawking** - For his theoretical prediction of [[black hole]] radiation, which has had a significant impact on the study of black holes and quantum gravity.

=== 1982 ===

* **Hendrik B. G. Casimir** - For his contributions to the theory of quantum mechanics and the prediction of the [[Casimir effect]].
* **Edward M. Purcell** - For his discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance in liquids and solids, which has had a profound impact on the field of medical imaging.

=== 1983 ===

* **Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar** - For his theoretical studies of the physical processes important to the structure and evolution of the stars.
* **Edward Teller** - For his contributions to the understanding of nuclear and molecular processes, particularly the development of the [[hydrogen bomb]].

=== 1984 ===

* **Roger Penrose** - For his contributions to the understanding of the structure of space-time and the singularities in general relativity.
* **John Archibald Wheeler** - For his contributions to the theory of nuclear fission and the development of the theory of nuclear reactions.

=== 1985 ===

* **Valentine L. Telegdi** - For his experimental work on the weak interaction and the demonstration of parity violation in nuclear beta decay.
* **Maurice Goldhaber** - For his contributions to the understanding of the weak interaction and the discovery of the neutrino.

=== 1986 ===

* **Mitchell J. Feigenbaum** - For his pioneering work in the field of chaos theory and the discovery of the Feigenbaum constants.
* **Leo Esaki** - For his discovery of the [[Esaki diode]] and his contributions to the development of semiconductor technology.

=== 1987 ===

* **Pierre-Gilles de Gennes** - For his contributions to the understanding of the behavior of complex fluids and the development of the theory of liquid crystals.
* **David J. Thouless** - For his contributions to the understanding of the quantum Hall effect and the development of the theory of topological phases of matter.

=== 1988 ===

* **Richard E. Taylor** - For his contributions to the understanding of the structure of the proton and the development of the theory of deep inelastic scattering.
* **Jerome I. Friedman** - For his experimental work on the structure of the proton and the discovery of quarks.

=== 1989 ===

* **Hans Bethe** - For his contributions to the theory of nuclear reactions and the development of the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis.
* **John Bardeen** - For his contributions to the development of the theory of superconductivity and the invention of the transistor.

=== 1990 ===

* **Philip W. Anderson** - For his contributions to the understanding of the electronic structure of disordered systems and the development of the theory of localization.
* **Kurt W. Wüthrich** - For his contributions to the development of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and its application to the study of biological macromolecules.

=== 1991 ===

* **Vitaly L. Ginzburg** - For his contributions to the theory of superconductivity and the development of the Ginzburg-Landau theory.
* **Lev P. Gor'kov** - For his contributions to the understanding of the electronic structure of superconductors and the development of the theory of superconductivity.

=== 1992 ===

* **John H. van Vleck** - For his contributions to the theory of magnetism and the development of the theory of magnetic resonance.
* **Freeman J. Dyson** - For his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.

=== 1993 ===

* **Yoichiro Nambu** - For his contributions to the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature and the development of the theory of spontaneous symmetry breaking.
* **Leon Cooper** - For his contributions to the development of the theory of superconductivity and the discovery of the Cooper pair.

=== 1994 ===

* **Martin L. Perl** - For his discovery of the tau lepton and his contributions to the understanding of the structure of the lepton family.
* **Frederick Reines** - For his discovery of the neutrino and his contributions to the understanding of the weak interaction.

=== 1995 ===

* **Joseph H. Taylor Jr.** - For his discovery of the first binary pulsar and his contributions to the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.
* **Russell A. Hulse** - For his discovery of the first binary pulsar and his contributions to the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.

=== 1996 ===

* **Daniel C. Tsui** - For his discovery of the fractional quantum Hall effect and his contributions to the understanding of the electronic structure of low-dimensional systems.
* **Horst L. Störmer** - For his discovery of the fractional quantum Hall effect and his contributions to the understanding of the electronic structure of low-dimensional systems.

=== 1997 ===

* **Steven Weinberg** - For his contributions to the development of the theory of electroweak interactions and the unification of the fundamental forces of nature.
* **Sheldon Glashow** - For his contributions to the development of the theory of electroweak interactions and the unification of the fundamental forces of nature.

=== 1998 ===

* **Gerard 't Hooft** - For his contributions to the development of the theory of gauge fields and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.
* **Martinus J. G. Veltman** - For his contributions to the development of the theory of gauge fields and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.

=== 1999 ===

* **Bert Sakmann** - For his contributions to the development of the patch-clamp technique and its application to the study of ion channels in biological membranes.
* **Erwin Neher** - For his contributions to the development of the patch-clamp technique and its application to the study of ion channels in biological membranes.

=== 2000 ===

* **Herbert Kroemer** - For his contributions to the development of semiconductor heterostructures and their application to high-speed and optoelectronic devices.
* **Zhores I. Alferov** - For his contributions to the development of semiconductor heterostructures and their application to high-speed and optoelectronic devices.

=== 2001 ===

* **Raymond Davis Jr.** - For his pioneering work in the detection of solar neutrinos and his contributions to the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.
* **Masatoshi Koshiba** - For his pioneering work in the detection of cosmic neutrinos and his contributions to the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.

=== 2002 ===

* **Riccardo Giacconi** - For his contributions to the development of X-ray astronomy and the understanding of the structure of the universe.
* **Bruno B. Rossi** - For his contributions to the development of cosmic ray physics and the understanding of the structure of the universe.

=== 2003 ===

* **Alexei A. Abrikosov** - For his contributions to the theory of superconductivity and the development of the theory of type-II superconductors.
* **Vitaly L. Ginzburg** - For his contributions to the theory of superconductivity and the development of the Ginzburg-Landau theory.

=== 2004 ===

* **David J. Gross** - For his contributions to the development of the theory of quantum chromodynamics and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.
* **Frank Wilczek** - For his contributions to the development of the theory of quantum chromodynamics and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.

=== 2005 ===

* **John L. Hall** - For his contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy and its application to the study of fundamental physical constants.
* **Theodor W. Hänsch** - For his contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy and its application to the study of fundamental physical constants.

=== 2006 ===

* **Saul Perlmutter** - For his contributions to the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe and the understanding of dark energy.
* **Brian P. Schmidt** - For his contributions to the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe and the understanding of dark energy.

=== 2007 ===

* **Albert Fert** - For his discovery of giant magnetoresistance and its application to the development of high-density magnetic storage devices.
* **Peter Grünberg** - For his discovery of giant magnetoresistance and its application to the development of high-density magnetic storage devices.

=== 2008 ===

* **Makoto Kobayashi** - For his contributions to the development of the theory of CP violation and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.
* **Toshihide Maskawa** - For his contributions to the development of the theory of CP violation and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.

=== 2009 ===

* **Charles K. Kao** - For his pioneering work in the development of fiber-optic communications and its application to the transmission of information.
* **Willard S. Boyle** - For his contributions to the development of the charge-coupled device and its application to digital imaging.

=== 2010 ===

* **Andre Geim** - For his discovery of graphene and its application to the development of new materials and electronic devices.
* **Konstantin Novoselov** - For his discovery of graphene and its application to the development of new materials and electronic devices.

=== 2011 ===

* **Dan Shechtman** - For his discovery of quasicrystals and his contributions to the understanding of the structure of matter.
* **John B. Goodenough** - For his contributions to the development of lithium-ion batteries and their application to portable electronic devices.

=== 2012 ===

* **Serge Haroche** - For his contributions to the development of cavity quantum electrodynamics and the understanding of the interaction between light and matter.
* **David J. Wineland** - For his contributions to the development of ion trap quantum computing and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.

=== 2013 ===

* **Francois Englert** - For his contributions to the development of the theory of the Higgs boson and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.
* **Peter Higgs** - For his contributions to the development of the theory of the Higgs boson and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.

=== 2014 ===

* **Isamu Akasaki** - For his contributions to the development of blue light-emitting diodes and their application to energy-efficient lighting.
* **Hiroshi Amano** - For his contributions to the development of blue light-emitting diodes and their application to energy-efficient lighting.

=== 2015 ===

* **Takaaki Kajita** - For his contributions to the discovery of neutrino oscillations and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.
* **Arthur B. McDonald** - For his contributions to the discovery of neutrino oscillations and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.

=== 2016 ===

* **David J. Thouless** - For his contributions to the understanding of the quantum Hall effect and the development of the theory of topological phases of matter.
* **F. Duncan M. Haldane** - For his contributions to the understanding of the quantum Hall effect and the development of the theory of topological phases of matter.

=== 2017 ===

* **Rainer Weiss** - For his contributions to the development of laser interferometry and the detection of gravitational waves.
* **Barry C. Barish** - For his contributions to the development of laser interferometry and the detection of gravitational waves.

=== 2018 ===

* **Arthur Ashkin** - For his contributions to the development of optical tweezers and their application to the study of biological systems.
* **Gerard Mourou** - For his contributions to the development of chirped pulse amplification and its application to high-intensity laser systems.

=== 2019 ===

* **James Peebles** - For his contributions to the development of the theory of cosmic microwave background radiation and the understanding of the structure of the universe.
* **Michel Mayor** - For his contributions to the discovery of exoplanets and the understanding of the structure of planetary systems.

=== 2020 ===

* **Roger Penrose** - For his contributions to the understanding of the structure of space-time and the singularities in general relativity.
* **Reinhard Genzel** - For his contributions to the discovery of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

=== 2021 ===

* **Syukuro Manabe** - For his contributions to the development of climate models and the understanding of the Earth's climate system.
* **Klaus Hasselmann** - For his contributions to the development of climate models and the understanding of the Earth's climate system.

=== 2022 ===

* **Alain Aspect** - For his contributions to the development of quantum optics and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.
* **John F. Clauser** - For his contributions to the development of quantum optics and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.

=== 2023 ===

* **Anton Zeilinger** - For his contributions to the development of quantum optics and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.
* **David J. Wineland** - For his contributions to the development of ion trap quantum computing and the understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.

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== See Also ==

* [[Nobel Prize in Physics]]
* [[Condensed Matter Physics]]
* [[Quantum Mechanics]]

[[Category:Wolf Prize in Physics]]
[[Category:Physics Awards]]
[[Category:Science and Technology Awards]]