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Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Englert and Higgs

nobelprize.org

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Re: Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Englert and Higgs

#21

Post by tephra »

vanattab wrote: post #15
jessriedel wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Nobel committee doesn't give out the prize for theoretical advances that aren't backed up by experiment. Since the data was not yet overwhelmingly conclusive at this time last year, this year's award was basically the earliest possible award date for a decades-old idea.

Really? What do you call Obama peace prize then.

Well first of all the peace prize is not a scientific prize. And the peace prize recipient is decided by a committee appointed by the Norwegian parliament and the physics prize is awarded by the Royal Swedish academy of Sciences (by actual scientist in the field).

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Englert and Higgs

#22

Post by pisarzp »

vanattab wrote: post #15
jessriedel wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Nobel committee doesn't give out the prize for theoretical advances that aren't backed up by experiment. Since the data was not yet overwhelmingly conclusive at this time last year, this year's award was basically the earliest possible award date for a decades-old idea.

Really? What do you call Obama peace prize then.

Big mistake...

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Englert and Higgs

#23

Post by dagw »

krischer wrote: post #5
peterjancelis wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think at most 3 people can be named for each nobel price.

The European Union won it before. So I think organizations are fine.

EU won the peace prize, which is an entirely separate award from the science prize and handled by an entirely separate committee operating under entirely separate rules.

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Englert and Higgs

#24

Post by mnl »

gitaarik wrote: post #12
r0muald wrote: post #2

Apparently most commentators were expecting it. I wonder if there was a possibility that also the CERN team could be awarded the prize?

The award is for the theory that is confirmed. The people of CERN didn't get awarded because they didn't come up with the theory, they just tested it.

Well... no. Carlo Rubbia and Simon van der Meer were awarded the Nobel prize in 1984 for the discovery of the W and Z particles (January 1983). Glashow, Salam and Weinberg were awarded with it in 1979, before the Electroweak Theory was fully confirmed, although there were solid hints at that time, it was a bit premature.

I'm really not too happy about this because the Nobel prize has shunned deserving scientists again. The consensus is that this mechanism can be attributed to three papers, One from Englert and Brout, another from Higgs, and yet another from Guralnik, Hagen and Kibble.

The silly rule of having to give the award to at most three living authors rules out Brout and, as it would be a problem to choose one of GHK (because they signed in alphabetical order, good for them) it's too obvious why they're out, even when the current understanding of the theory can be traced back to their string of papers.

This is not the first time: for instance, nobody really understands why Cabibbo wasn't awarded some years ago along with Kobayashi and Maskawa... for the CKM matrix!

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Englert and Higgs

#25

Post by drrotmos »

_pferreir_ wrote: post #10
kryptiskt wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Organizations can't be awarded the science prizes.

Any references on that?

The statutes of the Nobel Foundation, § 4 reads (in part and translated): "If a work that is being rewarded has been produced by two or three persons, the prize shall be awarded to them jointly. In no case may a prize amount be divided between more than three persons."

Source: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_organizations/nobelfoundatio...

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Englert and Higgs

#26

Post by nemesisj »

This is great news, and comes as a bit of relief to some. I remember talking with a professor at the University of Edinburgh who was concerned about delays with CERN referencing the fact that the Nobel prize isn't awarded posthumously, and not as many are saying, not for theory without proof. Really glad to see he made it!

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Englert and Higgs

#27

Post by davrosthedalek »

_pferreir_ wrote: post #11
henrikschroder wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was just listening to the news, and apparently over 3000 people were more or less involved with the work at CERN. I don't think the physics prize has ever been awarded to an institution like the peace prize has been in the past, and I think the Academy simply chose not to break tradition.

They could have awarded it to the CMS and ATLAS experiments as well. No need to award it to CERN.

That's not a significantly lower number of people.

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Englert and Higgs

#28

Post by Ma8ee »

davrosthedalek wrote: post #20
vanattab wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obama got the peace prize without any evidence.

Peace prize is given by a different committee.

As a Swede, it feels very important to point out that even though all the science laureates are chosen by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, we have nothing to do with the Peace Prize! That blame goes to the Norwegians.

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Englert and Higgs

#29

Post by VLM »

jessriedel wrote: post #9
henrikschroder wrote: post #4

Anyone with more insight know if this was overdue, but finally awarded after confirmation last year at CERN, or if it was pushed forward while last year's work was fresh in people's minds?

The Nobel committee doesn't give out the prize for theoretical advances that aren't backed up by experiment. Since the data was not yet overwhelmingly conclusive at this time last year, this year's award was basically the earliest possible award date for a decades-old idea.

"aren't backed up by experiment"

Sadly, I was expecting arguments by string theorists along the lines of the longbets.org bet for $2000 that no one is going to get a Nobel for anything related to string theory, but I guarantee we'll get ten times as much "Obama" instead.

Can't we please argue about that instead of making fun of our "concentration camp warmonger in chief", maybe just in one thread please?

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