2007年度諾貝爾物理學獎主 Albert Fert and Peter Grünberg

2007年度諾貝爾物理學獎由一名法國專家和一名德國專家共同獲得。
他們是因為巨磁電阻材料方面的發現而獲獎的。
他們分別是69歲的法國科學家阿爾貝﹒費爾和68歲的德國科學家彼得﹒格林貝格。
他們的發明讓人們可以從電腦硬盤上讀取數據。
這種技術也讓硬盤可以變得越來越小。
兩位科學家發明的技術也稱為GMR，廣泛用於電腦開發方面。
這種技術用於發展敏銳的工具，可以讀取電腦硬盤上的數據，包括手提電腦，以至個人小型音樂播放器，以及錄像播放裝置等。
皇家瑞典科學院在宣佈兩人獲獎的讚詞中說，這種技術的使用讓讀取硬盤上的資料的程序改觀。
讚詞同時說，兩人的發現也可以被認為是真正使用納米技術方面的其中一項創先河做法。
兩人將分享150萬美元的獎金。
Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:

German and French Science Duo Share Nobel Physics Prize

Peter Grünberg of Germany and Albert Fert of France have been awarded the Nobel Physics Prize Tuesday for their work which led to the miniaturized hard disk, one of the breakthroughs of modern information technology.

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Grünberg of Germany shares Nobel Physics Prize

Peter Grünberg of Germany and France's Albert Fert have won the Nobel Prize for physics. The two won the award for their discovery of "giant magnetoresistance" or GMR in 1988. This technology paved the way for radically increased computer storage capacity. The Royal

-->Swedish Academy said in a statement that their work had revolutionised the computer world by making it possible to radically miniaturise hard disks. The two scientists are to be presented with their awards at a ceremony in December.

Science | 09.10.2007

German and French Science Duo Share Nobel Physics Prize

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: German physicist Peter Grünberg will share the Nobel Prize with Frenchman Albert Fert

Peter Grünberg of Germany and Albert Fert of France have been awarded the Nobel Physics Prize Tuesday for their work which led to the miniaturized hard disk, one of the breakthroughs of modern information technology.

The two scientists, who worked independently, were lauded for discovering a principle called giant magnetoresistance, or GMR, which the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences called in its citation, "one of the first real applications of the promising field of nanotechnology."

Grünberg and Fert discovered in 1988 that minute magnetic changes in a GMR system lead to huge differences in electrical resistance. These differences in turn cause changes in the current in the readout head, which scans a hard disk to spot the ones and zeroes in which the data is stored.

As a result, the readout head is able to read smaller and weaker magnetic areas -- and this sensitivity means information can be packed more densely on the hard disk.
Prize for practical application of nanotechnology

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Albert Fert is honored for his work on the miniature hard drive
Martin Durrani, editor of Physics World, a journal published by Britain's Institute of Physics, said the award was fitting.
"I am really pleased that it has gone for something very practically based and rooted in research relevant to industry," he said. "It shows that physics has a real relevance not just to understanding natural phenomena but to real products in everyday life."

Last year, the Physics Prize went to US space scientists John Mather and George Smoot for a pioneering space mission which supports the "Big Bang" theory about the origins of the Universe.

Grünberg and Fert will be honored at a formal prize ceremony held as tradition dictates on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death in 1896 of the prize's creator, Swedish industrialist and inventor of dynamite Alfred Nobel.

The 2007 laureates will receive a gold medal, a diploma and 10 million Swedish kronor ($1.53 million, 1.08 million euros) to be split between them.

DW staff (nda)