Gravitational wave pioneers win 2017 Nobel Physics Prize

US scientists Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish and Kip Thorne won the prize for their pioneering role in the detection of gravitational waves. Physics is the second of the 2017 Nobel Prizes to be awarded, following Monday's announcement in medicine.

The names of Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne displayed on the screen during the announcement of the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2017, in Stockholm, Sweden, October 3, 2017. (Reuters)
Reuters

The names of Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne displayed on the screen during the announcement of the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2017, in Stockholm, Sweden, October 3, 2017. (Reuters)

US scientists Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish and Kip Thorne won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering role in the detection of gravitational waves, prize organisers said on Tuesday.

Predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago but only detected in 2015, gravitational waves are "ripples" in the fabric of space-time caused by violent processes such as colliding black holes or the collapse of stellar cores.

The teams involved in the discovery quickly emerged as favourites for Tuesday's prize.

"This is something completely new and different, opening up unseen worlds," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in a statement announcing the winners of the 9 million Swedish crown ($1.1 million) award.

"A wealth of discoveries awaits those who succeed in capturing the waves and interpreting their message."

A revolution in astrophysics

Triggered when super-dense black holes merge, the waves were detected using laser beams at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).

"The signal was extremely weak when it reached Earth, but is already promising a revolution in astrophysics," the Academy said.

Physics is the second of this year's crop of Nobel Prizes and comes after Americans Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael Young were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine on Monday.

The prizes for achievements in science, literature and peace were first awarded in 1901 in accordance with the will of Swedish business tycoon Alfred Nobel, who bequeathed much of the fortune he generated from his discovery of dynamite.

Among the science prizes, physics has often taken centre stage with laureates including scientific superstars such as Einstein, Niels Bohr and Marie Curie, one of only two women to win a Nobel Prize for Physics.

Weiss won half the prize with Barish and Thorne sharing the other half.

Route 6