The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2019 has been jointly awarded to James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz “for contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos”, the Nobel committee announced on Tuesday.

Canadian-American Physicist Peebles was given the prize for “theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology,” while Swiss Astrophysicist Mayor and Astronomer Queloz won for “the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star”.

“This year’s #NobelPrize in Physics rewards new understanding of the universe’s structure and history, and the first discovery of a planet orbiting a solar-type star outside our solar system,” the Nobel committee said. “The discoveries have forever changed our conceptions of the world.”

The trio will be given 9 million kronor (Rs 6.4 crore) prize at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10.

So far, 111 Nobel Prizes in Physics have been awarded to 206 individuals since 1901. The only person who has received the Nobel for Physics two times is John Bardeen, in 1956 and 1972.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2019 was awarded to American researchers William G Kaelin Jr and Gregg L Semenza, and British scientist Sir Peter J Ratcliffe “for their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability” on Monday. The prize for chemistry will be announced on Wednesday, literature on Thursday, peace on Friday and economics on October 14.

Last year’s prize

The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland for advances in the field of laser physics. Ashkin had won “for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics” and was awarded the prize “for the optical tweezers and their application to biological systems”. Mourou and Strickland have been awarded “for their method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses”, the committee had said.

The 9 million kronor (Rs 7.3 crore) prize was divided between the three people. Ashkin was awarded one half of the prize, while Mourou and Strickland were jointly awarded the other half.

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