Britons win Nobel for work on 'exotic' matter, explained with bagel

Three British-born scientists won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics on October 4 for revealing unusual states of matter, leading to advances in electronics and potentially helping work on future quantum computers.

British-born scientist Duncan Haldane of Princeton University poses for a portrait after winning the 2016 Nobel Prize for Physics, at his home in Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. October 4, 2016. (Credit: Reuters)
British-born scientist Duncan Haldane of Princeton University poses for a portrait after winning the 2016 Nobel Prize for Physics, at his home in Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. October 4, 2016. (Credit: Reuters)

David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz, who all now work at U.S. universities, share the prize for their discoveries on abrupt changes in the properties, or phases, of ultra-thin materials.

Their research centers on topology, a branch of mathematics involving step-wise changes like making a series of holes in an object. The difficult-to-grasp concept was illustrated by Nobel Committee member Thors Hans Hansson at a news conference using a cinnamon bun, a bagel and a pretzel.

Phases are obvious when matter goes from solid to liquid to gas, but materials can also undergo topological step changes that affect their electrical properties. One example is a superconductor, which at low temperatures conducts electricity without resistance.

Reuters