The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics 2018 “for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics” with one half to Arthur Ashkin and the other half jointly to Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland. Ashkin, of the U.S., was awarded the half the prize, and Mourou and Strickland, of France and Canada, respectively, were jointly awarded the other half.

Nobel Laureate Arthur Ashkin has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics “for the optical tweezers and their application to biological systems.” On the other hand, Nobel Laureates Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics “for their method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses.” The only person who has received the Nobel Prize in Physics twice is John Bardeen - in 1956 and 1972.

Nobel prize is one of the most prestigious awards on the planet and the award announcement started from October 1 with the Physiology/Medicine prize. The prize has been jointly given to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo “for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.” Nobel Prize 2018 For Physiology Or Medicine Winner: James P Allison & Tasuku Honjo Jointly Awarded Honour For Revolutionary Discovery in Cancer Therapy.

On October 3 and 5, Nobel Prize for Chemistry and Peace will be declared. Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences will be declared on October 8. The Swedish Academy has decided to postpone the 2018 Nobel Prize in literature. On Monday, Jean-Claude Arnault, the man at the centre of a sexual abuse and financial misconduct scandal that forced the postponement of this year’s Nobel prize in literature, has been convicted of rape. 2018 Nobel Prize: Watch Live Streaming of Prestigious Award Season, Know All the Winners From Peace to Medicine Online.

According to an AFP report, there has been another controversy this year over questions that why have so few women entered the pantheon, particularly sciences. Reportedly, ever since the first prizes were awarded in 1901, 892 individuals have received one, but just 48 of them have been women. Thirty of those women won either the literature or peace prize, highlighting the wide gender gap in the laureates for physics, chemistry and physiology/medicine. Critics have highlighted that gender bias pervades the process of nominations and this is one of the major reason for the disparity.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 02, 2018 03:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).