PHOTO: UNI WATERLOO
The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to a woman for the first time in 55 years, the BBC reports.
Donna Strickland, from Canada, is only the third woman winner of the award, along with Marie Curie, who won in 1903, and Maria Goeppoert-Mayer, who was awarded the prize in 1963.
Dr Strickland shares this year’s prize with Arthur Ashkin, from the US, and Gerard Mourou, from France.
It recognises their discoveries in the field of laser physics.
Dr Ashkin developed a laser technique described as optical tweezers, which is used to study biological systems.
Drs Mourou and Strickland came up with a way of generating high intensity and very short laser pulses, which have a variety of applications. One of these is in laser eye surgery.
The award is worth a total of nine million Swedish kronor ($998,618).
