Today the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics 2022 to Alain Aspect, John Clauser and Anton Zeilinger, for experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science. This is an enormous recognition of the field of quantum information science, in which QuTech finds its roots.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences explains: “Alain Aspect, John Clauser and Anton Zeilinger have each conducted groundbreaking experiments using entangled quantum states, where two particles behave like a single unit even when they are separated. Their results have cleared the way for new technology based upon quantum information.”

Loophole-free Bell inequality violation at QuTech

Current developments build further on the pioneering work of the Nobel laureates 30–50 years later. They are recognised as the generation that has led the way. For example, in 2015 Ronald Hanson has demonstrated the first Bell inequality violation over a distance of 1.3 kilometers.

Further reading

• Press release: Loophole-free Bell test TU Delft crowns 80-years-old debate on nature of reality: Einsteins “spooky action” is real, 2015 (EN & NL)

QuTech in the media

• Trio who proved quantum mechanics is really weird—and useful—honored (Science)
• Demonstrations of quantum entanglement earn the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics (Physics Today)
• Elementaire deeltjes op afstand innig verstrengeld (NRC, Dutch)
• Nobelprijs natuurkunde naar onderzoekers spookachtig verbonden deeltjes (Volkskrant, Dutch)