Americans David Gross, David Politzer and Frank Wilczeck won the 2004 Nobel Prize for physics yesterday for their work in the discovery and exploration of the so-called "strong force" and quarks.
The research has taken the science of physics one step closer to the development of the grand unified theory, the foundation said.
The trio -- researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- were cited for their important theoretical discoveries "concerning the strong force, or the `color force' as it is also called," the foundation said in its citation. "The strong force is the one that is dominant in the atomic nucleus, acting between the quarks inside the proton and the neutron."
Their discoveries, made public in 1973, led to the theory of quantum chromodynamics.
"This theory was an important contribution to the Standard Model, the theory that describes all physics connected with the electromagnetic force [which acts between charged particles], the weak force [which is important for the sun's energy production] and the strong force [which acts between quarks]," the foundation said.
Their work, members added, had helped bring the science of physics a step closer to "fulfilling a grand dream, to formulate a unified theory comprising gravity as well -- a theory for everything."
The academy, which also chooses the chemistry and economics winners, invited nominations from previous recipients and experts in the fields before cutting down its choices.
The winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry will be named today and the literature prize will be announced tomorrow.
The winner of the coveted peace prize -- the only prize not awarded in Sweden -- will be announced on Friday. The prizes, which include a 10 million kronor (US$1.3 million) check, a gold medal and a diploma, are presented on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death in 1896 of Alfred Nobel.
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