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.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique