The 2012 Nobel Prize in physics has been awarded to American David Wineland and Frenchman Serge Haroche.
The winners of the prestigious prize were announced Tuesday in Stockholm, Sweden.
Nobel Prize in Physics 2012 Winners
Serge Haroche
-French citizen born in Morocco in 1944
-Earned a Ph.D. from Universite Pierre et Marie Curie in 1971
-Professor at College de France and Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris, France
-Developed method to control and measure trapped protons by sending atoms through a trap
David Wineland
-Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1944
-Earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1970
-Fellow at National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado Boulder
-Developed method to trap electrically charged atoms and measure them with light
The two physicists won for their groundbreaking work in quantum physics, particularly quantum optics, which deals in the capturing and manipulation of light particles.
The Nobel Physics Prize winners worked independently. Haroche is a professor at the College de France while Wineland is currently at the University of Colorado Boulder.
The Nobel prize for chemistry will be announced on Wednesday, literature on Thursday, and the prestigious Peace Prize on Friday.
The Nobel Memorial Prize in economic sciences will be announced on October 15.
This year's laureates will receive their prizes in Stockholm in December.