Robert Woodrow Wilson

Facts

Robert Woodrow Wilson

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Robert Woodrow Wilson
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1978

Born: 10 January 1936, Houston, TX, USA

Affiliation at the time of the award: Bell Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ, USA

Prize motivation: “for their discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation”

Prize share: 1/4

Work

Radiation falls toward the earth from outer space. This cosmic radiation initially appeared to become weaker as wavelengths of the radiation became shorter. However, when Robert Wilson and Arno Penzias studied cosmic radiation in 1964, they discovered that microwaves with a wavelength of about 7 centimeters were stronger than expected. At first they thought that the results were caused by distortions or faults in the measurements, but that was not the case. This cosmic background radiation probably is a remnant of the Big Bang when the universe was created.

To cite this section
MLA style: Robert Woodrow Wilson – Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024. Tue. 19 Mar 2024. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1978/wilson/facts/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Eleven laureates were awarded a Nobel Prize in 2023, for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. Their work and discoveries range from effective mRNA vaccines and attosecond physics to fighting against the oppression of women.

See them all presented here.
Illustration

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.