The Nobel Prize in Physics 1973

Leo Esaki

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/4

Ivar Giaever

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/4

Brian David Josephson

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/2

The Nobel Prize in Physics 1973 was divided, one half jointly to Leo Esaki and Ivar Giaever "for their experimental discoveries regarding tunneling phenomena in semiconductors and superconductors, respectively" and the other half to Brian David Josephson "for his theoretical predictions of the properties of a supercurrent through a tunnel barrier, in particular those phenomena which are generally known as the Josephson effects."

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Prize in Physics 1973. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Media AB 2020. Wed. 21 Oct 2020. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1973/summary/>

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

Learn more

Nobel Prizes 2020

Twelve laureates were awarded a Nobel Prize in 2020, for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.

Their work and discoveries range from the formation of black holes and genetic scissors to efforts to combat hunger and develop new auction formats.

See them all presented here.
Nobel Prizes 2020 graphics

Explore prizes and laureates

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