The Nobel Prize in Physics 1978

Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/2

Arno Allan Penzias

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/4

Robert Woodrow Wilson

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/4

The Nobel Prize in Physics 1978 was divided, one half awarded to Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa "for his basic inventions and discoveries in the area of low-temperature physics", the other half jointly to Arno Allan Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson "for their discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation."

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Prize in Physics 1978. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Media AB 2019. Sat. 25 May 2019. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1978/summary/>

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

WOMEN WHO CHANGED SCIENCE

Explore a new storytelling experience that celebrates and explores the contributions, careers and lives of the 19 women who have been awarded Nobel Prizes for their scientific achievements.
Quiz view hero image2

Explore prizes and laureates

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