The Nobel Prize in Physics 2008

Yoichiro Nambu

Photo: University of Chicago

Prize share: 1/2

Makoto Kobayashi

© The Nobel Foundation Photo: U. Montan

Prize share: 1/4

Toshihide Maskawa

© The Nobel Foundation Photo: U. Montan

Prize share: 1/4

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2008 was divided, one half awarded to Yoichiro Nambu "for the discovery of the mechanism of spontaneous broken symmetry in subatomic physics", the other half jointly to Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa "for the discovery of the origin of the broken symmetry which predicts the existence of at least three families of quarks in nature."

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Prize in Physics 2008. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Media AB 2019. Mon. 16 Sep 2019. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2008/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.