
The award was presented by the American Physical Society for the first time this year for outstanding scientific achievements in the field of atomic physics and precision measurement. The Normal F. Ramsey Prize is endowed to the amount of USD 10,000. It is named after the Nobel Laureate Norman Foster Ramsey.
"Together with his students Daniel Kleppner (MIT) and David Wineland (NIST, Boulder), Norman Ramsey led atomic physics into the age of modern quantum physics and thus laid the foundations for today's quantum research and quantum technology. These US scientists have formed a research community in modern atomic physics that is characterized not only by outstanding scientific achievements, but also by a very collegial atmosphere," says Peter Zoller. "It is a very special honor for me to be the first scientist to be awarded the Norman F. Ramsey Prize by the American Physical Society."
Peter Zoller is considered one of the most influential scientists in the field of quantum optics and quantum information. With his groundbreaking discoveries and developments, the theorist has linked quantum optics with other fields of physics and thus laid the foundations for future quantum technologies. His pioneering work is driving the development of quantum simulators, quantum computers and quantum networks. Peter Zoller has already received numerous awards for his research, including the Wolf Prize (2013), the Benjamin Franklin Medal (2010) and the Max Planck Medal (2005). Peter Zoller is Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Innsbruck and Scientific Director at the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.