The Paul Dirac Medal and Prize is a gold medal awarded annually by the Institute of Physics (Britain's and Ireland's main professional body for physicists) for "outstanding contributions to theoretical (including mathematical and computational) physics".[1] The award, which includes a £1000 prize, was decided upon by the Institute of Physics in 1985, and first granted in 1987.

Recipients

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Year Name Institution For
1987 Stephen Hawking
1988 John Stewart Bell
1989 Roger Penrose
1990 Michael Berry
1991 Rudolf Peierls
1992 Anthony Leggett
1993 David Thouless
1994 Volker Heine
1995 Daniel Frank Walls
1996 John Pendry
1997 Peter Higgs
1998 David Deutsch[2] University of Oxford his pioneering work in quantum computation leading to the concept of a quantum computer and for contributing to the understanding of how such devices might be constructed from quantum logic gates in quantum networks.
1999 Ian C. Percival[3] Queen Mary and Westfield College his distinguished contributions to the interpretation of quantum theory, to quantum and classical dynamical chaos, and to atomic and molecular theory
2000 John Cardy[4] University of Oxford his seminal contributions to statistical mechanics. In particular, he is recognized for his application of field theoretical and conformal invariance methods to the study of critical behaviour, considerations of the effects of quenched disorder, integrable systems and non-equilibrium critical phenomena.
2001 Brian Ridley[5] University of Essex his profound influence on semiconductor theory stretching over four decades
2002 John Hannay [de][6] University of Bristol outstanding contribution to theoretical physics in the areas of quantum mechanics, classical mechanics, and optics
2003 Christopher Hull[7] Queen Mary University of London pioneering work in super-string theory.
2004 Michael Green[8] University of Cambridge crucial role in the development of superstring theory as a credible new framework for physics
2005 John Ellis[9] CERN his highly influential work on particle physics phenomenology; in particular on the properties of gluons, the Higgs boson and the top quark.
2006 Mike Gillan [de][10] University College London his contributions to the development of atomic-scale computer simulations, which have greatly extended their power and effectiveness across an immense range of applications.
2007 David Sherrington University of Oxford his pioneering work in spin glasses.
2008 Bryan Webber University of Cambridge his pioneering work in understanding and applying quantum chromodynamics (QCD), the theory of the strong interaction which is one of the three fundamental forces of Nature.
2009 Michael Cates University of Edinburgh pioneering work in the theoretical physics of soft materials, particularly in relation to their flow behaviour.
2010 James Binney University of Oxford his contribution to our understanding of how galaxies are constituted, how they work and how they were formed.
2011 Christopher Isham Imperial College London his major contributions to the search for a consistent quantum theory of gravity and to the foundations of quantum mechanics.
2012 Graham Garland Ross[11] University of Oxford his theoretical work in developing both the Standard Model of fundamental particles and forces and theories beyond the Standard Model that have led to many new insights into the origins and nature of the universe.
2013 Stephen M. Barnett [de] University of Strathclyde his wide ranging contributions throughout optics research, which both inspire and lead experimental endeavours.
2014 Tim Palmer[12] University of Oxford the development of probabilistic weather and climate prediction systems.
2015 John Barrow University of Cambridge his combination of mathematical and physical reasoning to increase our understanding of the evolution of the universe, and his use of cosmology to increase our understanding of fundamental physics.
2016 Sandu Popescu[13] University of Bristol his fundamental and influential research into nonlocality and his contribution to the foundations of quantum physics.
2017 Michael Duff[14]
Imperial College London and Oxford University sustained groundbreaking contributions to theoretical physics including the discovery of Weyl anomalies, for having pioneered Kaluza-Klein supergravity, and for recognising that superstrings in 10 dimensions are merely a special case of membranes in an 11-dimensional M-theory.
2018 John Chalker [de] University of Oxford his pioneering, deep, and distinctive contributions to condensed-matter theory, particularly in the quantum Hall effect, and to geometrically frustrated magnets.
2019 Richard Keith Ellis University of Durham his seminal work in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) where he performed many of the key calculations that led to the acceptance of QCD as the correct theory of the strong interaction.
2020 Carlos Frenk[15] University of Durham outstanding contributions to establishing the current standard model for the formation of all cosmic structure, and for leading computational cosmology within the UK for more than three decades.
2021 Steven Balbus University of Oxford fundamental contributions to the theory of accretion-disc turbulence and the dynamical stability of astrophysical fluids, breaking new ground by establishing the critical role played by weak magnetic fields.
2022 Michael William Finnis[16] Imperial College London opening entire areas of materials physics to rigorous theory and atomic-scale computation, including atomic interactions, irradiation damage, metal–ceramic interfaces, grain boundary embrittlement and ab initio thermodynamics of open systems.
2023 Gavin Salam[17] University of Oxford profound, wide-ranging and impactful contributions to particle physics, especially those concerning the identification and structure of hadronic jets.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Paul Dirac Medal and Prize". Institute of Physics. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Ten Physicists Honored by IOP". Physics Today. 51 (4): 86. 1998. Bibcode:1998PhT....51R..86.. doi:10.1063/1.2805838. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  3. ^ "IOP Presents 1999 Awards, Names Honorary Fellows". Physics Today. 52 (4): 80–81. 1999-04-01. Bibcode:1999PhT....52d..80.. doi:10.1063/1.2802778. ISSN 0031-9228.
  4. ^ "2000 Institute of Physics awards". Physics World. 12 (11): 50–56. 1999. doi:10.1088/2058-7058/12/11/37. ISSN 0953-8585.
  5. ^ "IOP Selects 2001 Award Winners". Physics Today. 54 (4): 81–82. 2001-04-01. Bibcode:2001PhT....54d..81.. doi:10.1063/1.2405626. ISSN 0031-9228.
  6. ^ "Eighteen Scientists Garner IOP Prizes". Physics Today. 55 (3): 83–84. January 12, 2007. doi:10.1063/1.2408468. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2020 – via physicstoday.scitation.org.
  7. ^ "IOP Announces Award Winners for 2002". Physics Today. 55 (11): 87. 2002-11-01. Bibcode:2002PhT....55R..87.. doi:10.1063/1.1535018. ISSN 0031-9228.
  8. ^ "IOP Bestows Awards". Physics Today. 57 (1): 64. 2004-01-01. Bibcode:2004PhT....57S..64.. doi:10.1063/1.1650077. ISSN 0031-9228.
  9. ^ "IoP rewards top British physicists". The Guardian. September 1, 2004. Archived from the original on January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020 – via www.theguardian.com.
  10. ^ "Britain's top prizes for physics announced". phys.org. Archived from the original on 2020-01-25. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  11. ^ "Dirac medal recipients". www.iop.org. Archived from the original on 2020-05-26. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  12. ^ "2014 Dirac medal". Institute of Physics. Archived from the original on 2018-01-06. Retrieved 2014-12-07.
  13. ^ "Non-locality bags Dirac Medal" (PDF). CERN Courier. Vol. 56, no. 7. 2016-09-01. p. 45. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-10-24. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
  14. ^ "2017 Dirac medal". Institute of Physics. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  15. ^ "2020 Paul Dirac Medal and Prize". Institute of Physics. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  16. ^ "2022 Paul Dirac Medal and Prize | Institute of Physics". Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  17. ^ "2022 Paul Dirac Medal and Prize | Institute of Physics". Retrieved 16 October 2023.