France's Serge Haroche and David J. Wineland of the United States have won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on the interaction of light and matter. They were rewarded for "ground-breaking experimental methods that enable the measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems, announced Staffan Normark, Permanent Secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. The Nobel Laureates have opened the door to a new era of experimentation with quantum physics by demonstrating the direct observation of individual quantum particles without destroying them. Haroche and Wineland have independently invented and developed methods for measuring and manipulating individual particles while preserving their quantum-mechanical nature in ways that were previously thought unattainable. The Nobel winners in chemistry will be announced on Wednesday, literature on Thursday, peace on Friday and economics next Monday.

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