|
 Germany’s
Peter Grünberg of the
Research Centre Jülich and
Albert Fert of France have
been awarded the 2007 Nobel
Prize in Physics “for the
discovery of Giant
Magnetoresistance,” or the
GMR effect, the technology
that is used to read data on
hard drives. Professor
Grünberg and Fert, professor
of physics at Université
Paris-Sud, working
independently from one
another, both discovered the
GMR effect in 1988.
The GMR effect is used in
almost every hard drive in
laptops and MP3 players, for
example produced today.
Giant Magnetoresistance is a
quantum effect, which
appears in layered
structures of magnetic
materials.
“It is thanks to this
technology that it has been
possible to miniaturize hard
disks so radically in recent
years,” the Royal Swedish
Academy of Sciences said in
a press release. Because it
requires the use of
structures with layers that
are only a few atoms thick,
the academy called GMR one
of the first real
applications from the field
of nanotechnology.
In congratulating Grünberg,
Chancellor Angela Merkel
pointed out that basic
research leads to really
applications used on a daily
basis. “This proves that
good promotion of basic
research is the foundation,
the basis for being able to
have internationally
outstanding researchers
among us,” Merkel said.
The Research Centre Jülich
holds the "Grünberg patent"
of the GMR effect. Jülich is
part of the
Helmholtz-Association,
Germany’s largest scientific
research organization, which
is funded primarily by the
federal and state
governments.
Helmholtz-Association
President Jürgen Mlynek
noted that Grünberg “quickly
understood what a great
benefit his discovery could
be to the economy and
ensured that it was speedily
transformed into a
market-dominating
innovation.”
Peter Grünberg was born 1939
in Pilsen (now Czech
Republic). Following his
studies and doctorate in
Darmstadt and a three-year
research stay in Canada, the
scientist has been working
at the Research Centre
Jülich since 1972.
Grünberg and Fert learned
that they had both made the
same discovery at
international physics
conferences where they gave
presentations.
He has already received
several internationally
renowned prizes for his
work: in 1998 he was awarded
the "Zukunftspreis" (Future
Prize) from the President of
the Federal Republic of
Germany, and in 2006 he was
honored as "European
Inventor of the Year."
Earlier this year, Grünberg
received the Stern Gerlach
Medal, the Israeli Wolf
Foundation Prize and also
the Japan Prize, shared with
Fert, in the category
"Innovation through Basic
Research," worth 300,000
euros.
Sources: Bundesregierung.de,
Helmholtz.de, Nobelprize.org
October 9, 2007
Links
Nobel Foundation
Research Centre Jülich
Helmholtz Association |
